Driving the Burr Trail

About This Trail

The Burr Trail is a 67-mile point-to-point backcountry drive connecting Bullfrog (Glen Canyon) to Boulder through Capitol Reef, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and the Waterpocket Fold—a tactical expedition, not a Sunday cruise. Expect mix of paved and dirt surfaces, switchback technical sections, and total vulnerability to weather: impassable when wet, requiring high clearance and sometimes 4-wheel drive. Rewards are raw geological drama—Henry Mountains, Waterpocket Fold cliffs, Long Canyon's 300-foot sandstone walls, and a mile-by-mile briefing that doubles as a field geology lecture. Solo drivers should carry redundancy (water, communication plan, spare fuel) because this road offers zero margin for error.

Highlights

Insider Tips

• The false Waterpocket Fold overlook at Mile 9.6 is easy to miss—stop there for the first full-view briefing. • Pedestal Alley Trail (Mile 4.8) is short, marked by cairns, and a good leg-stretch. Parking is on the south side; trailhead crosses the road north. • At Halls Creek Narrows (Mile 18.8), don't attempt the 22-mile Narrows hike unless experienced—it requires 3–4 days, wading, scrambling, and canyon navigation skills. • Lower Muley Twist (Miles 28.5 and 32.8 trailheads) has the best dramatic canyon walls and is doable as a day hike from either end. Loop hikes require two vehicles. • Long Canyon (Miles 50–56) is the visual climax—the narrow Wingate walls are cathedral-like. Slow down, absorb the scale. • Singing Canyon pullout (Mile 55.5) is on the east side; the slot canyon is short but acoustically eerie at the dry fall. • At the switchbacks (Miles 31.6–32.8), respect the uphill-priority rule. Stop only in pullouts; never brake mid-turn. • Deer Creek Campground is small (7 sites) and fills mid-day in fall. Arrive by early afternoon if camping. • The "Unknown Mountains" (now Henry Mountains) were unnamed until John Wesley Powell's 1869 expedition—the geology lore is genuine.

Best Season to Hike

Fall (September–October) and Spring (April–May)

Family Info

Not ideal for young children or anxious passengers. Narrow winding road, 7+ hours of driving, no facilities mid-route. The switchbacks are steep (don't look down if you're afraid of heights). Limited entertainment for kids between stops. Recommend passengers be old enough to sit still for long drives and accept vehicle motion sickness risk.

What Hikers Say

Drivers report the road is doable in dry weather but demands respect and preparation. The geological views—Waterpocket Fold, Henry Mountains, Long Canyon—are world-class and worth the long drive. Real limitation: weather unpredictability closes the road for weeks at a time, and the sheer isolation means no quick rescue if something goes wrong. First-timers should go fall or spring, never in monsoon or winter.