Intermountain Region

From Highway 89 head southeast on Highway 26 at Moran Junction toward Dubois, WY. Cliffs are located about 30 miles after the junction.

The Breccia Cliffs are comprised of volcanic breccias, conglomerates, and tuff that form the youngest member of the upper Absaroka Volcanic Supergroup called the Wiggins Formation. These cliffs are part of the southernmost portion of the Absaroka Range and it is thought that Absaroka Eocene age volcanism was rapid and violent. This often overlooked range in itself is quite spectacular. Originally formed from eruptions that piled volcanic debris, the forces of erosion and glaciation have since sculpted spectacular topography. Conveniently, the Breccia Cliffs are visible from the highway near Togwotee Pass.

From Cedar City, Utah take State Road 14 east onto Cedar Mountain. After you pass Duck Creek Village, look for milepost 31. At the next intersection, turn right onto Forest Road 058. (A left turn at this intersection will take you to State Road 143 via the Mammoth Creek Road.) Travel this well maintained gravel road approximately seven miles to Strawberry Point

Drive out to this scenic viewpoint for spectacular views of forested land, red rock formations, and Zion National Park in the distance.

From Boulder, Utah drive south on Highway 12 about 2-1/2 miles. Turn right on Forest Road 153, also known as the Hell’s Backbone Road.

Hell’s Backbone Road climbs up and around Box Death Hollow Wilderness. It features a dramatic stretch of road along a narrow ridge with sheer drops on both sides and crosses a wonderful narrow bridge. The route has great views over the Wilderness area and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument as it twists through pine, spruce, and fir forests. It joins Posey Lake Road and returns to Highway 12 at Escalante, Utah. The 30-mile route is primarily dirt and gravel. It is difficult when wet and is closed in the winter. Plan to spend about 2 to 2-1/2 hours with stops.

From Wells take State Route 231, Angel Lake Road.

The byway, sometimes called the “highway to heaven” because it rises several thousand feet to Angel Lake, winds upward through sagebrush and piñon pine, mountain mahogany, quaking aspen and limber pine. Angel Lake is a tarn tucked into a glacial cirque high in the East Humboldt range. The East Humboldt Range is an impressive north-south trending Great Basin mountain range with glaciated alpine topography. It is capped by a jagged alpine ridgeline and lower down, by impressive subalpine areas. The core of the range is composed of metamorphic and igneous rocks. These include gneiss, gneisses granite, migmatites, quartzose schist, and calc-silicate rocks. Evidence of glaciation is seen in the cirques, domes, aretes, and hanging valleys that are common along the crest, as well as in the abundant moraines along the base of the range.

South of Reno, State Rt. 431 climbs up Mt. Rose Summit to the 8,911-foot pass, the highest in the state, then descends into the Lake Tahoe Basin, affording a magnificent first look at America’s greatest alpine lake.

The dark rocks of Mt. Rose contrast with the lighter color granodiorite that makes up most of the Sierra Nevada. That is because Mt. Rose is a volcano that was active 2 to 22 million years ago. Typical volcanic deposits are present including dark andesite rocks and lahars or mudflows. (From: Orndorff et al. 2001)

About an hour’s drive west from Las Vegas, the Mt. Charleston Scenic Byway ( Lee Canyon Road or State Rt. 158) is located in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area.

This Byway accesses the east side of the Spring Mountains and trailheads to 11,918-foot Mount Charleston, the tallest point in Southern Nevada. The Spring Mountains are an Island Mountain range isolated from other ranges in the Great Basin. Formed by extensional forces, a large displacement along a fault on the east side causes rock strata to dip towards the west.

Many consider an ascent of Charleston Peak as the ultimate experience in the Spring Mountains. The well-engineered and well-maintained 20-mile Mt. Charleston National Recreation Trail, divided into the North Loop and South Loop trails, provides an excellent route to the summit, which towers over the surrounding terrain by as much as 10,000 feet, offering extraordinary views across southern Nevada, southeastern California, and northwestern Arizona. If not for the insidious pollution from the ever-expanding tentacles of Las Vegas, 300-mile vistas would be commonplace.

Despite the arid nature of southern Nevada, the Mt. Charleston National Recreation Trail passes above the pinyon-juniper woodland through a healthy montane forest composed of white firs, ponderosa pines, and aspens. Above the montane forest, hikers ramble through limber pines on the way to a vigorous bristlecone-pine forest at the higher elevations, the largest concentration of bristlecones in the state. On the upper slopes of Charleston Peak, summiteers pass above timberline into an alpine-like zone, where only ground-hugging plants can survive the arid, windy conditions. The vegetation within the Spring Mountains is unique, as the range contains nearly forty endemic species, the highest number of any range in the entire Great Basin.

