UT-128 Colorado River Scenic Byway

State Route 128 is a paved, two-lane highway that leaves US-191 just north of Moab, right where the road crosses the Colorado River. From there it turns northeast and traces the river upstream for about forty-four miles, ending near the little settlement of Cisco at Interstate 70. There is no toll and no gate, just an ordinary state highway that happens to run through extraordinary country. The whole way it stays low, following the water rather than climbing over the cliffs, which is exactly what makes the scenery feel so close and so grand.

The driving experience changes as you go. Near Moab the canyon is tight and dramatic, with sheer red walls closing to a few hundred feet above the road and the river sliding along right beside you. Farther on, the canyon opens into the wide, sun-struck bowl known as Professor Valley, where isolated towers and mesas stand up out of the desert floor like a stage set. This is the stretch that has starred in so many Western films and advertisements. Near the end the walls fall away entirely and the land flattens into open high desert on the run toward Cisco.

This is a road to take slowly. Pullouts, river-access beaches, campgrounds, and trailheads line the route, and the light plays across the cliffs all day, deepening to a fiery glow near sunset. You will share the pavement with rafters shuttling to put-ins, climbers headed for the crags, cyclists spinning along the shoulder, and the occasional bighorn sheep on the rocks above. Take your time, use the pullouts, and let the canyon unfold at its own pace.

The easiest way to reach the byway is through Moab, the hub town for all of southeastern Utah's red-rock country. From Moab, drive north on US-191, and just after the highway crosses the Colorado River, watch for the signed junction with State Route 128 on the right. Turn there and you are immediately on the River Road, with the canyon walls rising around you within the first mile.

Coming from Salt Lake City or the north, take Interstate 70 east to the exit near Crescent Junction, then head south on US-191 toward Moab. Alternatively, you can drive the byway in reverse by leaving I-70 at the Cisco exit and following signs south to State Route 128, which then carries you down the river canyon into Moab. Many travelers like this direction because the canyon walls grow taller and more dramatic the closer you get to Moab.

Because the byway connects Moab with Interstate 70 at its Cisco end, it makes a scenic loop or an easy add-on to a trip through Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Driving 128 in one direction and the main highway in the other lets you see the river canyon without backtracking over the same road twice.

For most of its life this was a working road, not a scenic one. The route along the Colorado River grew out of old wagon tracks and ranch roads that connected Moab with the ranches, mines, and river crossings upstream. Getting across the wide, powerful Colorado was the hard part, and for a long time travelers relied on ferries and fords that were dangerous in high water.

That changed in 1916, when the Dewey Bridge was built across the river near the mouth of the canyon. It was a graceful suspension bridge, and for many years it was the longest of its kind in Utah, a vital link that let wagons and later automobiles cross the Colorado without a ferry. The bridge carried traffic for decades and became a beloved landmark of the River Road, standing as a reminder of just how remote and hard-won travel through this country once was.

Utah later recognized the drive for what it had quietly become, one of the most scenic stretches of highway in the state, and designated State Route 128 a Utah State Scenic Byway. The route is often called the Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway, a nod to the river it follows for its entire length. The honor put the road on the map for travelers, but the pavement stays true to its roots, a simple two-lane highway winding through a landscape that needs no improvement.

The canyon carried on making history in a different way through the movies. Professor Valley and the towers around it became a favorite backdrop for Hollywood, standing in for the mythic Old West in Western after Western and appearing in countless car commercials that wanted a heroic red-rock horizon. Filmmakers prized the valley's clean towers, wide skies, and river-lined cliffs, and the landscape you drive through today is one that millions of people have seen on a screen without ever knowing its name.

• Locals rarely call this the Colorado River Scenic Byway at all. To people around Moab it has always been simply the River Road, and the older name has stuck for generations.
• The Dewey Bridge, built in 1916, was once the longest suspension bridge in Utah and let travelers finally cross the Colorado River here without a ferry. Much of the historic span was lost to a fire in 2008, but its story remains woven into the road's history.
• Professor Valley, the wide red-rock basin along the byway, has doubled as the Old West in a long list of Western films and appeared in countless car commercials, all drawn by its clean towers and dramatic skyline.
• Castleton Tower, the tall free-standing pillar you can spot from the road, is one of the most famous desert climbing objectives in the world, and climbers travel across oceans to reach its summit.
• A cluster of spires near Castleton is nicknamed the Priest and Nuns, one of many rock formations along the byway that people have named for the shapes they seem to take against the sky.
• Fisher Towers are made of Cutler Formation sandstone, a soft, crumbly rock that fractures unpredictably. The strange, dripping look of the towers comes from that easily eroded stone, which also makes them notoriously tricky to climb.
• The tallest of the Fisher Towers, called the Titan, rises about 900 feet from the canyon floor and was first climbed in 1962. It is often ranked among the hardest desert tower climbs anywhere.
• In the lower canyon near Moab, the sheer red walls close to only a few hundred feet above the pavement, so the road runs like a narrow corridor between the cliffs and the green Colorado River.

It is Utah State Route 128, a designated Utah State Scenic Byway that runs along the Colorado River northeast of Moab. It is often called the Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway, and locals know it simply as the River Road. The state recognized it for its striking red-rock canyon scenery, which unfolds almost the entire length of the drive.

The byway runs about forty-four miles from its junction with US-191 just north of Moab to the town of Cisco near Interstate 70. Driven without stopping it takes roughly an hour, but most travelers give it much longer to pull over at river beaches, trailheads, and viewpoints along the way. It is an easy half-day outing at a relaxed pace.

Highlights heading northeast from Moab include the river beaches and climbing cliffs of Big Bend Recreation Area, the towering pillar of Castleton Tower with the spires called the Priest and Nuns in Professor Valley, the dramatic spires of Fisher Towers with its popular trail, and the historic site of the 1916 Dewey Bridge near the upper end of the canyon before the road reaches Cisco.

Yes. State Route 128 is a public highway, so driving the byway is free and there is no entrance fee or pass required. Some recreation areas, campgrounds, and boat launches along the river may charge a day-use or camping fee, but the road itself costs nothing to travel.

Late afternoon into sunset is magical, when low light sets the red cliffs glowing at their deepest. Spring and fall bring the most comfortable temperatures and are especially pleasant for hiking and river time. Summer is beautiful but very hot in this desert canyon, so if you drive it in the warm months, plan for early or late in the day and carry plenty of water.

Yes. State Route 128 is a paved, low-elevation road along the river, and it stays open all year with no seasonal closure. Summer heat is the main thing to plan around rather than snow, though it is always wise to check current road and weather conditions before setting out, since desert storms can occasionally cause flooding.

No. The byway itself is fully paved and any ordinary passenger car handles it easily. Four-wheel drive and high clearance are only needed for some of the rough backcountry roads and jeep trails that branch off in the Moab area, not for State Route 128.

The road drives well in winter. It sits at a low elevation along the river, so heavy snow is uncommon, and the pavement is maintained. Cold snaps can bring brief ice, especially in shaded parts of the canyon, so slow down and check conditions after a storm, but for most of the winter the byway is an easy, clear drive.

Plan ahead, because services are very limited once you leave Moab. Fuel up and buy any food, water, and supplies in Moab before you start, since there are no gas stations for long stretches of the drive. A small store operates near the Cisco end at Interstate 70, but for practical purposes you should treat the canyon as a remote road with no services in between.

Cell service is spotty and often absent along much of the route, especially deep in the canyon where the high walls block signals. Do not count on a reliable connection between Moab and Cisco. Download maps in advance, tell someone your plans, and watch for cyclists and rafting shuttles sharing the road while you are out of range.