Potash Road Scenic Byway

Potash Road, State Route 279, leaves US Highway 191 a few miles north of Moab and heads southwest, following the Colorado River downstream through a deep canyon of red Wingate and Navajo sandstone. The paved scenic portion runs about seventeen miles, all the way to the Intrepid Potash plant and its bright evaporation ponds near the end. The pavement stops there. Beyond the plant the route turns to rough dirt and climbs the famous Shafer Trail switchbacks toward Canyonlands National Park, a steep four-wheel-drive road that is not part of the paved byway and not a place for an ordinary car.

The drive itself is gentle and easy. The road stays low and mostly flat, hugging the river on one side with sheer cliffs rising straight up on the other. Because so much is worth stopping for, the byway is dotted with marked pullouts, and traffic tends to move slowly as drivers crane their necks at the rock walls. In many places the cliffs lean right over the road, close enough that you can watch climbers working their way up the sandstone above you.

What makes this short highway special is how many completely different things sit side by side. In a single stretch you can look up at petroglyphs pecked into the rock by people who lived here long ago, walk a few steps to dinosaur tracks pressed into the stone, gaze at a natural arch, and watch world-class climbers on the cliffs called Wall Street. The river runs green and quiet the whole way, and the red rock changes color hour by hour as the desert sun moves across it.

Potash Road is simple to find and starts just outside Moab, the busy little town at the heart of southeastern Utah's red rock country. From the center of Moab, drive north on US Highway 191 for a few miles. Watch for the signed turnoff for State Route 279 and Potash Road on the left, near the Colorado River bridge. Turn there, and the scenic byway begins right away as the road ducks under the cliffs and follows the river downstream.

Coming from farther away, Moab is reached on US Highway 191, which runs north to Interstate 70 and south toward Monticello and the Four Corners. Travelers arriving from Salt Lake City or Denver usually take Interstate 70 to the town of Crescent Junction, then US Highway 191 south into Moab, and pick up Potash Road just north of town.

Because the drive is an out-and-back, you enter and leave by the same junction with US Highway 191. Many visitors pair Potash Road with the nearby entrance to Arches National Park, which sits just across the highway, making it easy to see both in one day based out of Moab.

Long before there was any road, this canyon was a lived-in place. The petroglyphs on the cliffs along Potash Road were carved by Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont people, and some of the rock art in this corridor is many hundreds of years old. Their images of bighorn sheep, human figures, and mysterious shapes still watch over the road today, a record of the people who traveled and hunted along the Colorado River for centuries.

The modern road owes its existence to potash, a potassium-rich mineral used to make fertilizer. In the 1960s a mining operation was built at the downstream end of the canyon, first as an underground mine and later as a solution operation that pumps water underground, dissolves the mineral, and pipes the brine up into wide, shallow ponds to evaporate in the desert sun. State Route 279 was paved to serve that plant, and that is why the scenic road runs exactly as far as it does and then simply stops at the works.

Utah later recognized what travelers already knew, that the industrial access road happened to pass through spectacular country. The state designated State Route 279 as the Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway, celebrating its rare mix of rock art, geology, river scenery, and recreation. The byway ties into Utah's larger network of scenic drives around Moab, part of a state effort to guide visitors to its most striking landscapes.

The road also earned a very different kind of fame through the sport of rock climbing. The stretch of cliff called Wall Street became one of the most popular roadside climbing areas in the country, prized because climbers can park at the base and reach the routes in seconds. Corona Arch, reached by a trail off the road, drew worldwide attention in 2011 when a viral video showed a climber swinging on a rope beneath the arch, a stunt so dangerous that the Bureau of Land Management later banned the activity there.

