Roadside oddities38.7013° N, 109.5656° W
Moab, UT
A huge sandstone boulder appears precariously balanced on a narrow pedestal beside the Arches scenic road. A short loop trail circles the formation.
- Access
- Open to visitors
Roadside oddities in Utah
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Roadside oddities45
Suggest a stopGiant objects, odd monuments and things built for no clear reason.
- Roadside oddities37.2116° N, 112.6821° W
Mount Carmel Junction, UT
An old drainage tunnel under Highway 89 has eroded into rippled sandstone walls, creating a passage that looks organic and cave-like despite being man-made. Flash-flood conditions can make the tunnel dangerous.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities39.6848° N, 110.8548° W
Helper, UT
A giant fiberglass Muffler Man repainted as a black-clad coal miner stands along Helper's main street, reflecting the town's mining identity through classic roadside-advertising sculpture.
- Access
- Roadside, no entry
- Roadside oddities40.7624° N, 113.8966° W
Wendover, UT
A vast crust of white salt covers the remnants of ancient Lake Bonneville and has hosted generations of land-speed record attempts. Conditions vary seasonally, and driving on wet salt can damage the surface and strand vehicles.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities37.6313° N, 112.1639° W
Bryce Canyon, UT
Despite its name, this large red-rock opening is technically an arch rather than a bridge because it was carved mainly by weathering instead of a stream. A roadside overlook makes it easy to see.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities38.3737° N, 110.7146° W
Hanksville, UT
Scrap metal, machine parts and discarded tools are welded into dinosaurs, animals and odd creatures beside the highway. The informal outdoor collection functions as a constantly evolving desert folk-art garden.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities37.6364° N, 112.8450° W
Brian Head, UT
A three-mile-wide amphitheater drops into a maze of fins, spires and hoodoos colored by iron and manganese. High elevation brings long winter closures, so access is seasonal.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities38.7436° N, 109.4993° W
Moab, UT
Utah's most recognizable freestanding arch stands alone on a sandstone fin above a natural bowl. The full trail is exposed and strenuous, while a separate viewpoint offers a lower-intensity option.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities37.5853° N, 111.4149° W
Escalante, UT
Freestanding hoodoos, arches and balanced forms rise from a small desert garden off Hole-in-the-Rock Road. The short wandering route makes the area unusually accessible for such bizarre erosion.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities41.0619° N, 111.5547° W
Croydon, UT
Two parallel limestone fins rise from a mountainside with a narrow trough between them, creating the appearance of an enormous natural playground slide. A lawful highway pullout provides the safest view.
- Access
- Roadside, no entry
- Roadside oddities38.6888° N, 109.5384° W
Moab, UT
Two giant arches share the same eroded foundation, forming a cathedral-like opening reached by a short trail. Their intersecting geometry makes this one of Arches National Park's strangest formations.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities40.0572° N, 109.3947° W
Ouray, UT
Extremely delicate sandstone has eroded into twisted figures, fins and spires in a compact badland east of Vernal. The shapes are so intricate that many have acquired informal creature-like names.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities38.7434° N, 109.5645° W
Moab, UT
A maze of narrow sandstone fins, slots and dead ends creates a natural labyrinth inside Arches National Park. Entry is regulated because route-finding is difficult and biological soil crust is fragile.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities41.2353° N, 111.9312° W
Ogden, UT
More than 100 life-size prehistoric models occupy an outdoor park with sound effects and vegetation, creating a deliberately immersive dinosaur landscape. An indoor museum adds fossils and paleontology exhibits.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities40.7587° N, 111.8681° W
Salt Lake City, UT
This hidden city park contains a Joseph Smith sphinx, brick-clothed self-portrait, giant carved books and dozens of inscribed stones created by stonemason Thomas Child. Salt Lake City calls it Utah's only identified visionary art environment.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities38.5735° N, 110.7074° W
Green River, UT
Thousands of mushroom-shaped sandstone hoodoos fill a basin that looks more like a fabricated alien landscape than a conventional desert valley. The formations are publicly accessible within the state park.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities37.1740° N, 109.9277° W
Mexican Hat, UT
The San Juan River doubles back through a series of tightly entrenched meanders more than a thousand feet below the rim. The geometry is best understood from the developed state-park overlook.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities37.4529° N, 111.8234° W
Cannonville, UT
A massive double arch of pale sandstone rises at the end of a paved spur road in Grand Staircase-Escalante. Its paired openings and isolated setting give it a monumental, almost constructed appearance.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities38.4433° N, 109.4268° W
Moab, UT
A 5,000-square-foot home was carved into a sandstone cliff beginning in the mid-twentieth century and is now toured as a preserved roadside attraction. The site also contains eclectic sculptures and displays.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities38.3733° N, 110.7159° W
Hanksville, UT
A convenience store and gas station is built directly into a hollowed sandstone outcrop, so shelves and coolers sit against raw rock walls. It remains an operating roadside business.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities40.5236° N, 111.4851° W
Midway, UT
A geothermal spring sits inside a 55-foot-tall limestone dome with an opening at the top. Commercially managed access allows swimming, soaking and diving inside the strange mineral formation.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities37.5919° N, 110.0095° W
Lake Powell, UT
This thick, relatively young natural bridge rises above White Canyon and bears nearby rock art and archaeological evidence. A strenuous trail reaches the span.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities38.7911° N, 109.6069° W
Moab, UT
One of the world's longest natural rock spans stretches improbably thin across Devils Garden. Large pieces have fallen in recent decades, emphasizing how temporary the delicate structure is.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities38.5831° N, 110.8034° W
Green River, UT
A popular slot canyon near Goblin Valley narrows into twisting sandstone corridors only a few feet wide. Flash floods are the primary hazard, so forecasts must be checked before entering.
- Access
- Open to visitors