Mount Carmel Junction is not much of a place, and that is part of its charm. A handful of buildings stand at the meeting of Utah 9 and US 89, on a high sagebrush plateau at around 5,200 feet, with the pale cliffs of the Vermilion range to the south and the long, low line of the Moquith Mountains beyond. The settlement was founded by Mormon families in the 1870s, as part of the United Order, an experiment in communal living, and the name comes from the biblical mountain.
The junction is a crossroads of the great national parks. North on US 89 lies Bryce Canyon, about an hour and a half away, with its forest of orange hoodoos, and on the way the highway passes through the red rock country of Long Valley. South on the same road is Kanab, a town known for its role as a film set for hundreds of Western movies, and beyond it the Arizona Strip, the Vermilion Cliffs and the road to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Lake Powell and Glen Canyon are within reach.
For a rider, this is a place for a breath. The road from the park comes down in long, open bends and levels out into easy straights, with pale cliffs on either side and a view of sagebrush and juniper. Wind is common, and storms can arrive quickly from the south in summer. The surface is generally good, though frost heaves can appear after winter. Traffic is moderate, but tourist buses and RVs on US 89 can slow progress.
There is a small gas station at the junction, together with a motel and a cafe, so you can fill up, buy a cold drink and ask local advice. Kanab, about twenty-four kilometres to the south, has more of everything, including stations, supermarkets, motels and restaurants, and a small museum of the area's film history. Mount Carmel Junction can be closed for services in winter, so plan ahead.
The air is dry and clear, and the sky at night is extraordinarily dark. The stars are bright, and the Milky Way is easy to see. Mornings are cool, even in summer, and the altitude gives a sharp edge to the air. Spring and autumn are the best seasons. Summer can be hot, with thunderstorms in July and August. Whichever way you head from here, the road ahead holds some of the best scenery in the American West.