Meander Along Utah's Heritage Highway

Hwy 89 through central and southern Utah has been designated Utah's Heritage Highway. It wanders through small towns and agricultural areas and provides access to many scenic spots and recreational areas..

Hwy 89 parallels I-15 along much of its route. It provides a great opportunity to slow down and enjoy small town culture, including products made by local artisans.

The oregonlive.com has this article about the highway. Below we give the headline and then excerpts.

Traveling Utah's Heritage Highway by motorhome offers a slower, more scenic, homespun look at the state

Highway 89 from Fairview on the north end to Big Water on the shore of Lake Powell in the south has been designated the Utah Heritage Highway to promote tourism in the small Mormon settlements and other cultural heritage spots that straddle the road. The highway runs parallel to Interstate 15, which is the preferred north-south route through Utah. But for travelers with time on their hands, the slower, more scenic Highway 89 offers a homespun look at the state.

It seems like every community along the highway has one or two shops catering to tourists with locally produced wares. Some towns are worth the stop, even if you aren't in the market for a handcrafted souvenir.

Well north of Junction lies Marysvale and Big Rock Candy Mountain. The multicolored mountain got its name after a song first popularized in the late 1920s. A few local residents placed a sign near the base of the stone, naming it "Big Rock Candy Mountain" and dubbed a creek near it "Lemonade Springs." The names stuck and the mountain became one of the most recognized sites along the highway.

The Sevier River brought Mormon settlers to the area, where they farmed and ran cattle. But abandoned farmhouses, barns and feedlots give silent, yet scenic, testimony to some plans and dreams that didn't quite work out.

Others hang on, investing in careers that may be more satisfying than profitable.