Utah has some of the best roads, riding, scenery and destinations on the planet. I’ve written about Utah and its attractions in these pages before (Zion, Arches, State Routes 12 and 24, Flaming Gorge, and Golden Spike). Cedar Breaks National Monument is another Utah Destination that belongs in this impressive list. Cedar Breaks is between Zion (80 miles to the southwest) and Bryce Canyon (60 miles to the northeast). You can visit all three (Zion, Bryce, and Cedar Breaks) in two days, and my recommendation is to base your stay in Panguitch. Panguitch is close, it has two outstanding restaurants (see below), and it is a good jumping off point for a ride along Utah State Route 12 to Grand Staircase and Escalante.
The Southern Paiute Native Americans called the area “u-map-wich,” which means “the place where rocks slide down all the time.” Another Paiute name is Ungkaw Pekonump, or “red cove.” Early white settlers called the area The Badlands due to the area’s beautiful but otherwise inaccessible, impassable, and unusable nature. Our name, Cedar Breaks, resulted from early white settlers misidentifying the juniper trees as cedars, and “break” is a geologic term for abrupt changes in topography. Cedar Breaks National Monument features a high-altitude 3-mile-wide cove with the upper rim at 10,000 feet and a depth of 2,000 feet. It forms the west end of the Markagunt Plateau (which reaches all the way to Zion National Park). Cedar Breaks’ cliff walls include reds, oranges, purples, and yellows that result from iron and manganese deposits. Hoodoos like those at the more-well-known Bryce Canyon National Park fill the interior. The bright walls and colors are surrounded by contrasting deep green junipers. It all makes for striking scenes. While junipers are the dominant trees, the area also contains bristlecone pines. Bristlecone pines are the oldest living organisms in the world; some in this area are known to be more than 1600 years old.

Franklin D. Roosevelt designated Cedar Breaks as a national monument in August 1933. Development of Cedar Breaks National Monument was part of the New Deal that helped overcome the Great Depression, and the Civilian Conservation Corps played a significant role here similar to that undertaken at Zion, Bryce and elsewhere. The Civilian Conservation Corps’ efforts included construction of hiking trails and buildings that are still in use. One of these buildings, a log cabin built in 1937, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Cedar Breaks National Monument is remote and it experiences little evening light pollution; it has been designated an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association. On a moonless night the evening views are stellar.
Cedar Breaks National Monument is a magnificent destination but check the weather before you ride and dress appropriately. Due to the altitude, spring starts in June and the visitor center is open through October. Cedar Breaks’ wildflowers emerge in June, and they are glorious. Snow and inclement weather make parts of Cedar Breaks inaccessible other times of the year.
What: Cedar Breaks National Monument, 4730 South Highway 148, Brian Head, Utah 84719, (435) 586-9451. The entrance fee is $10 for visitors 16 or older, and it is good for 7 days.
How to Get There: Take Interstate 15 from either the north or the south. From the north, take I-15 to Parowan and then head south on SR 143. From the south, take I-15 north to SR 14 east, then pick up SR 148 north.
Best Kept Secrets: Two restaurants in Panguitch (Cowboy’s Smokehouse Café for dinner and Kenny Rays for breakfast). You may have to wait for a table, but both are worth the wait.
Avoid: Leaving without checking the weather (see above).
Don’t Miss: Utah State Route 148, the Cedar Breaks Scenic Byway, for the ride in from points south. It is magnificent.
More Info: Cedar Breaks National Monument
More Photos: Exhaust Notes
Originally published in the March 2023 issue of Motorcycle Classics.