Another Grand Canyon Utah Loop
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Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2007
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From: New Hampshire
Another Grand Canyon Utah Loop
Just starting to plan a 2 week trip out to AZ and Utah. Unfortunately the little woman works in the school system and we have to go during the summer months.
Im debating on renting from Grand Canyon Harley or possibly a dealer in Southern Utah. I did this ride about 6 years ago, rented in Phoenix and drove up through Sedona, did the South Rim and then around to the north, on up to Zion national park and then over to hoover dam, down into Vegas and further south to lake Havasu and then east back to Phoneix. It was a great trip, but id like to change things up this time around.
Some musts are both Grand Canyon rims again, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley and Moab. Here is a link to some of the roads in and around Moab.
http://www.utah.com/moab/byways.htm
What i regret from my last trip, was not hiking some of the trails in Zion. Looks like there are some great ones in Moab as well.
Leaving the Ultra parked for hours unattended and out of sight concerns me. I dont know how much i really have to worry about it and was hoping someone from these areas could chime in.
Any other routes or places to see in the grand canyon southern Utah area would be appreciated.
Here is a link to Google Maps which include the locations above along with the Skywalk and a 1-Day rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. Not sure of the best way to make a loop out of this, but im sure ill find a way.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=...4513,14.216309
Im debating on renting from Grand Canyon Harley or possibly a dealer in Southern Utah. I did this ride about 6 years ago, rented in Phoenix and drove up through Sedona, did the South Rim and then around to the north, on up to Zion national park and then over to hoover dam, down into Vegas and further south to lake Havasu and then east back to Phoneix. It was a great trip, but id like to change things up this time around.
Some musts are both Grand Canyon rims again, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley and Moab. Here is a link to some of the roads in and around Moab.
http://www.utah.com/moab/byways.htm
What i regret from my last trip, was not hiking some of the trails in Zion. Looks like there are some great ones in Moab as well.
Leaving the Ultra parked for hours unattended and out of sight concerns me. I dont know how much i really have to worry about it and was hoping someone from these areas could chime in.
Any other routes or places to see in the grand canyon southern Utah area would be appreciated.
Here is a link to Google Maps which include the locations above along with the Skywalk and a 1-Day rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. Not sure of the best way to make a loop out of this, but im sure ill find a way.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=...4513,14.216309
Last edited by LOTL; Mar 20, 2012 at 09:39 AM.
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From: Nowhere
I don't know anything about renting, but I know that the Las Vegas Harley place does a lot of rentals and is not far off the spots you are wanting to see.
I did a very similar ride last October to the one you have outlined. My suggestions...
- Starting in Vegas, head south to Needles, then take the old Rt 66 north through Oatman, Kingman, Peach Springs and Seligman. Seligman is a good place to stay. A fun place to see on the way is Grand Canyon Caverns. Kind of kitschy, but fun and the pie was good.
- From Seligman take I-40 to Williams, then take the 64 north to the South Rim, then take the east rim road out of the park (one of the best rides in AZ IMO). We did this on a different trip and we spent 3 hours in the park. So, give your self some time to see the park. There's a quaint little place to eat at Cameron I like to eat at and a place to fill up. Take the 89 to the 89A past the Vermilion Cliffs and then stay at the Kaibab Lodge on the North Rim. You will need reservations.
- Zion is actually kind of out of the way with this plan. Regardless, I would plan on spending two nights in Kanab UT. I'll explain later... Really neat little town. We enjoyed staying at the Victorian Inn. It is centrally located to see Zion and Bryce. Go see Zion (best to see it on a weekday). You really need a solid day to see Zion. If you take the tram, it is a great way to see most of the park from the road, but to really see the park, you need to hike it. If you have time on the ride back, go see the Coral Pink sand dunes. Try and get there with the sun low in the sky. The dunes are amazing.
- Next day, head north to Bryce. You want to ride all the way into the park, which is a good 9 miles or more. There are several places to stop and take pictures, which you will want to do. You can see it much faster than Zion or the Grand Canyon though. Take the 12 north to Torrey, which is where we stayed. There's a Best Western just outside of town with great views. But, there are also some quaint little cottages back in town that looked like fun too. So, whatever floats your boat. The 12 is one of the best stretches of road in Utah BTW. You will ride as high as 9k ft, which can be chilly even in the summer (we went in October and wifey ended up frost bit), so be ready. BTW, the mountains in the summer are pretty reliable for afternoon showers. The ride off the mountain into Torrey was absolutely one of the best rides of the trip for me.
