Utah

A collection of 36 posts

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: Valley of the Gods

Covering some 130,000 contiguous square miles of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, the Colorado Plateau region is home to some of the West’s most dramatic rock formations and high desert landscapes. Uplifted millions of years ago by geologic forces, this eroded high plateau includes numerous national parks,

Classic Roads

Southern Utah’s Backroads

Covering some 130,000 contiguous square miles of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, the Colorado Plateau region is home to some of the West’s most dramatic rock formations and high desert landscapes. Uplifted millions of years ago by geologic forces, this eroded high plateau includes numerous national parks,

Jan/Feb '23

Snowville, Utah Shamrock Tour®

Snowville, UT, is located off an unassuming truck stop exit along I-84, about 110 miles north of Salt Lake City. I glided into the Earp and James Hitching Post RV park, pulling my ATC travel trailer with my 2017 Honda CRF250L Rally secured inside. This type of moto hauling is

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: Utah's Scenic Byway 12

Utah’s State Route 12 is a “National Scenic Byway” recognized by the U.S. Department of Transportation. It also has the designation of being an All-American Road,  one of just 120 so named nationwide, which means it possesses unique features and  intrinsic qualities not found elsewhere. All American Roads

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

Riding from Mexico to Canada along US HWY 191

A little north of Tombstone, the coyote (Roadrunnerus digestus) emerges from the low scrub brush on the dusty shoulder of Arizona's SR 80. He stops mid-trot and watches with apparent nonchalance as our RoadRUNNER Gold Wing (Burn-em-upus asphaltus) breezes by. But I'm not fooled by his insouciance—years of Saturday

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

Flaming Gorge With A Hot Date

I have really great friends. They give me stuff—boots, jackets, motorcycles… You know, the usual. A few years ago, two of them invited me on a group motorcycle trip to Europe. It was to be an extreme Alps ride, as in Stelvio Pass and about a dozen others. Then,

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

A Colorado Plateau Odyssey in America's Four Corners Region

It’s early September and the summer tourists have abandoned the 130,000-square-mile red rock landscape known by geologists as the Colorado Plateau. It contains the largest concentration of scenic wonders in America. Roughly centered where the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona meet, the plateau was once

Destinations Premium Content

Destination: Bonneville Salt Flats

Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, when many of us graybeards began our short and unremarkable racing careers, things were different. There were no cell phones, internet, or eBay Click-N-Ship for parts. But it was also not unheard of for a racer to put on leathers and ride to the

Mar/Apr '22

Moab, Utah Shamrock Tour®

Jan/Feb '22 Premium Content

A Sublime Loop Around the Southwestern States

Wheeling up to the U.S. border from the Mexican side at Tecate was more of a drive-through experience than the usual cacophony of queues and chaos surrounding the more southern fronteras. The two-year familiarity of my old, comforting Latin American life was about to leave me for a convenient

Sep/Oct '20 Premium Content

Utah: Mission: Possible

It may come as a surprise to learn that in at least one Utah county it apparently is illegal to hire trombone players to play on the street to advertise an auction, or that Jell-O is the official state snack. Did you know that Utah often ranks as the second

Nov/Dec '17 Premium Content

Utah and Nevada: Tire Tracks of a Pioneer, Part 2

In May 1903, George A. Wyman left San Francisco with the then-crazy idea of riding his motorcycle all the way to New York City. More than 100 years later, I’m retracing his steps on an electric motorcycle. After riding from San Francisco to Reno, the journey continues. The 40-Mile

Jul/Aug '17 Premium Content

Reader Ride: Pony Express Trail

“WANTED: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily.” I meet none of the prerequisites to qualify for this trip as the 1860 handbill advertised. Yet I’m intrigued by the history of the Pony Express Trail and reckon it’s as

Jul/Aug '17

City Escape: Salt Lake City, Utah

> This route leads through central Wasatch Mountain State Park and offers stunning views of the surrounding valleys and peaks. The best time to travel is in the summer, but even then unpredictable weather can bring snow. Autumn is especially beautiful. The loop is intentionally short to allow riders time to

