Thanks Kyle for one of the best videos I've seen from you (although there are so many). Love traveling vicariously with you. I hope to do this drive and others you have done before too many years pass. Keep em' coming. All the best to you. This is the way!
@@InterstateKyle Right around 5:44 the first time traveler to the area might think, "Where the heck is this freeway going to go?" In the Gorge, if one is *_very_* lucky, it is _possible_ to see desert bighorn sheep, with a population reintroduction in the last decade or so. Amazing, and scary, to see them standing alongside the freeway in the lower part near the narrows.
I recall when it was 60 mph in he gorge. My main gripe, they put these ugly concrete barriers on the bridges and removed the railing. You can no longer look down into the river.
Thank you very much for this wonderful drive through Virgin River Gorge and beyond, Kyle. Also thanks for your kind words at the end of the video. It's appreciated! Greets from the Netherlands.
Nice and fantastic video. The landscape in the Virgin River Gorge remind me the zone of southern Atacama desert in Chile that has a similar highway. The transition between 3 western states are incredible. Greetings from Santiago, Chile.
Great episode, Kyle! I've driven i15 many times from So California to Cedar City, and it never gets old north of Las Vegas. Recommend: The Kolob Canyon exit from i15 is about a 10 mile round trip, but it's totally worth it and part of Zion Park that many miss. Also recommend: Utah Highway 14 from Cedar City to US 89...spectacular scenery and an almost 10,000' summit.
I've done this drive thru the Virgin River Gorge about 15 or more times and love the scenery. But people drive crazy going thru this area driving way too fast! People need to slow down and enjoy the beauty of this place. Thanks for sharing this.
This is certainly on my bucket-list for drives to take in my lifetime. Thank you for sharing this excellent drive in such a professional and high quality manner.
Just stunning! My husband's sister after living in CA for 50+ yrs. just moved to St. George from Sacramento. We were surprised, but, she said it was like living in a fairyland, Now seeing your video we can agree. Yes, very unusual to be in 3 states in 30 some min. in the West especially We moved out of Fresno to WI, one day we must visit. Thxs!
Looks like we were about 3 months ahead of you... (KCW 12-12-6 tour...I just happen to have watched the video from one of my other channes). I remember hearing a prediction (on the radio) about how potentially bad the fire season might be. They were right. Whoa... @ 13:50 a classic old VW karmann ghia wagon being towed! Looks to be in great shape, too!
I noticed at one point in the gorge the almost trademark red dirt/rock of SW Utah made a brief appearance, the once the video was north of St. George, then it was everywhere. Anyone who has taken a vehicle to Zion has a trace of that red stuff somewhere on their vehicle.
I used to drive from southern CA to Brian Head UT for skiing but did not get into AZ until dark and had to use high-beams in the Virgin River Gorge to see the most. One cold night on the climb to Cedar City a guy blows by me in an El Dorado convertible with the top down! Eventually found out he lived in Parowan and did not always have the patience to coax the complicated mechanicals/electricals in the convertible top to get it closed, so he would bundle up, turn the heater on high and make the drive up from LV.
Thank you for posting this; I have been on this stretch of road once, but unfortunately it was in the dead of night, so I missed out on the scenery of the gorge.
If I had to drive from Michigan to Las Vegas/Los Angeles, this is how I'd go. I-80 to I-76 to I-70 and down I-15. Virgin River Gorge, San Rafael Reef in Utah west of Green River, and Glenwood Canyon in Colorado.
Good one! I've made this drive with family a couple of times, and twice more on road trips during college breaks in the '90s. St. George wasn't as big as it is now back then.... If you want to experience Zion NP without the hassle of State Route 9, Kolob Canyon is a decent alternative, and I can vouch for it. Speaking of music, when I went through this NB last time? Too bad you have to worry about copyright, but Roxette's Joyride was playing on my car's cassette player (Yes, I still have one!). That's very appropriate road trip music, along with Heart's Never.
Thank you Matt! Copyright music is a headache to deal with on UA-cam so I stopped using it altogether. I would love to see the Kolob Canyon section of Zion myself, I've heard good things about it!
This stretch of interstate 15 is a scenic freeways since you get nice views of the mountains in Utah but I would like it if interstate 215 also ran between Nevada and Utah in the event a closure happens on I-15. I don’t like that I-215 ends in Las Vegas. I would like it if interstate 215 continued pass Las Vegas into Utah.
