Hi All,
Planning a trip to CO, UT & AZ in Sept. Wondering about if gas availability could be ab issue. Also, if any roads are a no - no.
Will be leaving the truck/trailer in Durango and riding the trike from there.
1st day - Durango, Ridgeway, Placerville, end in Cotez.
2nd day - Cortez, Blanding, end in Moab.
3rd day - Moab, Blanding, Fry Canyon, Hanksville, end in Caineville. This leg is my most concern. Motel said eat before getting into town. ??
4th day - Caineville, Torrey, Escalante, end in Hatch.
5th day - Hatch, Virgin, end in Kanab.
6th day - Kanab, north rim grand Canyon, end back in Kanab.
7th day - Kanab, Jacob Lake, Page, Hiways 98, 160, 163, end in Mexican Hat. This leg is another concern.
8th day - Mexican Hat, Cotez, end in Durango.
There will be little side trips each day as well.

What do you think guys? I can probably run a little over 200 miles on a tank on our flatter country here in eastern WI. But will assume less out there on this trip. Motels are already set up.
Thanks for your help.

 

Download the GasBuddy app onto your phone. I use it all the time to find gas on the road.

 

In southern Utah, speed limits are a "suggestion". Your MPGs will likely be lower than you're used to. Gas is typically available at offramps, it shouldn't be a big problem.

Enjoy your ride!

 

You are going to have an excellent ride! Just came back from a ride through that exact area. Gas shouldn't be a problem, as long as you top the tank off any time it gets down to half full.

 

I use Google Maps in the morning to check my route and double check my GPS. Then I use that to check for gas stations on my route. Some of your roads will be less then plentiful with choices for fuel. Check every morning, plan accordingly and have a great time. If you can do 200 miles, I wouldn't pass a station after about 100 miles or so, no place to be without. Good luck.

 

I never had a problem finding gas in the Four Corners region when all I had was paper maps and no cell phone. Enjoy your ride.

 

Bring warm clothes. The last time I rode Kanab/North Rim was mid September and we got snow. North Rim is ~9000ft, it was 40*F.

 

They probably told you to eat before you got to Caineville, because Caineville isn't really a town. It's a motel and a few farm houses a half hour from anywhere.

I think you'd find it worth it to go the extra half hour and stay in Torrey. It's a small town, but it's beautiful. Surrounded by awesome Utah red rock. They also have a few gas stations and a few good places to eat. Capitol Reef Resort (used to be BestWestern) is my favorite place to stay in Torrey, but there's plenty of choices.

Other than Caineville, that looks like a perfect itinerary. All those rides are awesome!

 

I get a tad over 200 miles to a tank on the old King, and I start watching for stations at around 120 on the odometer. Main highways are probably OK, but secondary roads, a 'gas station' may be a pump or two outside a small store or trading post that may or may not be open at any given time. That's around 2 hours running anyway, and that's about time for me to walk around a bit, take a leak, drink some water, etc anyway. The next gas may be 40 miles away.

Water. Carry water, the more the better. Humidity around here runs from 5% to 15%, and that with the wind can dehydrate you fast. When you start to feel thirsty you're already starting to dehydrate. Dehydration is like booze, it takes out your judgement first, so once it starts, you may not realize it or be able to make rational decisions.

If you break down, you may need to take yourself for quite awhile. Especially on back roads. You're waaaay out of cell range or even CB, and there's roads around here that may see a car twice a day or twice a month. If they're patrolled at all, the sherriff or ranger drives through about once a month to see if its all still there.

Stick to main roads. We have a couple people die every year because they followed their GPS on a 'shortcut' or 'scenic route'. There's lots of turnoffs that look like a nice little road, but a few miles later, it turns into gravel, then ruts in the dirt, then goat trail. By now, they are too narrow to turn around on, and the 'shoulders' are large rocks or gulleys. So they sit there til they die, usually in a few hours. September is kinda the edge of the weather change, you can find extreme heat and extreme cold, both in the same day. Be prepared with the right gear.

Much of the nature is incredibly beautiful and there's history like nowhere else (Old Oribi on the Hopi rez is the oldest continuosly inhabited place in the country, for instance) but its nothing like the Heartland or the Coasts, and the differences take a bit of knowledge and preparation to deal with.

 

Jacob lake inn has gas and a good place to eat.We went through the Navajo nation (New Mexico and Arizona) and found a few places to gas up.The other places you mentioned I don't know.