Henry Mountains Road

Henry Mountains Road is the western gateway to the ruggedly beautiful Henry Mountains of southern Utah. Beginning in the Water Pocket Fold, a very colorful geologic warp in the Earth's crust, Henry Mountains Road climbs up and along the lower ridges of the Henrys, offering amazing views, fantastic campsites, and connections to other trails that lead deeper up into the mountains. The Henry Mountains, named for the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was the last mountain range to be added to the map of the 48 contiguous States. They loom tall and gray to the east of the trail. Made of igneous minerals that extruded through the surrounding sandstone sediments, the mountains range from 23 to 31 million years old. The western slope of the Henrys host one of only three genetically pure herds of buffalo left in the United States. Kept at an optimal 350 head, additional buffalo above the 350 are sent to replenish the breeding base of other herds. Visitors keep a sharp eye out in hopes of spotting the herd but are more likely to spot a few of the dense population of deer that inhabit the mountain range. The trail ends in the shadow of the Horn, a stony butte below the immense and towering Mount Pennell. A drive along Henry Mountains Road is always an adventure.