Raise your hand if you've heard of Boulder, Utah. Not Boulder, Colorado, but UTAH. If you have, you win because I didn’t know this blip on the map existed until I realized it was the closest spot in which I could book an AirBNB the weekend we visited Capitol Reef National Park. This small town was even smaller than we expected, with a population of only 250. What we expected even less was to find a wonderfully artsy and hipster community with the nicest people and the most fantastic food.

Access Boulder Utah by Driving Scenic Byway 12 Through Dixie National Forest

Reaching Boulder, Utah, from the north is one of the most amazing drives you can take in the United States. From Capitol Reef National Park, take the All American Road: Scenic Byway Route 12. Your ride will slowly take you up farther and farther through the beautiful Dixie National Forest until you reach 9,600 feet. Along the way, you'll have consistent views of the valleys and towns beneath you in between the road's halo of Aspen trees and Subalpine Fir. Watch the shoulder for wildlife, but not the kind you'd expect. Much of this land is owned by cattle ranchers, which means free-range cows and steers may be grazing right along the highway, even when you’re 9,000 feet up. Although Highway 12 leads directly into Boulder, Utah, you can also continue traversing it as we did on a separate trip to Bryce Canyon National Park, making it a genuinely scenic drive from start to finish.

Explore Every Inch of Boulder Utah Including the Restaurants

Once you reach Boulder, Utah, you'll realize precisely how tiny this town is. Ranches and farmland surround the roughly five-block stretch of "main street" (which is really just Highway 12 passing through). Outside of that lies National Forest (Dixie), National Park (Capitol Reef), and the massive Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument. At over 1.8 million acres, the National Monument stretches as far as the Arizona border and provides COUNTLESS hiking and multi-day trekking opportunities for visitors. Due to its proximity, Boulder is considered by many to be the "Gates to Grand Staircase."

Another unique stop in town is the Anasazi State Park and Museum, which delves into the lives of the ancestral Pueblo people that lived on the land as far back as 1050 A.D. However, one of the most unexpected parts was the food and restaurants in Boulder, Utah. Having lived in Chicago my whole life, I would say I have a pretty refined palette. I'm also pretty bougie when it comes to food: I love splurging on a good, high-end meal every once in a while. Therefore, I figured that Boulder would have fantastic steak since it’s such a ranching-centric town, but I didn't think anything else would be memorable. However, all of the food we ate topped the best we had across the whole state of Utah.

You'll find Burr Trail Grill, which has delicious wings, burgers, and sandwiches along the Scenic Byway. The attached Burr Trail Outpost is a great breakfast spot when it's open (apparently the owners are fond of only being working when they feel like it) and is the best place, up to an hour's drive in either direction, for a fancy, barista-made coffee. They also support local artists in Boulder and other nearby towns by selling their art creations in the attached outpost shop.

Grab a Seat at Hell’s Backbone Grill for Award-Wining Food in the Middle of Nowhere

By far, the best dinner we had in Boulder (and all of Utah) was at Hell's Backbone Grill, one of the most well-known restaurants in the state. The four-time James Beard-nominated head chefs celebrate local, sustainable and ethically-sourced cuisine and have been featured in countless publications like Bon Apetit, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Travel & Leisure. It's completely nuts to have such a revered food institution in the middle of nowhere, but apparently, the owners wanted to see what would happen if they opened such a place in one of the most remote cities in the U.S. The team at Hell's Backbone has their own orchards, gardens, and even chickens, which provide produce and protein for their dishes. Their strong relationships with local ranchers also means their steak options are excellent while still being affordable. Anything leftover from their produce harvest is canned or freeze-dried for use later so they ensure nothing goes to waste.

Sitting down on the Hell’s Backbone Grill patio at night, we had both a view of the stars and the string lights lighting our table. On top of incredible cocktails topped with fresh fruits and edible flowers, I ordered the trout dish featuring a locally-caught trout fillet with lemon butter, parsley jasmine rice, and roasted vegetables fresh from the farm. It was one of the best fish dishes I've ever had: flaky and tender with SO MUCH FLAVOR. Dessert was a Chocolate Chile Creme Pot with rich dark chocolate custard and Chimayo chile, which took me back to the food we ate while visiting New Mexico.

Fill Up in the Morning at Magnolia's Street Food

For breakfast, we skipped The Burr Trail Outpost (since it was closed) and made our way to a food truck, or should I say, food bus in the parking lot of the Anasazi Museum. This colorful teal school bus is the home of  Magnolia's Street Food, which sells tacos for lunch and hearty breakfast burritos in the morning. I ordered the Southern Belle burrito with cage-free eggs, grilled sweet potatoes, greens, goat cheese, freshly-made salsa, cilantro, and avocado. Guys, I cannot stress enough how this was the BEST burrito (breakfast or otherwise) I've ever had in my life. I don't know if it was the goat cheese or the fresh salsa, but the flavor was FIRE. I'm already planning a trip back to this area to eat here and at Hell's Backbone again while exploring more of Grande Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Test Your Voice in the Singing Canyon

If you decide to explore the paved portion of Burr Trail Road (a much safer option) you'll still have many options for destinations from beautiful campgrounds to Sugarloaf Mountain. However, one of the most unique spots is Singing Canyon. This colorful slot canyon is a quick walk off the road (I'm talking an easy 0.3 miles), but without any signage or trail markers, it's fairly remote (which means it won't be swamped with other tourists woohoo!). Type the coordinates 37°51'53.3"N 111°18'01.9"W to your GPS or search for the Singing Canyon on Google Maps. The slot canyon may only be a few feet deep, but it's ultimately worth the trip. The walls' colors range from fiery red and orange to cool pinks and purples as they stretch over 80 feet high. Once you enter, make sure you belt out a tune to test the actual limits of the "Singing" Canyon, named this because of its perfect acoustics. You may even find someone playing an instrument in this canyon for musical inspiration. Be warned that if you visit in the evening before sunset, you'll slowly start to find more and more animals dive bombing past you and zooming in front of your face as a large group of bats that live within the canyon start to emerge looking for the night’s food.

Although we didn't have time before it got dark, you can also tackle Long Canyon on this trip, which is roughly 5 minutes away from Singing Canyon, offering more of a legit hiking experience through a much larger slot canyon.

Shoutout to Boulder, Utah, for being more than just a random town with beds for us to sleep in. This quiet respite in the middle of remote federally-protected land was so memorable that I'm already planning a trip back. From the Singing Canyon to Hell’s Backbone Grill, make sure you explore (and eat!) in Boulder if you're visiting nearby Capitol Reef or Grand Staircase-Escalante. I promise you'll be just as delighted and surprised as we were!