Abundant rain and snow on the Spring Mountains recharges the porous limestone that makes up the mountain range. This ground water then recharges the surrounding valley fill aquifers. In fact, the Spring Mountains are the only source of ground water recharge to the Las Vegas and Pahrump valley aquifers for use by the ever-expanding populations.

From Highway 10, exit at Ferron, UT. Travel west on road 022 toward Millsite Resevoir until you come to the overlook.

This overlook provides breathtaking views of Ferron Canyon and the San Rafael Swell.

The San Rafael Swell is a large asymmetric anticline about 75 miles long and 30 miles wide. The western limb is gently inclined while the eastern limb is nearly vertical. The Swell is composed of the Moenkopi, Chinle, Wingate, Navajo, and Carmel Formations. It was likely created during the Laramide orgogeny when the North American plate and Pacific plate collided, which created compressional forces and buckling within the continent. The Waterpocket Fold in Capitol Reef National Monument to the south and the Uinta Mountains to the north also resulted from this head-on collision about 65 million years ago.

Later, erosion and uplift of the Colorado Plateau helped to create the spectacular scenery of this area.

While traveling on Highway 10 towards Orangeville and Castle Dale, UT, take Highway 57 and drive north until it connects with Highway 29. Travel west on Highway 29 towards Joe's Reservoir. Follow 29 around the northern end of lake to the boat ramp and take road 170 south until it meets road 019 (about 6.5 miles). Travel east on road 019, then northeast for about 11 miles to the overlook.

This overlook provides excellent views of the San Rafael Swell and Castle Valley.

The San Rafael Swell is a large asymmetric anticline about 75 miles long and 30 miles wide. The western limb is gently inclined while the eastern limb is nearly vertical. The Swell is composed of the Moenkopi, Chinle, Wingate, Navajo and Carmel Formations. It was likely created during the Laramide orgogeny when the North American plate and Pacific plate collided creating compressional forces and buckling within the continent. The Waterpocket Fold in Capitol Reef National Monument to the south and the Uinta Mountains to the north also resulted from this head-on collision about 65 million years ago.

Later, erosion and uplift of the Colorado Plateau helped to create the spectacular scenery of this area.

From Castle Dale, UT, take Highway 29 west to Forest Service road 040. Follow this road north for about 8 miles to Forest Service road 034. Follow 034 about 10 miles south along the ridge of Trail Mountain to the overlook.

At the overlook, you will be looking at a 75-mile long "graben" containing Joe's Valley Reservoir. A graben structure is formed when a block of the earth's crust between two parallel faults drops relative to adjacent blocks. The down dropped block or valley is the graben. This valley floor has dropped some 3000 feet below the surrounding plateau. It is the most prominent of several grabens on the Wasatch Plateau. Restroom facilities and interpretive signs are available.

From Highway 89 take Highway 137 to Mayfield, UT. Head west on road 022. Turn north on Skyline Drive (road 150).

The elevation at the highest point on Skyline Drive is 10,094 feet. Here you will have views of the Wasatch Plateau, adjacent mountain ranges, and Sanpete Valley.

Composed of high table land at the southern end of the Wasatch Range, the Wasatch Plateau rises to a high point of 11,300 feet at South Tent Mountain. On the southern end of the Manti-LaSal National Forest near the Fishlake National Forest border, scenic Musinia Peak rises to an altitude of 10,986 feet. The average altitude of the plateau is roughly 11,000 feet. It towers a vertical mile over Sanpete Valley on the west and Castle Valley on the east. The summit is a long narrow platform that never reaches more than 6 miles in width. To the east, the land drops off dramatically through a series of striking white, pink, pale orange and buff-colored cliffs. The lower terraces and benches, at intervals of about three to six miles, reveal older and older strata as they descend. Geologically complex and fascinating, the Wasatch Plateau contains Cretaceous, Laramie, Tertiary, and Jurassic formations.

From Fairview, UT on Highway 89, travel east into Fairview Canyon on Highway 31. Go 13 miles to the overlook.

You will be standing at the top of the Wasatch Plateau, a transition zone between the Colorado Plateau to the east and the Sanpete Valley and Great Basin to the west. Sometimes called the "Wasatch Line", this zone runs north and south the entire length of Utah, dividing the state into distinctly different geologic areas. The Great Basin to the west is characterized by a series of mountain ranges separated by valleys. To the east, flat tablelands and high plateaus, dissected by canyons and irregular valleys, often eroded into spectacular landforms, characterize the Colorado Plateau.

