Standing the Shafer Trail Overlook in Canyonlands, a stranger stopped me and asked a simple question: the quick way, or the beautiful way? I almost took the quick way.

Utah State Route 95 — the Bicentennial Highway — runs 121 miles from Blanding to Hanksville across the southeast corner of Utah. No services. No shortcuts. Just high desert, canyon walls, and some of the most dramatic views in the American Southwest.

This ride covers the full length of Route 95, including the Hite Bridge over the Colorado River and a 21-mile Butler G1 section that begins just west of the bridge — rated among the best riding roads in the country. The route passes through Colorado Plateau country at 5,000–6,000 feet, dropping into red-walled canyons carved by millions of years of water and wind.

This one is for riders who take the beautiful way.

For the full silent ride along the G1 canyon section, watch Utah Route 95 — G1 Canyon Section | Miles in Silence:    • Utah Route 95 — G1 Canyon Section | Miles ...  

Chapters:
0:00 The Beautiful Way
2:32 Riding the Plateau
5:45 Water, Wind, and What Survives
7:02 Approaching the Colorado River
8:08 The G1 Canyon Section
11:00 The Scale of Things
15:01 Torrey