Detour #206: Seven National Parks and one great road, Route 89, USA
Photo Adam Derewecki / Pixabay
Route 66 might be immortalised in song but a drive on route 89 will sear itself into your memory for its scenic beauty.
In its heyday Route 89 ran all the way from the Canadian border to Mexico, but now it’s been cut in two. The northern half runs for just over 400 miles from the gateway into Canada at Piegan Crossing, Montana to Yellowstone. Pick it up again on your way out and you’ve got another 850-odd miles to Flagstaff, Arizona. Throw in a couple of detours and you’re looking at a 2,000-mile adventure.
Along the way you’ll pass through no less than seven national parks (hence its other moniker: The National Park Highway) down the spine of the United States and bank enough mental and Instagram images to last a lifetime. It’s no wonder that National Geographic crowned US 89 its number one Driver’s Drive.
Glacier National Park Photo David Mark / Pixabay
Heading south you’ll get a good look at Glacier National Park to the west on your way to Great Falls. The five waterfalls on the Missouri River which give the town its name are within easy reach and, if you’re a dam fan, then there are plenty of hydroelectric plants to see.
As you cut through Sluice Boxes State Park you’ll see the abandoned mines of Belt Creek. These old coal shafts may have closed in the 1920s but their dirty legacy lives on and the state of Montana is still attempting to clear toxic metals from the local rivers. If you were contemplating camping, think again.
Yellowstone National Park is the perfect place to pitch up instead. You enter at Livingstone, a town founded by the North Pacific Railroad in the 1880s. Unsurprisingly it has a splendid railway museum. It’s also home to The International Fly Fishing Federation, such is the popularity of the activity on the Yellowstone River.
Follow the Snake River into Wyoming and between Alpine and Jackson you’ll pass through the Canyon of the Snake which is one of the most spectacular sections of US89. Blue/green waters contrast with the red rock walls.
Next stop is the Rocky Mountains of Grand Teton National Park. The ski town of Jackson Hole is a great place to base yourself for a few days exploring, whether that’s on the hiking trails, slopes, or lakes.
Grand Teton Photo nik2hoff / Pixabay
Motor on past Utah’s Salt Lake City towards Mount Carmel Junction and there are couple of detours you simply can’t miss. The first is Bryce Canyon, which you reach on US12. This massive natural amphitheatre is full of unusual rock formations in orange, red and white hues. Double back and then take the 25-mile drive to Zion National Park, which is absolutely awe-inspiring.
Moving on to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, just west of Page, Arizona and you can’t fail to spot the gigantic Lake Powell and the massive Glen Canyon Dam. But this pales into insignificance compared to the scale of the next stop: the Grand Canyon. To reach America’s only Natural Wonder of the World, you’ll divert off the 89, either taking US67 to the North Rim or US64 to see it from the south. No matter which side you see it from this vast chasm cut by the Colorado River is Mother Nature at her most mesmerising.
After you’ve hiked or helicoptered and caught your breath it’s a relatively short run down to Flagstaff, and while that might be the end of the road, the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness and Saguaro National Parks are within easy reach for dramatic desert finale.
ROADBOOK
CLASS:epic drive
NAME:us89
ROUTE: piegan, montana to flagstaff, arizona
COUNTRY: usa
Distance: 1900 Miles
Detour favourite California 33 has been crowned Road of the Year 2024 by Hagerty in its first annual award highlighting the best routes for drivers in the USA.