Riding Utah

I with several freinds will be riding Utah and Northern Arizona the end of May. I have not been out that way before and I am looking for infomation and insight from those of you who have. Would like to stay off the beaten path (Interstates) as much as possible. The more kinked up the road, the more better . We would like to see Arches, Bryce and Zion. Will be entering Utah from the North East corner coming from Colorado. Leaving Utah we will be head to the Grand Canyon.

Any information you have will be appreciated, thanks in advance!

The North Rim is prettier than the South Rim, but may not be open this early - call first. Be aware that the South Rim gets some pretty heady weather. A few years ago we were there the 1st week of April, and got caught in a nasty ice storm between the park & Flagstaff - made for some scary trailer towing. You'll probably be well past the winter weather on that side, though.

Southeast of Flagstaff is Payson, AZ. I have friends there & they promise me the roads in any direction from Payson are MC Heaven. Sure looks good on the map.

Doons said:

I with several freinds will be riding Utah and Northern Arizona the end of May. I have not been out that way before and I am looking for infomation and insight from those of you who have. Would like to stay off the beaten path (Interstates) as much as possible. The more kinked up the road, the more better . We would like to see Arches, Bryce and Zion. Will be entering Utah from the North East corner coming from Colorado. Leaving Utah we will be head to the Grand Canyon.

Any information you have will be appreciated, thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

I have been all over the areas that you are talking about. Visit my links for pics and maps and if you have any questions...just ask.

http://shooteraod.dyndns.org/BikeRides

http://shooteraod.dyndns.org/trips

Going thru Zion is going to be a treat, but before you head into it, stop at the Thunderbird Resturant in Mount Carmel Junction to eat...you will not regret it. This place is at the intersection of highway 89 and highway 9 that will take you thru Zion.

BTW...we will be running thru some of the same area at about the same time. We will be leaving on Saturday morning, one week before Memorial weekend. You can look at the map routes to see when we will be in Moab. We have already made the run thru Arches and you will like it. Mind the speed limits in there as the Federalies are waiting. Plan on spending the better part of a full day in there to see everything.

Hmmmm... couldn't find my ride report from 2010 on my Utah trip so I'll just wing this. Any N-S-E-W indications are not actual road designations but the direction you'll be taking just to help you follow along on a map.

Arches > Moab > 191S > 163W > at the 163 / 261 intersection you are only about 30 miles from Monument Valley. I think you are doing yourself a great disservice if you don't take advantage of that short ride down and then back.

Assuming you do go there... back up 163 to 261N > 95W > Natural Bridges > 95N > Hanksville > 24W > Capitol Reef > 24W > Torrey - nice moto friendly motel/restaurant just about 100 yards to the east of the Day's Inn in Torrey.

12S - open range and you WILL encounter cattle on the roadway - also watch for deer at dawn/dusk and possibly some antelope > Escalante > 12W > Tropic - stop at the Tropic Ditch and take a short hike - it's not well marked so you have to watch for it > 12N > Bryce Canyon > 63 into Bryce Canyon - I recommend taking the tour bus so you learn where the best places are and then ride your bikes through the park stopping where you want.

12W > 89S > Hatch - we spent the night here at the Mountain Ridge RV Park - they have about 10 rooms to rent that were recently remodeled in 2010 - nice people - good rates - they don't open until the snow is gone so you need to call in advance for reservations.

9W into Zion - no choice here, you have to take the tour bus but it's worth it > 9W > Virgin - take the Kolob Reservoir Rd to the north just before you reach Virgin - up and back > 9W & S > Hurricane.

59SE > becomes 389 when you hit the AZ border - Colorado City is right on the border if polygamous marriage interests you > 89A > Jacob Lake - reservations are needed early > 67S to the North Rim - good restaurant with a great view of the canyon - lodging is there too but more expensive and reservations are needed > back up to Jacob Lake - watch for wildlife - I almost hit a fox.

