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A 20 days ride across AZ,UT,CO,NM and Texas

Joined
Jun 22, 2020
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Location
Houston
First Name
Oliver
Early May I went on a solo ride across Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and back to Texas. This 4300 miles trip took about 20 days. I was riding my AfricaTwin and did camp half of the time. The plan was to avoid as much as possible highways.
Here is the route as recorded by the Garmin. Most of the videos below are from Utah.

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On my way to Arizona I went through the Chiricahua mountain, pretty cool place and apparently one of the best area for bird watching. The forest road 42 crosses the mountain from cave creek canyon to the national monument. An easy level 1 dirt road.

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Utah was spectacular. I unfortunately could not do all the trails I would have like to do. I’m a bit more cautious when traveling alone and I think I had my share of crashes while riding the NM BDR with this bike. Nonetheless there are extremely scenic level 1 or 2 dirt trails in Utah to satisfy anyone. I really enjoyed the Burr trail on the way to Bullfrog


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The most spectacular day was certainly the leg from Bullfrog to Mexican Hat. The view from the top of the Moki Dugway is quite exceptional and the famous switchbacks are quite fun to ride. However, my best souvenir of this trip will certainly be the Valley of the Gods.


Moab was crowded and it took me a couple of hours to find a campground. It was really nice and quiet but about 15 miles from the town in hunters canyon.

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From Moab, I went to Fruita were I had booked a campground at the Colorado national monument.


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The ride in Colorado was rather short as the weather was a bit uncertain. So the plan was just to ride the ”million dollars highway“ between Ouray and Silverton and stop in Durango for the night. Had lunch in Silverton with a KLR rider I met few days ago in Mexican Hat.
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The rest of the trip was enjoyable with couple more national parks (petrified forest and the white sands). The ride back through New Mexico looked familiar and I did a stop at the hidden springs in Reserve to eat a good burger and say hello to Jenn. What a cool place!!

Then Texas was in sight

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The dilemma is always to find a route that’s not going to put you asleep right away…I stopped for the night in Fort Stockton after a painful ride from Carlsbad (the 285 is a bit of a nightmare) and took the 190 through Iraan and Eldorado to get back to Austin. This route is definitely the best option.

Well, this trip was a real blast and found the pace just about right, with 200 miles a day on average; providing plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and relax at a campground. Can’t wait to do it again!!
Thanks for reading.
 
It looks like you hit Safford and then Globe before heading to the Phoenix area, bypassing the Devil's Highway and the Salt River Canyon. Understandable if you've already ridden them or wanted to stay off the pavement.

Your timing was good as it really started getting hot after your ride.
 
It looks like you hit Safford and then Globe before heading to the Phoenix area, bypassing the Devil's Highway and the Salt River Canyon. Understandable if you've already ridden them or wanted to stay off the pavement.

Your timing was good as it really started getting hot after your ride.
Yes you are correct, I stopped at Roosevelt lake campground for the night before heading towards Phoenix. To be honest I didn’t know about salt river canyon so it’s something I will investigate for next time, thanks.
 
Yes you are correct, I stopped at Roosevelt lake campground for the night before heading towards Phoenix. To be honest I didn’t know about salt river canyon so it’s something I will investigate for next time, thanks.
Just tag me in a post prior to your next ride in AZ; give me your route and I can give you recommendations for things along your route or offer suggestions for other routes.
 
It looks like you hit Safford and then Globe before heading to the Phoenix area, bypassing the Devil's Highway and the Salt River Canyon. Understandable if you've already ridden them or wanted to stay off the pavement.

Your timing was good as it really started getting hot after your ride.
@Texas T when you say Salt River Canyon are you refering to 60 from Globe to your neck of the woods? If so, it is indeed awesome.

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@Flying Frenchman what a great memorable trip! Thanks for the write up and making this old guy want to get back on the road again. Of course after these long hot summer months. :sun:
 
Nice ride report. Glad you were able to ride the million dollar highway. Was this trip your first time on it? The rock formations at Chiricahua national monument were amazing. The paved road out not so nice. Any more pictures?
 
Nice ride report. Glad you were able to ride the million dollar highway. Was this trip your first time on it? The rock formations at Chiricahua national monument were amazing. The paved road out not so nice. Any more pictures?

Yes first time in Colorado and it was too short. Will definitely spend more time on the next trip.
Couple more pictures of Chiricahua
View from cave creek canyon campground

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The Chiricahua national monument, pretty amazing rock formation.

 
Fantastic report, pictures and video. Would you say the roads you took through Valley of the Gods was too technical for a novice dirt rider or just a few sandy spots?

I have a GS now, but not much experience off road.

Dave
 
Fantastic report, pictures and video. Would you say the roads you took through Valley of the Gods was too technical for a novice dirt rider or just a few sandy spots?

I have a GS now, but not much experience off road.

Dave
The Valley of the Gods was definitely my favorite trail over the course of this journey. It as an easy dirt ride and you should not have any problem with your GS. There is only one dip that took me by surprise but everything else is super easy.
since I was going to do a lot of paved road (about 80/20), I mounted Dunlop trailmax mission on front and rear. They are perfect for paved and gravel to small rocky sections but not too good on sand. I was quite happy by this choice and they seem to last forever.
 
Yes first time in Colorado and it was too short. Will definitely spend more time on the next trip.
Couple more pictures of Chiricahua
View from cave creek canyon campground

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The Chiricahua national monument, pretty amazing rock formation.

Cool, that is how I remember it. Way off the beaten path, but worth the trip to see. It was muddy and we were driving so only paved. I did see a red dirt road that looked like it went all the way to New Mexico on the map but did not want to risk getting stuck in my wives new truck.
 
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