I plan on riding from the Grand Canyon north through Utah, Colorado, Wyoming(Yellowstone). Would not like to dictate how far, where, and when I ride each day. Is it necessary for me to make reservations and/or how easy it it to find lodging in these areas end of July and into August?

 

Traveled that area a fair amount. The only time we made reservations was when we knew the rodeo was going to be in Sheridan Wy. Other than that we just found something wherever we ended up.

 

For anywhere within 100 miles of Yellowstone it would be prudent to make a reservation, even for the campgrounds. Especially ±2 weeks of Sturgis.

 

+1 on needing reservations anywhere near Yellowstone...near is less than 150 miles to me.

 

You'll be fine in smaller towns, but near the tourist traps, you may need a reservation or two.

 

I use the RoomSaver coupon booklet that I pick up at the local Dennys, WalMart, or McDonalds. I'm pretty sure they cover just about the whole U.S. of A., and I've used them all over the west and south over the years. Most of the rooms are discounted Sun through Wednesday or Thursday (depending on the chain) and even on the weekends they will cut you a deal.

Here in Cedar City, UT, the Quality Inn is $49/night for 2 people and the Crystal Inn is $54.95. We've got a couple smaller motels like a Knights Inn that is only $39 a night, if you need something less expensive. We've also got a SpringHill (Marriott), Holiday Inn, and several other chain spots in town that usually run under $80/night.

Here's a link to RoomSaver website:

http://www.roomsaver.com/

 

I would at least check for major events scheduled along the route or verify vacancy at along the route. If something is going on you should find vacancy issues. I once arrived in Denver between 2 and 3 am thinking I would easily find a room for a few hours. Wrong, big stock show in town that I didn't know about. I finally found a room down the road around 5 am. Still managed to be on the ski slopes when they opened though

Since that experience I've always made reservations. I keep telling myself I will break that habit someday.