89A to the E > Marble Canyon - stop and gawk > 89A to 89 > take 89 to Page > stop at the rest area 3/4 of the way up the side of the cliff - lots of Indian vendors there and a great view looking back at the Canyon and the Vermillion Cliffs > continue in toward Page - less than a mile from page on the west side of the road is Horseshoe Bend - stop and walk to the edge of the canyon - this is almost the very beginning of the Grand Canyon - the very beginning is just a few miles further to the Glen Canyon Dam.

Back into Page > 98SE to 160 > 160NE > Kayenta > Indian Route 59 SE > 191S > Canyon de Chelly (canyon duh shay) - ride the rim unless you have the time to take a Navajo guided tour that will take you down into the back reaches of the canyon.

191S > I-40 > 191S > Alpine - breakfast, lunch or dinner at the Bear Wallow Cafe. You can now ride east on 180 into New Mexico or continue south on 191 and ride the famous Devil's Highway all the way to Morenci, site of the world's 2nd largest open pit mine.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Here's the link to my photos from that trip.

Looking back to the Grand Canyon and the Vermillion Cliffs



Heading south to the North Rim from Jacob Lake. We got pummeled by the rain but missed getting hit by the hail by about 10 minutes. The weather in the area can change at a moment's notice.



That's a small herd of elk in the center of the photo at the tree line and it wasn't even close to dusk yet.



Kolob Reservoir Rd. We had to wait for other traffic to come by so we could sneak past the bull with them running interference. He did not like having us on "his" road.



Approaching Zion from the west.



The Mountain Ridge RV Park rooms in Hatch. This was mid-June and it was 37 degrees.



Bryce Canyon. Pictures do not do it justice. You'll understand when you get there.



The Tropic Ditch. It runs year-round and the water is cold. It was very hot that day and I dunked myself in the stream to cool off.







Remember what I said about it being Open Range.



Capitol Reef



Natural Bridges



The image you'll see if you approach Monument Valley from the north.



The view from The View Hotel restaurant.



Indian Road 59 heading to Chinle / Canyon de Chelly. They had just paved it and had not striped it yet.



One of many beautiful views looking down into Canyon de Chelly. Look close. See the dwellings used by the Anasazi? There are many of these throughout the canyon and if you take the Navajo guided tour (only way to get in) they will take you to places you cannot see from the rim.



One final shot of the canyon to leave you with...

We just did a lot of that territory this past Sept. If your heading into NE Utah from CO I'd recommend, from Grand Junction, running 141 south. In Gateway there is the Gateway resort and it has a great car museum owned by the guy that owns the Discovery and Velocity channels.



Continue on 141 south to 90W > 191 into Moab. You really could spend a couple of days there seeing Arches, Canyonlands (the Island in the Sky), and Dead Horse. Arches and Dead Horse for sure, but they are all great.

From Moab to Torrey we ran 191, 95 and 24. If you stay in Torrey, the previously recommended motel was certainly full of scooters. We stayed at the Days Inn and it was clean, had indoor pool, and motorcycle friendly. If your going out to eat in Torrey you have to go to the Diablo Café on the West side of town, if it's open by that time of year (should be). Just ask anyone. Folks from all over the world go there to eat. Be prepared to pay for it, but it's great food served by great folks. One of the owners is the Chef from some culinary school and comes out to meet ya. Great experience.

I really liked the run from Torrey to Bryce. Hwy 12 was one of the most fun and certainly scenic roads we ran. A must do. Bryce, of course is a must see since your there. Be sure and go down into the Hoo Doo's. Just ask.




When heading into the East entrance of Zion be sure and stop at the first tunnel you come to (sometimes traffic is stopped anyway as you may have to wait for RV's to come through from the other side) park in the little parking lot on the left, walk across the road and up the steps and follow the pathway for about 3/4 mile or so for one of the most spectacular views in the park:



From there our route to the North Rim was 9> Alt 89 to Jacobs Lake and 67 south to the North Rim Park. If your going to stay there (we did 3 nights) you probably should already have made reservations.




We ran Alt 89 E through Marble Canyon to 89 into Page. Our route was reversed however from the way your going to run. That's my recommendations for Utah riding. Here is a web site I used and was very useful for routing and information:

Dave T's web site

HTH, if you have any questions please ask.

Check with Greb

http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82319

He has a lot of knowledge of that side of the US.