Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park

Then visit Bryce Canyon National Park, a dreamscape of natural amphitheaters where hordes of hoodoos gather like a terra cotta army. Start at Inspiration Point, then shuttle to more scenic vistas or hike the Rim Trail.

Cedar City to Moab
From Bryce, the Grand Circle spins into a series of National Scenic Byways. Scenic Byway 12, a 124-mile sweep from Panguich to Torrey, skirts Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (stop by the visitor center in Escalante). You’ll find two gastronomic oases along this desert road: Hell’s Backbone Grill (hellsbackbonegrill.com) in Boulder and Café Diablo (cafediablo.net) in Torrey.

Sidetrip option: From Torrey, detour to Capitol Reef National Park to see Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile-long spine stretching across rugged backcountry.

Mosey up the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway from Nephi to Payson along Canyon Road/Nebo Loop Road, which spools through pine forests and wildflower-speckled meadows on Mt. Nebo. Do a 180 –  directionally and philosophically – for a cruise on The Energy Loop: Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway (State Route 31 from Fairview to Huntington) to see old mining towns and power plants.

Next up is Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway, a 512-mile circuit studded with troves of bones and tracks. Don’t miss the quarry of 2,000-plus Jurassic Era bones at Dinosaur National Monument.

Sidetrip option: From Vernal, drive the Flaming Gorge-Uintas Scenic Byway to the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area for remote hiking, rafting, canoeing and camping.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Finally, you’ll enter Moab, the mountain-biking capital of America. Rim Tours (rimtours.com) leads half- or full-day mountain-biking thrill rides over the area’s sienna slickrock. Afterward, switch gears and savor a handcrafted ale at Moab Brewery (themoabbrewery.com), then recoup at the retro-Southwestern Gonzo Inn (gonzoinn.com).

Moab is the ideal headquarters for exploring two of the country’s most gorgeous national parks. In Arches National Park, drive 1.5 hours to the Windows Section, then stroll beneath some of the largest of the more than 2,000 natural arches that grace this vermilion wonderland. Hikers will relish the 3-mile round-trip ramble from Wolfe Ranch parking area to Delicate Arch, the park’s most archetypal arch. In more remote Canyonlands National Park, drive around Island in the Sky Mesa, gazing at the numerous scenic viewpoints.

Moab to Telluride
Travel south, where at Monticello you’ll start the Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway. Detour to Monument Valley or head east, breaking in Bluff for lunch at San Juan River Kitchen (sanjuanriverkitchen.com) and stopping by Four Corners National Monument just after you enter Colorado. Past Cortez, travel back in time at Mesa Verde National Park, a spectacularly preserved cliff dwelling where the Ancestral Pueblos lived from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300.

Red Canyon on Scenic Byway 12

Continue on the San Juan Skyway, a vertiginous, 233-mile loop through the San Juan Mountains and classic towns where you can choose from an à la carte menu of lite adventure. In Durango, take a two-hour paddle trip on the Animas River with Durango River Trippers (durangorivertrippers.com). Ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway (durangotrain.com) and tour a gold mine in Silverton. Ease into the hot springs near Ouray. In Telluride, ride the gondola and relax in the cushy Capella Telluride Hotel (capellatelluride.com).

Telluride to Santa Fe
The roads unfurl south through New Mexico toward Santa Fe, the oldest capital city in the country, which this year is celebrating its 400th anniversary. Check out the International Folk Art Market or the Spanish Market, both in July. Visit the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum (okeeffemuseum.org), lunch at The Burrito Co. (theburritocompanycafe.com) and stay at Four Kachinas Inn (fourkachinas.com).

Sidetrip option: From Santa Fe, cruise the Jemez Mountain Trail to hot springs and ruins at Bandelier National Monument.

Santa Fe to Flagstaff
Head to Albuquerque to rejoin Route 66. See 200-million-year-old fossils at Petrified Forest National Park and 50,000-year-old Meteor Crater (meteorcrater.com). In Winslow, lunch in the Turquoise Room at La Posada Hotel (laposada.org), then stop at Standin’ on the Corner Park for a photo-op before you return to Flagstaff to close the circle.

INFORMATION

• For tips on planning your Grand Circle road trip, visit grandcircle.org.

• For information on National Scenic Byways, visit byways.org.

• For information on national parks and monuments, visit nps.gov.