We did a trip from Seattle to SF in July. Then rented a car and drove to Vegas. No way I would do it on a bike that time of year.

 

 

Did NM, AZ, UT, CO last June 23-July 5. It was 100 every day and the sun was high so it was intense. I was planning to tent but when I got to the KOA's I got one of their cabins with a/c. The thought of laying in a sweltering tent all afternoon and night was not good. I will say, the nights were nice. The KOA cabins don't have linens so I slept in my sleeping bag. You might want to consider this.

 

Been through all of those areas in July 2016, I agree too damn hot! The temps averaged over 110 those 9 days I was on the road, I slept in hotels/motels due to the heat. That being said, beautiful area, I would definitely see the Hoover Dam, an engineering marvel, ride to Kingman (I40/Route 66) then on to Flagstaff, then skip the south rim of the Grand Canyon and go through the indian reservations and the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, less crowded, less traffic and a spectacular ride through great scenery. Then into southern Utah and then choose your park, Moab, Zion etc. All beautiful and great rides.

Word of caution, stay hydrated, the t-shirt wet under a jacket is great, a cooling vest is better though (find them on Amazon) they last longer and keep the core cool, easier to rehydrate with water and put back on. I went through about 82 ounces of water a day...and sometimes that wasn't enough...drink water all day long. Whenever you see a gas station, fill up, even when you don't think you need too..when I was in the area gas stations were very sparse in some areas, and the ones my phone and GPS said were there...weren't they had closed, made for a some very anxious moments until I learned to fill up every time I had the opportunity. Be ready for construction delays...nothing worse than sitting in 105 degree heat and waiting 10-15 minutes to start up again, the summer is when most repairs are done and they take advantage of the long days to get a bunch done.

Happy 50th and enjoy the ride, just be ready for the conditions and it should be a great time.

 

 

 

 

OP if you might consider this, shift your focus North, get in some riding in Northern Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado. From the mountains of Northern Utah, you can be in the desert of the salt flats within 2 hours. The temperatures will be way better than Nevada and Southern Utah that time of year, and I don't think you would be disappointed in the scenery.

Depending on the timing in July, you may be able to catch the Hellfire rocket launches out on the salt flats. These are amatuer rocket builders that send some pretty impressive stuff up in the air, some of the big dam things. The group they belong to gets air clearance from the Salt Lake City airport, so they can launch some big stuff way, way up there. Very cool to see if your timing is right.

Just something to consider.

 

Stay high! (in altitude that is).

I'm not a big fan of the Nevada desert, but if it's wide open spaces you want check out Hwy 50. Tahoe is great, but crowded and Virginia City is a must-do ride IMHO.

Southern Utah is amazing, especially Hwy 12.

Generally speaking, there's more thunderstorms later in the summer if it's July you're set on then the earlier the better.

There's so much good riding in California, but I'd concentrate on the north/central Sierras or the coast.