Drive the Scenic Burr Trail

Watch our video clip on the Burr Trail.

The Burr Trail is a scenic backcountry route extending from the mountain town of Boulder down through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument into Capital Reef National Park and then to Bullfrog in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The route covers about 68 miles.

The road is paved on its upper end and graded dirt on the lower end. The condition of the dirt section may change from day to day. You can count on encountering washboardy and washed out spots. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended but passenger cars do occasionally drive this route. During wet weather it may be impassable even to 4X4 vehicles.

The Burr Trail takes adventurous traveler into some of Utah's most beautiful and extraordinary country. It affords extraordinary views of the Henry Mountains and lower Capital Reef country. It provides access to incredible hikes in contorted landscape like The Gulch, The Circle Cliffs and the Waterpocket Fold.

The route is named after John Atlantic Burr, who was born in 1846 aboard the SS Brooklyn somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. He and his family lived in Salt Lake City, then later moved south and established the town of Burrville, Utah, in 1876. John Burr soon developed a trail to move cattle back and forth between winter and summer ranges and to market. This cattle trail through the rough, nearly impassable country around the Waterpocket Fold, Burr Canyon, and Muley Twist Canyon came to be known as the Burr Trail.

Spring and fall are ideal times to explore this area. Temperatures are mild and hiking is pleasant. Daytime temperatures can become very hot during summer. Winter days are often mild. Wet weather can close this road during any month of the year.

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