Near Moab, UT on Highway 191, take CR-124 to connect to Spanish Valley Drive. Spanish Valley Drive turns into Geyer Pass Road and then into LaSal Mountain Look Road. Follow the loop around (about 15 miles or so) to the overlook.

This overlook on the LaSal Mountain Loop Road provides a beautiful view of Castle Valley and the surrounding desert area.

Near Moab, UT on Highway 191, take CR-124 to connect to Spanish Valley Drive. Spanish Valley Drive turns into Geyer Pass Road and then into LaSal Mountain Look Road. Follow the loop around (about 7 miles or so) to the overlook.

A scenic view of the deep gorge that was cut by Mill Creek.

From Monticello, UT, west off Highway 191, travel on road 104 towards Monticello Lake. Overlook is located about 1.5 miles past lake.

Scenic overlook of Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.

Begin 25 miles west of Blanding, UT near the junction of Highways 95 and 275. Take Forest Road 088. The overlook is about nine miles after the junction from 275 and passes between the Bears Ear Formation also noted on this page. (This route is considered the Elk Ridge Road Scenic Backway, which extends across the Blue Mountains through the high desert ending at Highway 211. The backway is approximately 50 miles long and about four hours driving time.)

Views of Arch and Texas Canyons, each with sculptured sandstone pinnacles.

Begin 25 miles west of Blanding, UT near the junction of Highways 95 and 275. Take Forest Road 088. When road forks, continue north on road 088 about 7 miles to overlook.

Views of Dark Canyon Wilderness to west and Notch Canyon to east.

Begin 25 miles west of Blanding, UT near the junction of Highways 95 and 275. Take Forest Road 088. When road forks, continue north on road 088 about 1.5 miles to overlook.

Overlooks a deep sandstone canyon of sculpted pinnacles.

To Heavens Gate Overlook and Trailhead: From Riggins, take State Highway 95 south one mile to the Seven Devils Road, Forest Road #517. This is a steep one-lane gravel road with turnouts, and is rough for the last few miles. Although adequate for most passenger cars, it is not recommended for RVs or travel trailers. It is generally open from early July to mid October. It is 17 miles to Windy Saddle Trailhead and generally takes one hour.

Road # 517 will fork near Windy Saddle Campground and trailhead. Take the fork to the right, past the Windy Saddle Campground and horse facilities. Continue for another 1.5 miles to Heavens Gate Observation Site parking lot. The trail begins on the east side of the parking lot.

Restroom facilities are only available at the parking lot, not at the lookout. Volunteers staff the lookout during the summer season since Heaven's Gate Overlook is one of the most popular overlooks of Hell's Canyon. The trail is short, but at a high elevation, so take your time and enjoy the amazing views.

Imagine millions year old squashed, island arc volcanoes folded and land locked and you will be picturing the Seven Devils Scenic Area. Named after seven peaks; He Devil, She Devil, Tower of Babal, The Ogre, The Goblin, Mt Belial, and Devils Throne, this scenic area has a complex and interesting geologic history.

100 million years ago, volcanic islands and their fringing reefs collided into Idaho creating tightly folded and steeply tilting layers of sedimentary and igneous rocks that make up the Seven Devils complex. Very pale gray to white limestone makes up the Martin Bridge limestone, which represents the remnants of those fringing reefs.

Basin and Range faulting helped to raise the Seven Devils Mountains high along with extensive erosion of the canyons on either side. Because the crust is floating on the mantle, when sediments are removed by erosion, a load is lifted and the crust rises. Beneath the crust, hot mantle material slowly flows in to replace where the weight of the removed load existed. The Snake and Salmon rivers are the culprits of intense erosion, the delving of deep canyons, and added uplift. 

Take Highway 75 (Sawtooth Scenic Byway), near Ketchum , ID , head north until you come to the overlook. Drive south on Highway 75 from Stanley , ID.

This overlook offers panoramic views of the Sawtooth Mountains. It is due for reconstruction in the fall of 2007, but visitors can still see breathtaking views.

The Sawtooth Mountains are mostly composed of batholiths--the pink 44 million year old Sawtooth Batholith and the gray 70 to 90 million year old Idaho and Atlanta Batholiths.

Intense glaciation as recent at 14,000 years ago carved the rough Sawtooth Range and left glacial moraines now forested along the base of these mountains. There are also many lakes nestled within these moraines. The sawtooth appearance of the mountains is due to the pervasive vertical fracturing of the granite.