Former Utah State Route 93 to Arches National Monument

[Max Rockatansky]

One of the more interesting items that came up on my current Mountain Region blog series was stumbling on a former routing of UT 93 along Willow Springs Road to Arches National Monument.  The current Arches Scenic drive apparently was built sometime between 1952-60 but the former route still can be used as a BLM Route to US 191:

https://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2018/11/2016-fall-mountain-trip-part-16-arches.html

[US 89]

I never realized the original entrance to Arches wasn't the modern road. That's pretty cool. I wonder if you could actually get into the park via BLM 378 today, given that it would completely bypass the fee booth.

Looking at the highway resolutions for UT 93, the first iteration of 93 was decommissioned in 1953 (along with a whole lot of other state highways). That means the Arches Scenic Drive would have to have been completed some time around then. From what I can tell, the modern Arches Scenic Drive has never carried a number, and was always maintained by the Park Service.

[Max Rockatansky]

I never realized the original entrance to Arches wasn't the modern road. That's pretty cool. I wonder if you could actually get into the park via BLM 378 today, given that it would completely bypass the fee booth.

Looking at the highway resolutions for UT 93, the first iteration of 93 was decommissioned in 1953 (along with a whole lot of other state highways). That means the Arches Scenic Drive would have to have been completed some time around then. From what I can tell, the modern Arches Scenic Drive has never carried a number, and was always maintained by the Park Service.

It sure looks like you can from Google Maps, at minimum it appears to be decently maintained:

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6966247,-109.6988346,3a,15y,65.03h,88.66t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s34pg2oM_IHEFanuuZUS3JA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

On the satellite view there are a bunch of vehicles on BLM 378 between US 191 and Balanced Rock.  I would venture a guess you're probably right about bypassing the entry fee for Arches National Park.  What I found interesting was that somehow the original UT 93 largely is undocumented in common media, I didn't even know it was there until I saw that 1950 State Highway Map.