Bull Creek Pass is in southeast Utah between Capitol Reef National Park and Canyonlands National Park. The byway forms an open loop drive west of UT 95 and UT 276. Northern access is off UT 95 about 20 miles south of Hanksville. The byway travels through remote country along Bull Creek Pass Road, which is a single-lane dirt road with numerous rough sections, steep grades, and blind curves. A four-wheel drive vehicle is strongly recommended for traveling this Back Country Byway. Bull Creek Pass is usually open year-round in the lower elevation. Roads in the higher elevation generally remain passable July through October. Sections of road can be washed out after periods of heavy rain.
Bull Creek Pass travels from the desert floor at an elevation around 5,000 feet to Bull Creek Pass in the Henry Mountains, a height of 10,485 feet above sea level. The view from the pass is truly spectacular. To the west you’ll see Waterpocket Fold, Circle Cliffs, and Boulder Mountain. In the east are tributaries of the Dirty Devil River, Canyonlands National Park, and the distant Abajo Mountains. The Henry Mountains were the last to be explored and named in continental United States.
As you travel this byway, you’ll come across the remains of Eagle City on Cresent Creek. Eagle City was founded in the 1890s after gold was discovered in nearby Bromide Basin. The town once boasted of a hotel, two saloons, a dance hall, three stores, and a post office. By 1900 the gold boom went bust and the town was deserted.
There are three developed campgrounds along or near the byway that are maintained by the BLM. Lonesome Beaver Camp-ground has five sites with picnic tables and fire rings. McMillan Springs has ten sites and Starr Springs has twelve. All the camp-grounds have drinking water and vault toilets. There are also two primitive campgrounds along the byway. Camping is also permitted nearly anywhere along BLM lands. Check with the BLM office in Hanksville for more information.