- From Torrey, things get dicey. The ride to Hanksville is pretty good, but from there to Moab was BORING. We took the fastest route, which is 24 to I-70, but man was that a bummer ride. If I were to do it again, I would consider the 95 south and head to Montecello, which is a nice little town up in the mountains. It would make the Moab leg an "out and back" though. Honestly, if I was doing it again, I would have stayed 2 nights in Moab too. You can see the Arches in a few hours, but to really see it, you need to hike it. Plus there are things that I didn't get a chance to see that I wanted to like: the Canyon Lands, Dead Horse Park, and a ride on the 128 along the river. There is just a ton to see in Moab.
- Head south (and you really REALLY want to go into Monument Valley from the north side) on the 191 through Bluff and Mexican Hat. There is a hotel in Mexican Hat right on the river as you are heading out of town (just at the bridge) called the San Juan Inn with a restaurant that I really liked. There is a little gift shop there that wifey really liked too. Oddly, we spent a lot of time there and had a lot of fun. Be sure and get a good picture of the Mexican Hat rock just as you are coming into town. Its a cool thing. From Mexican Hat head towards Monument Valley. Be sure and stop at the spot where Forest Gump ended his cross country run and get a picture of a very famous view of the valley. There is a sign there marking the spot. Fun stuff. Pay the entrance fee and enter the park. Its a little side road that takes you to The View and if you can do it, spend the night here (reservations will be needed). It is only from there that you will be able to get a good shot of the "mittens", the most famous rock formations in the valley. We did not get a chance to take a guided tour of the valley (only way it can be done), but I wanted to. I would love to have had a chance to get some pictures at sunrise.
- There is no easy way to get from Monument Valley back to Vegas, which is a good argument to just get your bike at the Grand Canyon location instead. From Monument Valley head south on 163 to Kayenta and then on the 160 to the 90, which will come out just a bit north of Cameron on the 89. This would give you another opportunity to do the East Rim Road and see the South Rim on your way back to Williams and the I-40, which is what I would take back to Vegas and where I started.
A variation would be to start off by entering Zion from the west where you could see it and the Coral Pink sand dunes on your way to Kanab (this is the popular way to do it). Use the extra day to do the North Rim "out and back" instead. You could then catch the Seligman, Peach Springs, Kingman, Oatman, and Needles leg on the return to Vegas. You would miss the Vermillion Cliffs and a really nice section of the 89A, but it is not a huge sacrifice.
I did a very similar ride last October to the one you have outlined. My suggestions...
- Starting in Vegas, head south to Needles, then take the old Rt 66 north through Oatman, Kingman, Peach Springs and Seligman. Seligman is a good place to stay. A fun place to see on the way is Grand Canyon Caverns. Kind of kitschy, but fun and the pie was good.
- From Seligman take I-40 to Williams, then take the 64 north to the South Rim, then take the east rim road out of the park (one of the best rides in AZ IMO). We did this on a different trip and we spent 3 hours in the park. So, give your self some time to see the park. There's a quaint little place to eat at Cameron I like to eat at and a place to fill up. Take the 89 to the 89A past the Vermilion Cliffs and then stay at the Kaibab Lodge on the North Rim. You will need reservations.
- Zion is actually kind of out of the way with this plan. Regardless, I would plan on spending two nights in Kanab UT. I'll explain later... Really neat little town. We enjoyed staying at the Victorian Inn. It is centrally located to see Zion and Bryce. Go see Zion (best to see it on a weekday). You really need a solid day to see Zion. If you take the tram, it is a great way to see most of the park from the road, but to really see the park, you need to hike it. If you have time on the ride back, go see the Coral Pink sand dunes. Try and get there with the sun low in the sky. The dunes are amazing.
- Next day, head north to Bryce. You want to ride all the way into the park, which is a good 9 miles or more. There are several places to stop and take pictures, which you will want to do. You can see it much faster than Zion or the Grand Canyon though. Take the 12 north to Torrey, which is where we stayed. There's a Best Western just outside of town with great views. But, there are also some quaint little cottages back in town that looked like fun too. So, whatever floats your boat. The 12 is one of the best stretches of road in Utah BTW. You will ride as high as 9k ft, which can be chilly even in the summer (we went in October and wifey ended up frost bit), so be ready. BTW, the mountains in the summer are pretty reliable for afternoon showers. The ride off the mountain into Torrey was absolutely one of the best rides of the trip for me.
- From Torrey, things get dicey. The ride to Hanksville is pretty good, but from there to Moab was BORING. We took the fastest route, which is 24 to I-70, but man was that a bummer ride. If I were to do it again, I would consider the 95 south and head to Montecello, which is a nice little town up in the mountains. It would make the Moab leg an "out and back" though. Honestly, if I was doing it again, I would have stayed 2 nights in Moab too. You can see the Arches in a few hours, but to really see it, you need to hike it. Plus there are things that I didn't get a chance to see that I wanted to like: the Canyon Lands, Dead Horse Park, and a ride on the 128 along the river. There is just a ton to see in Moab.
