Up Over Around and Through

A day’s ride from Torrey to Hurricane

Highway 12 out of Torrey, Utah sweeps past some of the most pastoral settings you will ever see. Cattle and horses alike live the sweet life here in the valley below Boulder Mountain, munching happily all day long on the thickest, greenest pastures that smell freshly mown, even though they are not.

The Highway very quickly turns mountainous as it climbs toward the summit. 25, 35, and 45 mile per hour curves (recommended speeds) are swallowed up at significantly higher actual velocities. The big round curves and little double, triple and quadruple s-curves appear so often there are almost no sections of straight road. Automobiles and dreaded RVs are few and far between, and in retrospect, these slow movers that do appear help to moderate what would be an overwhelming tendency to go faster and faster with every turn. Don’t forget to breathe.

As the road climbs toward the snow covered summit the temperatures drop, and the rush of adrenaline and rapid heart rate create an annoying foggy faceshield — another clue that it might be time to lay off the throttle.

At the summit the road is wet but not icy. The ride down the mountain is just as much fun as the ride up. Can it get better than this? Oh yeah.

At the little settlement of Boulder on the western slope of the mountain is a little known back road called Burr Trail. If you’re riding anywhere near southwestern Utah this is one road that should not be missed, and it would’ve been if not for a nice tip from a nice couple from Colorado riding an R1150GS.

Burr Trail is about 75 miles long — a shortcut of sorts — and about half of it is roughly paved. Even though it may not go where you’re going, ride it and you won’t be disappointed.

Dropping through the Grand Staircase National Monument into Escalante is also a rider’s treat. As it says in the motorbiking bible, “the path of the righteous rider is beset on all sides by UNBELIEVEABLY BEAUTIFUL SCENERY." When does it stop? Well, it doesn’t.

On the way to Hurricane, and a night’s rest, is Zion National Park. You may balk at first when learning that, even if you’re just driving straight through, it’s going to cost $25 per car and $12 per motorcycle. Pay it. You will not regret the expense. Needless to say, again, the views are spectacular. The road may be packed with cars and motorhomes, but that’s okay, you want to go slow, believe or not. You may actually sprain your neck trying to capture all the scenery.

The ride from Torrey to Hurricane is slightly more than 200 miles, but it includes three of the most fantastic motorbiking roads in the southwest.

And at the end, if you have planned well, you can enjoy a delicious dinner and a welcome night’s rest under the stars.