4 of the most expensive stretches of interstate in the USA are as follows! I-70 in the Glenwood Canyon, CO in 1991 when opened (rank 1st most expensive) I-15 in the Virgin River Gorge, AZ in the 1970s when opened (rank 2nd most expensive) I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge of NC/Tenn border area in the 1960 when first opened (either 3rd or 4th most expensive interstate by todays standards) I-80 in the Delaware Water Gap (year opened unknown by me) (tied with I-40 Pigeon RIver Gorge for either 3rd or 4th place, depending) I've driven thru all of them except for the I-80 one, not to mention the gorge on I-80 charges a toll! Ouch!!! Also of note is the ones on I-40 and I-80 both goes right by national parks (Great Smokey Mtns and Delaware Water Gap, respectively), the one on I-70 thru a national forest (White River Nat'l Forest), and the one on I-15 actually goes thru a federally designated wilderness area known as the Beaver Dam Mountains WIlderness Area (may show it as being split in two zones due to the freeway)! Pretty neat if you ask me!
Hi Kyle, love this route. Did you remove your original video going through the gorge (I think posted summer 2016)? I loved the soundtrack on that video
@@InterstateKyleOh ok, yes it was 2020. Do you happen to recall the instrumental song you had playing in that video as you came out of the Gorge and crossed into Utah? I think it was the theme to a movie
First thing to note going northbound from Mesquite NV. Leaving behind some of the best maintained highways (Nevada) to some of the worst (Arizona) in the southwestern United States.
I liked the info from Kyle how the state of Utah transferred or loaned some of their Federal Highway funds to AZ to build I-15 in the gorge. AZ at that time could probably care less about that road, but it was vital to Utah to have access to Las Vegas, so it was money well spent. St. George would have never achieved a population of 100K+ if there was no connection to Las Vegas
Thanks Kyle for one of the best videos I've seen from you (although there are so many). Love traveling vicariously with you. I hope to do this drive and others you have done before too many years pass. Keep em' coming. All the best to you. This is the way!
Thank you very much Mark!
@@InterstateKyle Right around 5:44 the first time traveler to the area might think, "Where the heck is this freeway going to go?" In the Gorge, if one is *_very_* lucky, it is _possible_ to see desert bighorn sheep, with a population reintroduction in the last decade or so. Amazing, and scary, to see them standing alongside the freeway in the lower part near the narrows.
I'm pumped to drive this highway from Alberta, Canada all the way to the end of the road in California
I recall when it was 60 mph in he gorge. My main gripe, they put these ugly concrete barriers on the bridges and removed the railing. You can no longer look down into the river.
Thank you very much for this wonderful drive through Virgin River Gorge and beyond, Kyle.
Also thanks for your kind words at the end of the video. It's appreciated!
Greets from the Netherlands.
Thank you Paul! Always enjoy reading your comments!
Nice and fantastic video. The landscape in the Virgin River Gorge remind me the zone of southern Atacama desert in Chile that has a similar highway. The transition between 3 western states are incredible.
Greetings from Santiago, Chile.
Thank you Felipe! I really enjoyed redoing this video, glad you enjoyed!
Great episode, Kyle! I've driven i15 many times from So California to Cedar City, and it never gets old north of Las Vegas. Recommend: The Kolob Canyon exit from i15 is about a 10 mile round trip, but it's totally worth it and part of Zion Park that many miss. Also recommend: Utah Highway 14 from Cedar City to US 89...spectacular scenery and an almost 10,000' summit.
Thank you Morgan!
I've done this drive thru the Virgin River Gorge about 15 or more times and love the scenery. But people drive crazy going thru this area driving way too fast! People need to slow down and enjoy the beauty of this place. Thanks for sharing this.
This is certainly on my bucket-list for drives to take in my lifetime. Thank you for sharing this excellent drive in such a professional and high quality manner.
Thank you very much John I hope you can see it for yourself one day!
Just stunning! My husband's sister after living in CA for 50+ yrs. just moved to St. George from Sacramento. We were surprised, but, she said it was like living in a fairyland, Now seeing your video we can agree. Yes, very unusual to be in 3 states in 30 some min. in the West especially We moved out of Fresno to WI, one day we must visit. Thxs!
Looks like we were about 3 months ahead of you... (KCW 12-12-6 tour...I just happen to have watched the video from one of my other channes). I remember hearing a prediction (on the radio) about how potentially bad the fire season might be. They were right. Whoa... @ 13:50 a classic old VW karmann ghia wagon being towed! Looks to be in great shape, too!
Fantastic video of what is some really beautiful terrain. The US Interstate network never ceases to amaze me!
Couldn't agree more! Thank you for watching!
I noticed at one point in the gorge the almost trademark red dirt/rock of SW Utah made a brief appearance, the once the video was north of St. George, then it was everywhere. Anyone who has taken a vehicle to Zion has a trace of that red stuff somewhere on their vehicle.
