Existed: 1971 – present Length 30.44 km | West end: Dugout Ranch Constructed 1971 | |
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East end: US-191 near Church Rock | ||
State Route 211 is a state route in Utah that is an access road for Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument and the Needles district of Canyonlands National Park. The entire length of the highway has been designated the Indian Creek Corridor Scenic Byway.
Contents
Route description
The highway begins near Church Rock, a notable rock formation along U.S. Route 191 between Moab and Monticello. It runs past the ruins of the utopian religious community called Home of Truth, and through Photograph Gap. The highway then descends Indian Canyon. Once exiting the canyon the highway passes by Newspaper Rock, directly off the shoulder of the highway. The highway also passes by Six-Shooter Peak, a notable peak near the entrance to Canyonlands National Park. The highway ends at Dugout Ranch just shy of the National Park boundary.
The descent down Indian Canyon between US-191 and Newspaper Rock features a steep descent and sharp curves. As a result, the Utah Department of Transportation mandates that all vehicles using Route 211 that exceed 10 feet (3.0 m) in width or 80 feet (24 m) in length have an accompanying pilot car escort.
History
In 1968, the Utah State Road Commission came to an agreement with the National Park Service and San Juan County to improve the then-unpaved access road to the Needles district of Canyonlands National Park. The roadway left SR-9 (US-160, now US-191) near Church Rock and went southwest to near Newspaper Rock and northwest via Dugout Ranch to the park. After construction was complete, the portion between SR-9 and Dugout Ranch was designated SR-211. The rest from Dugout Ranch to the park boundary remained a county road.
Major intersections
The entire route is in San Juan County.