State Route 24
Capitol Reef Scenic Byway
Map of State Route 24
Route information
Maintained by UDOT
Length	160.294 mi[1] (257.968 km)
Existed	1910 as a state highway; 1927 as SR-24–present
Major junctions
West end	US 50 in Salina
Major intersections	SR-118 in Sigurd SR-62 at Plateau Junction SR-25 near Fish Lake SR-72 near Loa SR-12 in Torrey SR-95 in Hanksville
East end	I-70 / US 50 near Green River
Location
Country	United States
State	Utah
Counties	Sevier, Piute, Wayne, Emery
Highway system
Utah State Highway System Interstate US State Minor Scenic
← SR-23 → SR-25

State Route 24 (SR-24) is a state highway in south central Utah which runs south from Salina through Sevier County then east through Wayne County and north east through Emery County. At a total of 163.294 miles (262.796 km), it is the longest contiguous state route in Utah. A portion of the highway has been designated the Capitol Reef Scenic Byway as part of the Utah Scenic Byways program.^[2]

Route description

The highway starts at US-50 near Salina and ends at I-70 near Green River, taking a 163-mile (262 km) scenic route between the Fishlake and Dixie National Forests then through Capitol Reef National Park, along the eastern side of the San Rafael Reef passing Goblin Valley State Park and meeting I-70 again near Green River. Along the way, it passes through the towns of Loa, Lyman, Bicknell, Torrey and Hanksville.

The Mars Society established the Mars Desert Research Station just outside Hanksville, due to its Mars-like terrain .^{[citation needed]}

The north easterly section past the San Rafael Reef is open desert with distant views of the Henry and La Sal Mountains.^[1]

Traffic volume

The Average Daily Traffic (AADT) for SR-24 is at its greatest between Salina and Sigurd, where it varies between 3,085 down to 1,500 at the Junction with SR-118. Past that point, the volume of traffic varies greatly, reaching peaks where the highway coincides with the main streets in the several towns through which it passes. In Loa, the AADT reaches 2,080, in Torrey, it peaks at 1,230. Then the traffic dies down to 295 by the time SR-24 arrives back at I-70.^[3]

History

The road from SR-11 (by 1926 US-89) at Sigurd southeast and east to Hanksville became a state highway in 1910 (Wayne County) and 1912 (Piute and Sevier Counties).^[4] The number was assigned in 1927 by the state legislature,^[5] and in 1935 it was extended northeast from Hanksville to US-6 near Green River.^[6]

A realignment in 1961 bypassed Capitol Reef Road between Fruita and Caineville; as part of the construction of I-70, the east end was moved west to that highway's exit 149 in 1964. SR-24 was extended north from its west end over former US-89 to present-day US-89 in 1969, and cut back slightly to its current end at US-50 in the 1977 renumbering.^[4] (The 1969 extension was signed as part of US-89 until 1992, soon after I-70 was completed.^[7])

For a time in the 1950s and 1960s, there was also a State Route 24A, which was a short spur of SR-24 from Sigurd southwest along Main Street to SR-11/US-89.^[8][9]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Sevier	Salina	0.000	0.000	US 50 (Main Street) – Scipio	Western terminus
	Aurora	5.301	8.531	SR-260 north
	Sigurd	7.705	12.400	SR-259 north to I-70 / US 89
		8.165	13.140	SR-118 south – Richfield
	Glenwood	16.006	25.759	SR-119 west – Richfield
	Plateau Junction	32.310	51.998	SR-62 south – Junction
Piute	Fish Lake	39.094	62.916	SR-25 north
Wayne	Loa	51.575	83.002	SR-72 north to I-70
	Torrey	69.526	111.891	SR-12 south – Escalante
	Hanksville	116.484	187.463	SR-95 south – Blanding
Emery	Green River	159.811– 160.234	257.191– 257.872	I-70 / US 50 – Richfield, Green River	I-70 exit 149.
		160.294	257.968	Four Corners Mine Road	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi