AZ-UT Loop - Updated 4/25

See most recent post for changes...


Google Map Link


Tentative plan is to leave Thursday evening, and stay in a hotel on the north side of Phx so that we don't have to fight traffic Friday morning. Planned sights to see are:
Grand Canyon North Rim
Cedar Breaks Natl Park
Bryce Canyon Natl Park
Capital Reef Natl Park
Glen Canyon - cross via the ferry
Natural Bridges Natl Monument
Cortez CO - if time allows, Mesa Verde Natl Park
Four Corners - just I can say I was there
Back into Utah so that I can enter Monument Valley from the north
Canyon de Chelly Natl Monument
Lakeside to see my mom
Home on the 30th

I know that's a lot of places to see and not a lot of time to do so. Comments? Suggestions?

Anything I should cut out?

Anything I should add - any "must see" place? Any "must ride" roads?

I had considered Moab but that really takes me out of the way. And if time looks like it will be an issue I can cut out Cortez / Mesa Verde and head back to AZ.

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

Last summer, I ran 191 up to Chinle and then on to Monument Valley and Four Corners the next day. I wanted to do Natural Bridges but ran out of time.

Canyon de Chelly is beautiful early morning and late evening but would best be viewed from inside the canyon which requires a guide and a fee. I enjoyed my time there but not sure it was worth the extra miles on my route.

Monument Valley is supremely awesome and I would certainly go back. Never did see Wile Coyote though. A friend from CO raves about the swinging steaks served at the Mexican Hat Lodge but again I ran out of time and didn't get to stop.

Four Corners is nothing more than a monument in the middle of nowhere with every imaginable form of Indian jewelry shacks lined up around it. I did the obligatory photo but again not sure it was worth the long slab to get there.

Should be a good trip. Enjoy!!

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

If you are doing Bryce Canyon and then heading across Hwy 12/24, I would suggest hitting Zion National Park, even if you just ride through and come right back out. It is VERY cool! You'll be going near it as you come down out of Jacob's Lake on 89 into SW Utah. Also, if you do Bryce, try to stop at as many of the various overlooks as possible. We did them all. It was worth the extra time because they are all pretty incredible.

We made the run from Flagstaff, South Rim, 89 up to Jacobs Lake and then over to the far side of Zion. It was a good full day. We made it from Zion, did all of Bryce Canyon, ran 12 all the way to 24 and then South to Bull Frog Marina near the ferry. That was a FULL day and it rocked!! The stretch down 95 and 276 was all done with 40-50mph sustained crosswinds from a front that was blasting across Utah and dumping snow as it came, in June... That was quite an experience! 12 and 24 are both in my top five of all time great rides. Just be REAL careful because there are many places where going off will mean you are dead if you are lucky. If not, no one will ever see you, with the possible exception of someone in a helicopter at very low altitude actively looking for you 261 down to Mexican Hat is fun when you get to Mokee Dugway and drop down off the plateau. We came into Monument Valley from the North here. The cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde are real cool, but to really see them you will need to do some mild hiking. There are some overlooks but they are fairly far away from the actual dwellings. The ride in/out of the park is fun, but the speed limit is WAY too low... I would suggest maybe saving that for a trip where you loop up into SW Colorado

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

dutchinterceptor said:

Last summer, I ran 191 up to Chinle and then on to Monument Valley and Four Corners the next day. I wanted to do Natural Bridges but ran out of time.

Click to expand...

I'm doing 191 (just the lower twisty part) the first weekend in June.

Canyon de Chelly is beautiful early morning and late evening but would best be viewed from inside the canyon which requires a guide and a fee. I enjoyed my time there but not sure it was worth the extra miles on my route.

Click to expand...

I did the tour 31 years ago. If Brenda is with me on this trip (vacation request is not approved yet) then we'll do the tour because she hasn't been there.

Monument Valley is supremely awesome and I would certainly go back.

Click to expand...

I also did this 31 years ago. Stayed at Goulding's and took the tour into the inner sanctum with the Native American guide.

Four Corners is nothing more than a monument in the middle of nowhere with every imaginable form of Indian jewelry shacks lined up around it. I did the obligatory photo but again not sure it was worth the long slab to get there.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I hear ya on that. But like it said, it will be the obligatory tourist stop.

Tourmeister said:

If you are doing Bryce Canyon and then heading across Hwy 12/24, I would suggest hitting Zion National Park, even if you just ride through and come right back out. It is VERY cool! You'll be going near it as you come down out of Jacob's Lake on 89 into SW Utah. Also, if you do Bryce, try to stop at as many of the various overlooks as possible. We did them all. It was worth the extra time because they are all pretty incredible.

Click to expand...

I've had several others on other forums give me the same advice so I added it to my hand-written route plans today. I just need to get it added to the map.

We made the run from Flagstaff, South Rim, 89 up to Jacobs Lake and then over to the far side of Zion. It was a good full day. We made it from Zion, did all of Bryce Canyon, ran 12 all the way to 24 and then South to Bull Frog Marina near the ferry. That was a FULL day and it rocked!! The stretch down 95 and 276 was all done with 40-50mph sustained crosswinds from a front that was blasting across Utah and dumping snow as it came, in June... That was quite an experience! 12 and 24 are both in my top five of all time great rides. Just be REAL careful because there are many places where going off will mean you are dead if you are lucky. If not, no one will ever see you, with the possible exception of someone in a helicopter at very low altitude actively looking for you 261 down to Mexican Hat is fun when you get to Mokee Dugway and drop down off the plateau. We came into Monument Valley from the North here. The cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde are real cool, but to really see them you will need to do some mild hiking. There are some overlooks but they are fairly far away from the actual dwellings. The ride in/out of the park is fun, but the speed limit is WAY too low... I would suggest maybe saving that for a trip where you loop up into SW Colorado

Click to expand...

Thanks Scott. The more I plan this the more it looks like CO / NM / Four Corners may get shunted off to another time.

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

You plan trips like I do . . . with too much to do. I am slowly learning. You have a whole lot scheduled for that amount of time. It's all good stuff, but you'll wear yourself out, I think.

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

RedPill said:

You plan trips like I do . . . with too much to do. I am slowly learning. You have a whole lot scheduled for that amount of time. It's all good stuff, but you'll wear yourself out, I think.

Click to expand...

Yep. Spent some time today whittling it down to about 3 days of riding time. That will leave 2-3 days for sightseeing.

So far I'm down to the North Rim, Zion, Cedar Breaks, Bryce Canyon, and Glen Canyon. That allows us a decent amount of time at each place, and I can hit other spots if time allows, or I can zip back down the center of the state to Phx if I'm running short on time.

I found out through a user on another forum that there are cabins available on the North Rim so I need to check into that as a Day 1 ending.

Good Luck, Clark Griswold!

Brian, unless you add more days to your itinerary, or delete stops along the way, this will be you:

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

My family says I'm a Schedule Nazi. I was accused of looking at my watch and telling everyone, "Okay, have fun NOW!" I've finally learned. Sounds like you're learning, too.

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

The more I consider it, the more likely it will be cut down to the North Rim, Zion, and Bryce, and then play it by ear from there. One of the downsides of retail is that you typically only get to take one week of vacation at a time.

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

Texas T said:

The more I consider it, the more likely it will be cut down to the North Rim, Zion, and Bryce, and then play it by ear from there. One of the downsides of retail is that you typically only get to take one week of vacation at a time.

Click to expand...

Good inclination.

Do less, and give it more, rather than do it all, and give it less.

Your 4 state plan is genius/perfect/correct...

...just take more than one bite of this apple

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

I would make the loop over 12/24/95 and then back down into Az, even if it meant giving up a day of not riding. It really is that good. Even though some of the miles per day might be on the biggish side (350-400), they go pretty quick even with lots of stops for pictures. Of course, if you want to do some hiking somewhere like Zion, Bryce, etc,... each one of those could easily take a full day to do. Think of this trip as your scouting trip. Then if any of the places you hit catch your fancy, you can plan more involved trips there in the future.

Also, along the 12/24/95 route, there weren't many places to stay overnight when we were out there in 2000. Gas stops were pretty far apart as well, so we always topped off when we saw a place to do so after leaving Bryce Canyon. Once you head down 96/276 to the ferry, the Bull Frog Marina was the only place to stay, eat, and get gas, all of which were a bit pricey due to the remoteness and lack of choices. The restaurant is actually there in the lodge overlooking the lake and the food was good. Of course at the time, gas there was around $2.05/gal for 87 and we were wigging out because it was around $1.20/gal at home I've not done the stretch of 95 between the two ends of 276. Irondawg did it on our trip and he said it was awesome. The Blue Kettle Cafe in Kayenta was pretty good lunch.

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

Tourmeister said:

I would make the loop over 12/24/95 and then back down into Az, even if it meant giving up a day of not riding. It really is that good. Even though some of the miles per day might be on the biggish side (350-400), they go pretty quick even with lots of stops for pictures. Of course, if you want to do some hiking somewhere like Zion, Bryce, etc,... each one of those could easily take a full day to do. Think of this trip as your scouting trip. Then if any of the places you hit catch your fancy, you can plan more involved trips there in the future.

Click to expand...

I might skip the North Rim. After all, I've seen the big hole in the ground several times from the south side, so the north side can't be ALL that different.

So if we swing up into UT on day one we're looking at:
1: UT
2. Zion
3. Bryce Canyon
4. Capitol Reef (hitting those roads you suggested)
5. Monument Valley
6. Home

I'm sure even that will be pushing it, but we can break off at any point and head south for home as needed, or continue east if time allows.

The comments here and on the other forums have been very enlightening. For example, I had no idea that there was lodging available on the North Rim. Literally 3 feet from the rim edge you can stay in a cabin. Unfortunately, they accept reservations up to 13 months in advance and they are already booked. Guess I should be planning for a 2011 trip instead of a 2010 trip.

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

I did quite a bit of that trip on my solo trip last year from Texas. It was incredible and I do wish I had spent more time just taking in the scenery. The North Rim is incredible and very relaxing. Hopefully you have already made reservations because the lodge books up a year in advance. Even the onsite camping book up quickly. There is a nice camping site just outside of the entrance called DeMotte's. I had no problem finding a nice spot to pitch a tent and was delighted to see all sorts of small animals investigating my gear shortly after arrival I spent exactly 24hrs at the rim. Don't miss the sunset on the lodge veranda. Just grab a nice glass of wine and settle in for some breath taking views.

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

There is camping and a lodge/hotel at Jacob's Lake on top of the mountain right where 89 and 67 meet. When we were there, the place was staffed by college aged zombie waitresses that all had the thousand yard stare thing going something scary... They had good ice cream though

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

Tourmeister said:

There is camping and a lodge/hotel at Jacob's Lake on top of the mountain right where 89 and 67 meet.

Click to expand...

When I checked yesterday they only had the 25th open so my thoughts of using them as a base camp for the week went out the window.

Now I'm even kicking around the idea of heading to Wickenburg on the 24th and then leave early the 25th, roll past Vegas along Lake Mead to Zion, then Bryce, then Capitol Reef, then down through Glen Canyon to Monument Valley, Camp Verde, Payson, and then on home.

I've got a couple of folks out here that may tag along for part of this or even the whole thing. Of course, any of my TWT brethren are more then welcome to join up too.

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

I would not be surprised if there were TWT Bandit 1250S owners all along your route. We have those folks from almost every state in the Union and every country around the world now!

Re: AZ-UT-CO-NM-AZ loop. Comments?

I'm meeting with a possible trip partner on Sunday and we're going to start laying out routes but here's an estimation.

Day 1 - North Rim
Day 2 - Zion
Day 3 - Bryce
Day 4 - Capitol Reef
Day 5 - Monument Valley
Day 6 - Home


Summary: 1264.0 miles (2 days, 7 hours, 59 minutes)
DAY 1
9:00 AM 0.0 Depart Hampton Inn-Phoenix-Anthem [42415 N 41st Dr, Phoenix AZ 85086, United States, (623) 465-7979] on N 41st Dr (North) 98 yds
9:00 AM 0.1 Turn RIGHT (East) onto W Anthem Way 0.2 mi
9:01 AM 0.3 Turn LEFT (North) onto Local road(s) 21 yds
9:01 AM 0.3 Take Ramp onto I-17 [Arizona Veterans Memorial Hwy] 110.6 mi I-17 / Flagstaff
10:35 AM 110.9 At exit 340A, take Ramp (RIGHT) onto I-40 [Purple Heart Trail] 5.5 mi I-40 / Winslow / Albuquerque
10:39 AM 116.4 Turn RIGHT onto Ramp 0.3 mi AZ-89 / Page / Grand Canyon
10:40 AM 116.7 Turn LEFT (North-West) onto I-40 Bus [Country Club Dr] 0.4 mi
10:41 AM 117.2 Turn RIGHT onto Ramp 0.2 mi US-89 / Page
10:41 AM 117.3 Keep STRAIGHT onto US-89 [N US-89] 105.0 mi
12:14 PM 222.4 Turn LEFT (North-West) onto US-89 Alt 0.9 mi
12:15 PM 223.3 At US-89 Alt, stay on US-89 Alt (North) 32.3 mi
12:46 PM 255.6 Turn LEFT (South) onto Local road(s) 4.6 mi
12:58 PM 260.2 Turn LEFT (South) onto Local road(s) 1.1 mi
1:00 PM 261.3 Turn RIGHT (South-West) onto Local road(s) 5.3 mi
1:13 PM 266.6 Bear RIGHT (West) onto Local road(s) 4.1 mi
1:23 PM 270.7 Turn LEFT (South) onto Local road(s) 1.3 mi
1:26 PM 272.0 At near Cane, return North on Local road(s) 1.3 mi
1:29 PM 273.2 Turn LEFT (West) onto Local road(s) 3.2 mi
1:37 PM 276.4 Bear RIGHT (North-West) onto Local road(s) 6.8 mi
1:53 PM 283.3 Turn RIGHT (North-East) onto Buffalo Ranch Rd 7.1 mi
2:05 PM 290.3 Turn LEFT (West) onto US-89 Alt 49.8 mi
2:59 PM 340.1 At Fredonia, stay on US-89 Alt [N Main St] (North) 6.3 mi
3:03 PM 343.5 Entering Utah
3:06 PM 346.5 Keep STRAIGHT onto US-89 [S 100 E] 17.5 mi
3:25 PM 364.0 Turn LEFT (North-West) onto SR-9 22.9 mi
3:55 PM 386.8 Turn RIGHT (North) onto Zion Canyon Rd 6.1 mi
4:06 PM 393.0 Keep STRAIGHT onto Floor of the Valley Rd [Zion Canyon Scenic Dr] 54 yds
4:06 PM 393.0 At Gateway To the Narrows Trail [Zion Canyon Rd, Hurricane UT 84737, United States, (435) 772-3256], return East on Floor of the Valley Rd [Zion Canyon Scenic Dr] 54 yds
4:07 PM 393.0 Keep STRAIGHT onto Zion Canyon Rd 6.1 mi
4:17 PM 399.1 Turn LEFT (East) onto SR-9 [Zion Mount Carmel Hwy] 22.9 mi
4:48 PM 422.0 Turn LEFT (North-East) onto US-89 [S State St] 9.7 mi
5:00 PM 431.8 End of day
DAY 2
9:00 AM 431.8 Stay on US-89 33.4 mi
9:31 AM 465.2 Keep RIGHT onto Local road(s) 153 yds
9:31 AM 465.3 Bear RIGHT (East) onto SR-12 13.5 mi
9:47 AM 478.8 Keep RIGHT onto Local road(s) 131 yds
9:48 AM 478.9 Keep STRAIGHT onto SR-63 20.6 mi
10:22 AM 499.5 Keep STRAIGHT onto Local road(s) 109 yds
10:22 AM 499.6 At Rainbow Point, stay on Local road(s) (East) 76 yds
10:22 AM 499.6 Turn RIGHT (South) onto SR-63 20.7 mi
10:56 AM 520.3 Turn RIGHT (East) onto SR-12 46.1 mi
11:56 AM 566.4 At Escalante, stay on SR-12 [E Main St] (East) 26.9 mi
12:33 PM 593.3 Bear RIGHT (East) onto CR-1668 [Boulder-Bullfrog Scenic Rd] 153 yds
12:34 PM 593.4 At 87 CR-1668, Boulder, UT 84716, return West on CR-1668 [Boulder-Bullfrog Scenic Rd] 142 yds
12:34 PM 593.5 Turn RIGHT (North-East) onto SR-12 36.7 mi
1:19 PM 630.2 Turn RIGHT (East) onto SR-24 47.1 mi
2:10 PM 677.3 Bear RIGHT (South-East) onto SR-95 26.2 mi
2:32 PM 703.5 Turn RIGHT (South) onto SR-276 35.1 mi
3:14 PM 738.6 At SR-276, stay on SR-276 (South-East) 3.7 mi
3:19 PM 742.3 Turn LEFT to stay on SR-276 1.7 mi
3:23 PM 744.1 *Check timetable* Take Charles Hall Ferry (South)
3:48 PM 744.1 Take SR-276 (South) 47.7 mi
4:40 PM 791.8 Turn RIGHT (East) onto SR-95 9.4 mi
4:49 PM 801.2 Turn RIGHT (South-West) onto SR-261 0.4 mi
4:49 PM 801.6 At SR-261, stay on SR-261 (South) 10.3 mi
5:00 PM 811.9 End of day
DAY 3
9:00 AM 811.9 Stay on SR-261 22.0 mi
9:33 AM 833.9 Turn RIGHT (South) onto US-163 [SR-163] 48.2 mi
9:55 AM 858.8 Entering Arizona
10:20 AM 882.1 Turn RIGHT (West) onto US-160 71.8 mi
11:21 AM 953.9 Turn LEFT (South-East) onto SR-264 [Main St] 0.6 mi
11:22 AM 954.5 At Moenkopi, stay on SR-264 (East) 61.9 mi
12:26 PM 1016.4 Turn RIGHT (South) onto SR-87 45.2 mi
1:12 PM 1061.7 At near Castle Butte, stay on SR-87 (South-West) 13.1 mi
1:25 PM 1074.8 Road name changes to US-87 [SR-87] 0.4 mi
1:26 PM 1075.2 Road name changes to SR-87 1.0 mi
1:27 PM 1076.2 Take Ramp (RIGHT) onto I-40 [US-180] 1.7 mi I-40
1:29 PM 1077.9 At exit 255, turn RIGHT onto Ramp 0.3 mi I-40-BL / AZ-87 / Winslow / Payson
1:29 PM 1078.2 Turn LEFT (South-West) onto I-40 Bus 0.3 mi
1:30 PM 1078.6 Turn RIGHT (West) onto I-40 Bus [SR-66] 1.3 mi
1:32 PM 1079.9 Turn LEFT (South) onto SR-99 [N Williamson Ave] 120 yds
1:32 PM 1080.0 Road name changes to SR-87 [SR-99] 46.7 mi
2:21 PM 1126.7 Road name changes to SR-65 [SR-87] 10.4 mi
2:31 PM 1137.1 Road name changes to SR-87 6.4 mi
2:38 PM 1143.4 Bear LEFT (West) onto SR-260 [SR-87] 25.5 mi
3:07 PM 1168.9 Keep STRAIGHT onto SR-87 [Beeline Hwy S] 0.7 mi
3:08 PM 1169.6 At Payson, stay on SR-87 [Beeline Hwy S] (South-West) 51.1 mi
3:59 PM 1220.6 Turn LEFT (South-East) onto N Bush Hwy 0.5 mi
4:00 PM 1221.1 At N Bush Hwy, stay on N Bush Hwy (South) 9.1 mi
4:13 PM 1230.3 Turn LEFT (South) onto N Usery Pass Rd 5.9 mi
4:20 PM 1236.2 Road name changes to N Ellsworth Rd [N Usery Pass Rd] 0.8 mi
4:22 PM 1237.0 Keep STRAIGHT onto (N) Ellsworth Rd 2.1 mi
4:24 PM 1239.0 Turn RIGHT (West) onto E University Dr 0.2 mi
4:25 PM 1239.3 Take Ramp (LEFT) onto SR-202 Loop [Red Mountain Fwy] 4.9 mi AZ-202-Loop
4:29 PM 1244.1 At exit 33, turn RIGHT onto Ramp 0.4 mi Elliot Rd
4:30 PM 1244.5 Turn LEFT (East) onto E Elliot Rd 0.5 mi
4:30 PM 1245.0 Turn RIGHT (South) onto S Ellsworth Rd 10.0 mi
4:44 PM 1255.0 Road name changes to (W) Hunt Hwy 9.0 mi
4:59 PM 1264.0 Arrive E Hunt Hwy

4/25 Update

Okay, here's the latest:
Thursday night: leave home - stay at a hotel on the north side of Phoenix

Fri: I-17N, 89N/W, 67S to the North Rim, dinner at the Lodge on the Rim, sunset at the Canyon Rim, 67N to Jacob Lake, stay in a cabin.

Sat: Jacob Lake, 89N/W, 9W, Zion Canyon Road (up and back), 9E, 89N, Hatch.

Sun: Hatch, 89N, 12E, 63S Bryce Canyon (down and back), 12E, Torrey.

Mon: Torrey, 24E, Capitol Reef, 95S, 276S, Glen Canyon Ferry Crossing, 276S/E, 95E, 261S, 163S, Mexican Hat (this may be a long day).

Tue: Mexican Hat, 163S, 160S, 89S, Flagstaff, I-40E, Meteor Crater, Winslow, 87S. This day is still up in the air.

Wed: Home

Thoughts? Comments?

If you are worried about a long day for Monday, you could just avoid the Ferry and run 95 all the way South. You would not be missing much. The ferry ride isn't real exciting Also, the scenery is nothing above and beyond what you'd be seeing on 95. That saves about 30 miles and the time spent doing the ferry. Also, the ferry only runs certain times, so you could spend time waiting on it if you don't get lucky with your arrival time.

The last day of the route you posted on 4/23 looks more interesting than the one posted above...

Tourmeister said:

If you are worried about a long day for Monday, you could just avoid the Ferry and run 95 all the way South. You would not be missing much. The ferry ride isn't real exciting Also, the scenery is nothing above and beyond what you'd be seeing on 95. That saves about 30 miles and the time spent doing the ferry. Also, the ferry only runs certain times, so you could spend time waiting on it if you don't get lucky with your arrival time.

The last day of the route you posted on 4/23 looks more interesting than the one posted above...

Click to expand...

Good thought on the ferry. The last day will still be Monument Valley. Or possibly the next to last day. Depends upon how everything goes. We're running this with two Connies... my 2001 and my friend's 2008.