The North End
The northern end of Skyline Drive starts in Spanish Fork Canyon at mile post 203.6 on the south side of highway 6. This is about 30 miles from the city of Spanish Fork when heading on highway 6 toward Price. The road is signed Skyline Drive and is also Forest Service Road (FR) 150.

The South End
The south end, for this description, ends at I-70 at exit 73. This is about 19 miles east of Salina.

North Skyline (28 miles)
From Tucker, turn south on the Skyline Drive (Forest Road 150). The road here is generally a good, graded gravel road that quickly begins climbing. The first 13 or so miles are all about the climb up to the ridgeline. Pretty, but not with big views. Once on top, the views open up.

At about 14.5 miles is the Fish Creek Warming Hut on the east side of the road. This old cabin was transported from near Huntington Reservoir, in one piece, to be used as a warming hut for snowmobilers and other winter recreationists. There is a pit toilet here.

Continue on, staying on the main road to the junction with UT-264 about 28 miles from Highway 6/Tucker. There are many spur roads that can be used for primitive camp spots.

To South Skyline
From the junction with UT-264, there are two options for getting to the southern section. The first is to go right on UT-264, then immediately left on UT-31. Follow UT-31 south for 5 miles to where the Skyline South section leaves the highway on the right (south) side of the road at a large parking area and pit toilet.

The second option is to turn left on UT-264. Follow it for about 2 miles to where the Skyline Drive leaves on the right (south side). Follow the dirt Skyline Drive 3.5 miles to where it intersects UT-31. Go right on UT-31 for 0.5 miles to where the Skyline Drive on the south side at a large parking area and pit toilet.

South Skyline (UT-31 to I-70) (75 miles total)
From UT-31, the road is good for a bit before a sign shows it is now “Native Soil Surface”. Most junctions are obvious or signed. I describe mileages between major junctions and marked a couple of junction on the map you might find confusing. If weather or motivation is flagging, the major junctions allow dropping off the Skyline Drive to either the east or west fairly quickly down to pavement.

UT-31 to Mt. Pleasant Junction (8.25 miles)
Mt. Pleasant is on the west side of the range.

Mt. Pleasant Junction to Potters Junction (3.7 miles)
Side Trip: The road to the east at Potters Junction drops down to the Potters Ponds area. It isn’t a quick exit from the Skyline, but Potters Pond area and Upper Joe’s Valley just beyond have great camping. It is about 5.5 miles from Skyline down to Potters Pond.

Potters Junction to Spring City Jct (5 miles)
Spring City is on the west side of the range.

Spring City Junction to Orangeville Junction (11.75 miles)
This is a lovely section, but also can be more muddy and rutted than other sections. The road passes near North and South Tent Mountains. The Sanpete County highpoint is South Tent Mountain and an easy hike if peak bagging is your thing. There are some great camping options from this section on continuing south. Orangeville is on the east side of the range near Joe’s Valley.

Orangeville Junction to Ephraim Junction (1 mile)
Ephraim is on the west side of the range, and the largest city in the area.

Ephraim Junction to Manti Junction (8.5 miles)
This lovely section is high elevation with very wide open views. It passes by the very shallow but scenic Snow Lake. There were many fish jumping in the lake the morning we stopped by. Manti is on the west side of the range.

Manti Junction to Ferron Junction (6.5 miles)
This is the highest section of the Skyline Drive, topping out at 10,897 feet. There is a large sign at the high point. From the high point, on a clear day, you can see Window Blind Peak in the Swell and many of the northern Swells features and the La Sal Mountains near Moab. Ferron is on the east side of the range.

Ferron Junction to Mayfield Junction (1.4 miles)
Mayfield is on the west side of the range. There is a campground at the Mayfield Junction, Twelve Mile Flat campground. It has pit toilets. There are many other primitive campsites in the area not in the campground.

Mayfield Junction to Emerald Lake Junction (3.1 miles)
Emerald Lake is about a mile drive off the Skyline Drive with several small, but picturesque campsites. Though a small lake, there were lots of fish jumping on our visit. I think it is a very worthwhile side trip.

Emerald Lake Junction to Redmond Junction (13 miles)
About 1.65 miles south of the Emerald Lake Junction is a side road on the right (west) that goes to a small parking area about a 1/4 of a mile from Island Lake. There is no trail to Island Lake, but the 1/4 of mile is a pretty simple walk across a meadow, then a short steep downhill section to the lake. We didn’t see any signs of fish, but deer, dragonflies, wildflowers, and solitude made the hike a worthwhile destination.

It is about 1 mile from the Island Lake side road to a side road on the left (east) that goes to Blue Lake. Though pretty, Blue Lake is small and seemed crowded and overused on our visit. To visit, drive down from Skyline Drive about a mile and take the first left. It is about 1.6 miles total from Skyline Drive to the lake.

After Blue Lake Junction, the road descends, curving down past the east side of Marys Nipple and on to Redmond Junction. Going right on Forest Road 001 at Redmond Junction to Redmond makes for a alternative end to the trip and a little shorter if you are heading back north after finishing the Skyline Drive.

Redmond Junction To I-70 (13 miles)
The road continues a steady and steep descent, passing from high mountain terrain down to the more desert ecosystem as it reaches Salina Creek and continues to pavement at the Frontage Road along I-70. There are a few major junctions along the way, stay on FR009/Salina Creek at them.

Once at the frontage road, go right to reach the nearest I-70 ramp. What a trip!