I used to drive from southern CA to Brian Head UT for skiing but did not get into AZ until dark and had to use high-beams in the Virgin River Gorge to see the most. One cold night on the climb to Cedar City a guy blows by me in an El Dorado convertible with the top down! Eventually found out he lived in Parowan and did not always have the patience to coax the complicated mechanicals/electricals in the convertible top to get it closed, so he would bundle up, turn the heater on high and make the drive up from LV.
The gorge is so beautiful! Great video!
Thank you Sarah!
Thank you Kyle for redoing thus one
Thank you Melody!
Thank you for posting this; I have been on this stretch of road once, but unfortunately it was in the dead of night, so I missed out on the scenery of the gorge.
Thank you Ian!
If I had to drive from Michigan to Las Vegas/Los Angeles, this is how I'd go. I-80 to I-76 to I-70 and down I-15. Virgin River Gorge, San Rafael Reef in Utah west of Green River, and Glenwood Canyon in Colorado.
I drive from Petoskey, Michigan every year in May to Los Angeles. This is the route I take. It’s also the fastest
Breath taking ride of our beautiful USA
Thank you!
I drove through this stretch once, and it was quite breath taking. The only part of I-15 that runs through Arizona.
I've only done this three times myself. Once in 2011 and twice in 2020.
Good one! I've made this drive with family a couple of times, and twice more on road trips during college breaks in the '90s. St. George wasn't as big as it is now back then.... If you want to experience Zion NP without the hassle of State Route 9, Kolob Canyon is a decent alternative, and I can vouch for it.
Speaking of music, when I went through this NB last time? Too bad you have to worry about copyright, but Roxette's Joyride was playing on my car's cassette player (Yes, I still have one!). That's very appropriate road trip music, along with Heart's Never.
Thank you Matt! Copyright music is a headache to deal with on UA-cam so I stopped using it altogether. I would love to see the Kolob Canyon section of Zion myself, I've heard good things about it!
One long climb
About 3,000 feet elevation gain from Saint George to Cedar City.
This stretch of interstate 15 is a scenic freeways since you get nice views of the mountains in Utah but I would like it if interstate 215 also ran between Nevada and Utah in the event a closure happens on I-15. I don’t like that I-215 ends in Las Vegas. I would like it if interstate 215 continued pass Las Vegas into Utah.
4 of the most expensive stretches of interstate in the USA are as follows!
I-70 in the Glenwood Canyon, CO in 1991 when opened (rank 1st most expensive)
I-15 in the Virgin River Gorge, AZ in the 1970s when opened (rank 2nd most expensive)
I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge of NC/Tenn border area in the 1960 when first opened (either 3rd or 4th most expensive interstate by todays standards)
I-80 in the Delaware Water Gap (year opened unknown by me) (tied with I-40 Pigeon RIver Gorge for either 3rd or 4th place, depending)
I've driven thru all of them except for the I-80 one, not to mention the gorge on I-80 charges a toll! Ouch!!!
Also of note is the ones on I-40 and I-80 both goes right by national parks (Great Smokey Mtns and Delaware Water Gap, respectively), the one on I-70 thru a national forest (White River Nat'l Forest), and the one on I-15 actually goes thru a federally designated wilderness area known as the Beaver Dam Mountains WIlderness Area (may show it as being split in two zones due to the freeway)! Pretty neat if you ask me!
Hi Kyle, love this route. Did you remove your original video going through the gorge (I think posted summer 2016)? I loved the soundtrack on that video
I never posted a video here from 2016…. I posted a video here from 2020 about 2 years ago and that video has since been removed in favor of this time.
@@InterstateKyleOh ok, yes it was 2020. Do you happen to recall the instrumental song you had playing in that video as you came out of the Gorge and crossed into Utah? I think it was the theme to a movie
First thing to note going northbound from Mesquite NV. Leaving behind some of the best maintained highways (Nevada) to some of the worst (Arizona) in the southwestern United States.
LOL
I liked the info from Kyle how the state of Utah transferred or loaned some of their Federal Highway funds to AZ to build I-15 in the gorge. AZ at that time could probably care less about that road, but it was vital to Utah to have access to Las Vegas, so it was money well spent. St. George would have never achieved a population of 100K+ if there was no connection to Las Vegas
I didn't know interstate 15 runs through Arizona
Of course it does. Well in northern Mohave County, AZ.
Yes, from Mesquite,Nevada to just south of St George, Utah. Approximately 30 miles.
I guess you can call it Arizona's forgotten interstate but how can you forget an awesome stretch like this!
@@InterstateKyle reminds me of interstate 55
Great video but why not do another one like that with Zion National Park inserted into it as well
I'd to revisit Zion and explore more of the park one day. Thanks for watching!
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