Cottonwood Canyon Road — Tooele County Salt Flats to Simpson Springs via Pony Circuit

The Long Valley Back Country Byway runs roughly 50 miles through Kane and Garfield counties between US-89 near Kanab and the southern rim country above Bryce Canyon. You’re threading through juniper and ponderosa forest on the high benches, dropping into red-walled side canyons, and popping out onto open mesa tops with views clear to the Vermilion Cliffs and beyond. The road passes through the tiny towns of Alton and Glendale and skirts the western flank of the Sevier Plateau — country that sees a fraction of the traffic hitting Bryce or Zion. A key waypoint is the Skutumpah Road junction near Kanab, where you can link south into the Grand Staircase or continue northwest along the valley floor on maintained gravel. The road surface ranges from smooth gravel to washboarded two-track depending on recent weather and maintenance cycles.

High clearance is recommended but a careful stock SUV driver can manage this in dry conditions — it’s one of Utah’s more accessible back-country byways. Wet weather turns sections into greasy clay that will stop even seasoned rigs. Best season is May through October; afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August and can render the clay sections impassable fast. No permit required. Kanab or Panguitch are your fuel and resupply stops. Dispersed camping is available on BLM land along the route. Cell service is nearly nonexistent for most of the drive.