Boulder, CO to Grand Canyon

Sorry no pics - yet.

I'm renting a Harley in Boulder, Colorado and going to the Grand Canyon via Moab, Utah. Have time for 4 days of riding round trip.

Any suggestions? What not to miss? Routes?

I've done most of these, and haven't been disappointed with any of them: http://www.motorcyclecolorado.com/great_roads.htm

And I would question the rental of a Harley, if you're not tied to it, these guys rent things like the FJR, Connie14, etc: http://www.tourbikes.com/

phroenips wrote:

I've done most of these, and haven't been disappointed with any of them: http://www.motorcyclecolorado.com/great_roads.htm

And I would question the rental of a Harley, if you're not tied to it, these guys rent things like the FJR, Connie14, etc: http://www.tourbikes.com/

BMW F800GS
$140/day for 7+ days ($980/wk), $150/day for 2-6 days, $179/day for 1 day
The 2009 BMW F800 GS is virtually the same bike as the new F650 GS with more power (85hp, wire wheels and a couple more inches of suspension. This bike can handle a rider and passenger and comes with three expandable hard cases (not shown in the picture). If the R1200 GS is the ultimate adventure tourer, this is very, very close on its heels. This bike has a taller windscreen than the F650 GS, ABS, heated grips and an accessory outlet. *GPS available for $20/day or $100/week

RULES
...
12. The bike you will be renting is a street bike. You must stay on groomed roads. Any damages caused while riding on dirt trails or jeep trails will be entirely the responsibility of the rider.

I guess with that kind of warning I could find a way to try and keep the GS on the groomed roads (is a gravel road a groomed road as long as it isn't dirt)?

Anyways, sounds like you will be having a great trip, gatorfan. I wouldn't pick a Harley for the trip, but just as many other people would say I would be crazy not to pick a Harley. Whatever you decide to ride, bring back pics - should be an awesome four days.

Thanks Jager. I've got day free rental coming my way from Harley so I'm gonna go with them. It came with my buddies purchase of a brand new Softail Classic. (????)

I've done CO before so we're gonna blitz straight out of CO to Utah and check out the National parks there(Arhes, Zion) in additon to the Grand Canyon. It's a different topography than CO. We're leaving from the Boulder area as my buddy lives there.

gatorfan wrote:

I've done CO before so we're gonna blitz straight out of CO to Utah and check out the National parks there(Arhes, Zion) in additon to the Grand Canyon. It's a different topography than CO. We're leaving from the Boulder area as my buddy lives there.

Sweet... . Four inches of new snow here this morning. I tried to make the best of it by skinning up the ski hill this morning and getting in a run in the pow. My WR is still sitting in the garage, impatiently waiting to be set free, and you're off to Utah.

I messed that one up. My wife lived down in Logan for three years while doing her graduate degree in landscape architecture. I used to do redeye drives down to see her a few times each year. All those trips and I never once skied the Wasatch, never mountain biked an inch, never rented a motorcycle, never even got out hiking. Just never seemed to be time in the brief periods I was down there visiting.

Screw it. Sooner or later we ARE going to get back there to make up for that. Once in the winter to ski the pow. Once in the fall to backpack, pedal, and ride.

Take LOTS of pictures. Sounds like your trip is a candidate for Adventure Rides.

Jäger wrote:

gatorfan wrote:

I've done CO before so we're gonna blitz straight out of CO to Utah and check out the National parks there(Arhes, Zion) in additon to the Grand Canyon. It's a different topography than CO. We're leaving from the Boulder area as my buddy lives there.

Sweet... . Four inches of new snow here this morning. I tried to make the best of it by skinning up the ski hill this morning and getting in a run in the pow. My WR is still sitting in the garage, impatiently waiting to be set free, and you're off to Utah.

I messed that one up. My wife lived down in Logan for three years while doing her graduate degree in landscape architecture. I used to do redeye drives down to see her a few times each year. All those trips and I never once skied the Wasatch, never mountain biked an inch, never rented a motorcycle, never even got out hiking. Just never seemed to be time in the brief periods I was down there visiting.

Screw it. Sooner or later we ARE going to get back there to make up for that. Once in the winter to ski the pow. Once in the fall to backpack, pedal, and ride.

Take LOTS of pictures. Sounds like your trip is a candidate for Adventure Rides.

Definitely lot of outdoor adventures in the logan/ogden area.. my daughter is in ogden & mt. bikes all over. We've done moto rides all the way to bear lake. She & her husband ski, bike, rock climb, backpack, & do triathlons. A couple of rides are all i need, then time to rest.

But where you live is not so bad a place to be an outdoorsman, either.

Lots of cool road rides between boulder & grand canyon. Ride south through moab down to Mexican Hat, then go through monument valley. If you can do some gravel, do the valley of the gods loop near mex. hat. If you have time in Utah, go up the moqui switchbacks, head over to halls crossing & take the ferry to bullfrog. Then go up & come back down through escalante, canyonlands & bryce. I think the road riding there is better than the grand canyon. You just have the 30 miles along the rim with intermittent views in the grand canyon (s. rim.. less on the north rim). That makes a nice exclamation point to your ride, but some other longer canyon rides will give a more thorough canyon experience. Especially if you're planning on zion, anyway. ..might as well go through s. central ut to get there. Then go down through kanab to gc north rim. You would not be disappointed with the ride up the moqui switchbacks on the way to halls crossing from mexican hat. If you had dirt bikes, i'd recommend the burr trail up to boulder, ut from bullfrog. They pave a little more of it every year, & soon it will be completely driveable in a car, but now there are still some spots where it washes out.

Sounds like a fun ride! Just talking about it makes me want to get out & ride there this spring! Good luck & ride safe.
scotty

oh.. didn't see the 4 day limit. You'll be doing some long days, but i'm sure that is the plan. You might consider going down from moab, then up 95 to hanksville, then down 24. That is a great paved ride. you can get bryce, capitol reef & some great roads in on the way over to zion. Then go down through kanab to north rim, over to page, down to south rim, then back to Co through monument valley. escalante, ut & page, az are good places to spend the night.. usually cheaper rooms, especially in page.

anyway, good luck & have fun.