• Potash Road takes its name from potash, a potassium mineral used in fertilizer. The whole road was paved to serve a mine at its far end, which is why the scenic drive ends abruptly at the plant and its evaporation ponds.
• Those bright blue and turquoise ponds beside the plant are dyed with a food-safe coloring that helps the water soak up sunlight and evaporate faster. They are so vivid they can be seen from the Dead Horse Point overlook high above the canyon.
• The petroglyphs along the road were pecked into the rock by Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont people, and some panels are believed to be hundreds of years old. They are best seen in the low light of early morning or late afternoon.
• Real dinosaur tracks are pressed into the stone at a marked pullout, footprints left when this red rock was still soft mud along an ancient shoreline. A pair of binoculars helps you pick them out on the cliff face above the road.
• The cliffs called Wall Street are one of the most popular roadside climbing spots in the United States, because climbers can park right at the base and start up the sandstone within seconds of leaving the car.
• Corona Arch became internationally famous in 2011 after a viral video showed a rope-swing stunt beneath it. The activity was later banned, but the huge arch, wider than a hundred feet across, remains a beloved and far less crowded alternative to Delicate Arch in nearby Arches National Park.
• Beyond the pavement, the route becomes the rugged Shafer Trail, a steep dirt four-wheel-drive road that climbs toward Canyonlands National Park. It is a serious backcountry road, not a continuation of the easy paved byway.
• Jug Handle Arch, visible right from the road, gets its name from its tall, narrow opening. It is remarkably slender for its height, one of the more delicate-looking arches you can admire without leaving your car.

Potash Road is Utah State Route 279, designated by the state as the Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway. It is a paved Utah scenic byway running along the Colorado River near Moab, known for its combination of ancient petroglyphs, dinosaur tracks, natural arches, and famous rock-climbing cliffs packed into a short stretch of road.

The paved scenic portion of State Route 279 runs about seventeen miles from US Highway 191 to the potash plant at the end. Driven straight through, that is roughly half an hour each way, but because it is an out-and-back with so many stops for petroglyphs, dinosaur tracks, and arches, most visitors give it a half day to enjoy it fully.

Traveling southwest from US Highway 191, the highlights include the Indian Writings petroglyph panels and the Poison Spider dinosaur trackway near the start, the Wall Street climbing cliffs, the Corona Arch and Bowtie Arch trailhead, Jug Handle Arch right beside the road, quiet Colorado River viewpoints, and the brightly colored potash evaporation ponds at the very end.

Yes. Potash Road, State Route 279, is a public state highway, so driving it and stopping at its pullouts to view the petroglyphs, dinosaur tracks, and arches is free. There is no gate and no entrance fee. Hiking areas reached from the road, such as the Corona Arch trail, are also free to access.

Early morning and late afternoon are best, when low light makes the petroglyphs easier to see and sets the red cliffs glowing. Spring and fall bring the most comfortable weather. The road is open all year, but summer here is very hot, so if you visit in the warm months, go early in the day and carry plenty of water.

Yes. As a paved highway at low desert elevation, State Route 279 stays open throughout the year and rarely sees snow. Summer is the main concern, since desert heat can be intense, so bring water in the warm months. Winter driving is usually mild, though it is always wise to check current weather before heading out.

No. The paved scenic byway is smooth two-lane pavement that any passenger car handles easily, all the way to the potash plant near the end. Four-wheel drive and high clearance are only needed if you continue past the pavement onto the rugged Shafer Trail dirt road toward Canyonlands, which is a serious backcountry route and not part of the paved drive.

The paved scenic part of Potash Road is an out-and-back that ends at the Intrepid Potash plant and its evaporation ponds, so you turn around and return the way you came. Past the plant the pavement stops and the route becomes the unpaved Shafer Trail, a steep four-wheel-drive road climbing toward Canyonlands National Park that ordinary vehicles should not attempt.

No. There are no fuel stations, stores, or restrooms along Potash Road itself. Fill your tank and pick up water and snacks in Moab before you set out, since the town, just a few miles away, is the nearest place for fuel and supplies. Carrying extra water is especially important in the hot months.

Yes. Both are marked with pullouts and signs along the byway. The petroglyphs were carved into the cliffs by Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont people and sit high on the rock, while the dinosaur tracks are footprints pressed into stone that was once soft mud. Binoculars help you spot the higher ones, and low morning or evening light makes them easier to see. Please look but never touch the ancient rock art.