La Sal Mountains Scenic Loop

While staying in the Moab area and exploring Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, you might find that the La Sal Mountains seem to show up in at least a third of your photographs. These beautiful mountains, the second-highest in Utah, are often snow covered much of the year and provide an extreme contrast to the desert and red rock canyons below. They can be explored on a 62-mile loop that includes a 16-mile stretch on UT-128, which follows the Colorado River through beautiful canyons northeast of Moab.

The best way to follow this loop is to travel south on UT-191 from Moab to the signed entrance to the scenic drive on the left (about 7 miles). This road winds 36 miles up and around the high peaks of the La Sals, offering great views of the mountains above and the red desert below. Many trails and campgrounds are accessed from this road. As the road winds around the mountains, views of Castle Valley and its huge mesas begin to come into view. The view of Castle Valley is spectacular for the entire descent from the mountains to the river. The afternoon is a great time to drive this part of the route. When the road reaches UT-128, Moab is to the left, but a short detour to the right accesses some great areas for hiking such as Onion Creek Canyon and the Fisher Towers.