- Head south (and you really REALLY want to go into Monument Valley from the north side) on the 191 through Bluff and Mexican Hat. There is a hotel in Mexican Hat right on the river as you are heading out of town (just at the bridge) called the San Juan Inn with a restaurant that I really liked. There is a little gift shop there that wifey really liked too. Oddly, we spent a lot of time there and had a lot of fun. Be sure and get a good picture of the Mexican Hat rock just as you are coming into town. Its a cool thing. From Mexican Hat head towards Monument Valley. Be sure and stop at the spot where Forest Gump ended his cross country run and get a picture of a very famous view of the valley. There is a sign there marking the spot. Fun stuff. Pay the entrance fee and enter the park. Its a little side road that takes you to The View and if you can do it, spend the night here (reservations will be needed). It is only from there that you will be able to get a good shot of the "mittens", the most famous rock formations in the valley. We did not get a chance to take a guided tour of the valley (only way it can be done), but I wanted to. I would love to have had a chance to get some pictures at sunrise.
- There is no easy way to get from Monument Valley back to Vegas, which is a good argument to just get your bike at the Grand Canyon location instead. From Monument Valley head south on 163 to Kayenta and then on the 160 to the 90, which will come out just a bit north of Cameron on the 89. This would give you another opportunity to do the East Rim Road and see the South Rim on your way back to Williams and the I-40, which is what I would take back to Vegas and where I started.
A variation would be to start off by entering Zion from the west where you could see it and the Coral Pink sand dunes on your way to Kanab (this is the popular way to do it). Use the extra day to do the North Rim "out and back" instead. You could then catch the Seligman, Peach Springs, Kingman, Oatman, and Needles leg on the return to Vegas. You would miss the Vermillion Cliffs and a really nice section of the 89A, but it is not a huge sacrifice.
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 153
Likes: 5
From: New Hampshire
Keith,
Wow thanks for the very detailed response. After taking a look on Orbitz last night at air fare into Flagstaff it was a little pricy and required multiple stops. Phoenix and Vegas were the best rates for the area. Average temp in Phoenix in August is 105, so Vegas it is.
I spoke to both Vegas HD and Eagle and Eagle had a slightly better deal on an Electra Glide, but no Ultra. Both offered discounts for HOG Members, but it was only $20 off at HD and 10% off at Eagle. I thought it used to be $50 off a few years back when we did the first trip out of Phoenix.
Eagle: http://www.eaglerider.com/lasvegas/lasvegas.aspx
Las Vegas HD: http://www.lasvegasharleydavidson.com/miscpage_002.asp
Trying to mix in a one day rafting trip and the Skywalk is making the planning all that much more involved. Still very much in the planning stage. As much as id like to wing our accommodations, im worried that the summer months may have most of the hotels booked up.
Wow thanks for the very detailed response. After taking a look on Orbitz last night at air fare into Flagstaff it was a little pricy and required multiple stops. Phoenix and Vegas were the best rates for the area. Average temp in Phoenix in August is 105, so Vegas it is.
I spoke to both Vegas HD and Eagle and Eagle had a slightly better deal on an Electra Glide, but no Ultra. Both offered discounts for HOG Members, but it was only $20 off at HD and 10% off at Eagle. I thought it used to be $50 off a few years back when we did the first trip out of Phoenix.
Eagle: http://www.eaglerider.com/lasvegas/lasvegas.aspx
Las Vegas HD: http://www.lasvegasharleydavidson.com/miscpage_002.asp
Trying to mix in a one day rafting trip and the Skywalk is making the planning all that much more involved. Still very much in the planning stage. As much as id like to wing our accommodations, im worried that the summer months may have most of the hotels booked up.
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Joined: Oct 2009
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From: Nowhere
I would skip the Skywalk out of principle. The Indians stiffed the developer on the tab.
The biggest problem with flying into Phoenix is that it would add a pretty solid day of riding. If you rented from Chester's, you could be in cool country in a half hour and if you rented from Buddy Stubbs, about 45 minutes. But, you could hit some other spots too. The ride up the 87 through Payson, Pine, Strawberry to Lake Mary Road and then on to Flagg is actually a really good ride. The Strawberry Lodge is a great place for breakfast and some homemade pie. Wifey and I do that breakfast run pretty regular when it is hot in the valley.
The biggest problem with flying into Phoenix is that it would add a pretty solid day of riding. If you rented from Chester's, you could be in cool country in a half hour and if you rented from Buddy Stubbs, about 45 minutes. But, you could hit some other spots too. The ride up the 87 through Payson, Pine, Strawberry to Lake Mary Road and then on to Flagg is actually a really good ride. The Strawberry Lodge is a great place for breakfast and some homemade pie. Wifey and I do that breakfast run pretty regular when it is hot in the valley.
Banned
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: Nowhere
BTW, you can only get to the Hoover dam from the Nevada side now and it is a side road off the main highway.
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From:
Someone was mentioning something about monsoons in that area. Do they come at a particular time of year or something?
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,600
Likes: 2
From: Windsor, CO
Bought all my bikes there ... in fact ... went with a friend today to buy his new Heritage at Zion. Prices are generally much lower than Las Vegas, even though the LVHD and Red Rock HD are all owned by the same company. I think it's a combination of lower overhead and the market. Plus ... the folks at Zion HD are good people. If you make it, tell Laura that Carl from Cedar City sent you in.
As for renting, last time I checked their rates were about the same as the other dealers and Eagle Rider. The biggest advantage is proximity to some of the places you want to see. You could always consider flying into St George, UT, and probably get a ride up to Zion pretty easy.
For the national parks and site seeing, I'd say get a hotel in St George or Cedar City. I like Cedar City, but I live there, so I'm a bit prejudice. One reason that it works is that it is at 5500+ feet in elevation instead of 2000 feet, which can make a BIG difference in temperatures during the summer. Generally a 15+ degree temperature difference between St George and Cedar City.
Another advantage is the nearness to the other national parks. Zion is beautiful, but if you're coming this way you'll want to hit Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches National Park. Bryce is only 89 miles from Cedar, and it's about 80 more on to Capitol Reef.
Better yet, you can head over across US 89, onto Utah 24 and Utah 12, which are some of the best rides in the area. I've posted a lot of pictures over the years with different spots around Utah. Here's just a few of my favorites:
Cedar Breaks National Monument ... just east of Cedar City in the Dixie National Forest. Elevation around 8500 feet ... my house is just to the left of the big mountain in the background. ;-)
On the back road between Cedar City and St George ...
Off Utah State Route 12 ...
On US 89 south of I-70 heading toward Big Rock Candy Mountain ...
Capitol Reef National Park ... that's the dome in the background ...
Between Zion NP and the Grand Canyon ... if I recall ...
On Utah SR 24 heading toward Bryce Canyon ...
Along Old Highway 91 going from Utah into the NW corner of Arizona ...
South of Maryville, UT (on US 89) heading toward the 89/24 junction ...
On Utah State Route 14 about half-way between US 89 and Cedar City ... looking south into Zion National Park ...
What i regret from my last trip, was not hiking some of the trails in Zion.
The GC is jaw dropping ... but this just makes you stop your tracks and wonder if you have the ***** to make the hike ...
Leaving the Ultra parked for hours unattended and out of sight concerns me. I dont know how much i really have to worry about it and was hoping someone from these areas could chime in.
When it comes to parking your bike, with the exception of Zion NP, you can ride the bike into most of the spots you'll want to see. Zion technically does not allow parking in the park itself, though there are several turnouts along the main road. You can usually find a post to park the bike and hike a short distance, but you're not going to be able to do a half-day or even a couple hour hike into the best parts. For that, you'll want to either rent a room in the park (then you can park the bike and take a tram) or park outside and ride one of 7 million buses that come into the park. For all the others ... plus all the great state parks ... you can find spots to park pretty near whatever you want to see. As an example, in Bryce and Capitol Reef you can literally park the bike, walk 100 feet, and you're right on the best paths.
I've ridden my Ulta Limited all over the state, and really never had any problem. In places like Cedar City, the town is small enough that there's not that much crime going on. The local police are pretty good about patrolling the hotel/motel parking areas and watching for suspicious behavior. Better yet, they tend to leave the biker crowds alone, recognizing how important they are to the tourist industry. Use some good common sense, make sure you lock the trunk and saddle bags, and don't leave really expensive stuff on the bike when you're going to be away from it for any length of time. As a rule, though, I have no problem putting my helmet and leather jacket on the bike when I'm in a local restaurant or when I park at work (I work at the local university). That doesn't mean I'd leave my Nikon camera on the bike, of course. But I sure feel a lot better about leaving a jacket on the bike around here than I ever would in other parts of the country.
Last edited by doc_cj; Mar 22, 2012 at 11:27 PM.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,499
Likes: 25
From: Mesquite,Nevada
Only one dealer in southern Utah ... Zion Harley Davidson in Washington, UT. Here's the link: Zion HD.
Bought all my bikes there ... in fact ... went with a friend today to buy his new Heritage at Zion. Prices are generally much lower than Las Vegas, even though the LVHD and Red Rock HD are all owned by the same company. I think it's a combination of lower overhead and the market. Plus ... the folks at Zion HD are good people. If you make it, tell Laura that Carl from Cedar City sent you in.
Bought all my bikes there ... in fact ... went with a friend today to buy his new Heritage at Zion. Prices are generally much lower than Las Vegas, even though the LVHD and Red Rock HD are all owned by the same company. I think it's a combination of lower overhead and the market. Plus ... the folks at Zion HD are good people. If you make it, tell Laura that Carl from Cedar City sent you in.