Jan/Feb '17 Premium Content

Kanab, Utah Shamrock Tour: The Greatest Earth on Show®

It’s a beautiful late spring morning as Kris and I prepare for the first of four days exploring southwestern Utah. It’s no secret the state has some of the most fantastic scenery and roads this side of anywhere, and we are more than eager to get underway. Jurassic

May/Jun '16 Premium Content

San Francisco, CA to Denver, CO: Over the Barriers

To travel from San Francisco to Denver you have to cross several major ranges, endure blistering heat and frosty cold, and carve a path for yourselfup some steep and twisty inclines. There’s plenty of excitement to be had. The great traveler Marco Polo would be jealous. It took him

Nov/Dec '15

City Escape: Salt Lake City, Utah

> This route travels the rural “Wasatch Back” beginning at the mouth of Emigration Canyon in Salt Lake County and loops northward on twisty canyon roads, over mountain passes, and through the pastoral Morgan and Upper Ogden Valleys. June, September, and October are the most scenic months to ride. Length Approximately

Jul/Aug '15 Premium Content

Trans-America Trail, Colorado to Oregon: Detours, Broken Bones, and New Friendships

As if on cue, my new riding partner, Luke Swab, rolls into Fairplay, CO, on a Yamaha WR250R, where I am waiting to meet him by the side of the road. I’m relieved, yet I’m apprehensive to have a riding partner. The first half of the journey had

Jul/Aug '15 Premium Content

Reader Ride–Utah Highway 12: It's the Journey and the Destination

In my impetuous youth, I felt the kickstand was my sworn enemy. I was one of those guys who wore continuous hours of saddle time as a badge of honor and total miles for the day like the crown jewel on my riding tiara. In my more mature years, I

Sep/Oct '14 Premium Content

Reader Ride–Colorado High Country: Back to My Childhood Home

Our 2012 Honda Gold Wing purrs as we head south on U.S. 6 through the beautiful Spanish Fork region. It’s Day 2 of our seven-day journey from Eagle, ID, to Golden, CO, where I grew up. I look forward to sharing my home turf with Howard, my intrepid

Jul/Aug '14 Premium Content

Midway, Utah Shamrock Tour®: Where the Swiss Settled

It’s the fourth day of our adventure in Utah. We skip breakfast to get an early start as meteorologists are calling for thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highway 40 takes us out of Midway past Heber City and Daniels Summit Lodge toward Strawberry Reservoir. The low sun provides warm light.

Jul/Aug '13 Premium Content

Las Vegas, NV, to Sturgis, SD: Off the Cloud in the Wild West

Modern life is grand—always on the go, always connected to the “Cloud,” always tweeting, pinning, liking, sharing, and then recharging so that we can do it all again. It is, admittedly, overwhelming sometimes—even for The Digital Rider. In the midst of these thoughts, an email arrives. It’s

Jan/Feb '13 Premium Content

Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah–Grand Canyon: A Solo Gal Lives a Dream

Being a single mother means that I need to pull some pretty big strings to be able to get away for a solitary week-long ride. Moving Heaven and Earth is worth it, though, to free me from those squeezing daily demands. It is a quest for reinvention that sends me

May/Jun '12 Premium Content

Park City, Utah to Rapid City, South Dakota: Sturgis or Bust!

Shortly after the Civil War, my great-grandfather and his younger brother headed west across this great country, following the first transcontinental railroad during its construction. They built their first gun shop in Laramie, WY, which was a territory then, and eked out a modest living from this vast and beautiful

Nov/Dec '10 Premium Content

Part I: California, Nevada, and Utah via Route 50

While the Interstate Highway system may be the quickest way to wheel from sea to shining sea, it certainly lacks the personality that most motorcycle travelers seek. On the other hand, the process of discovering small towns, local color, and scenic stretches can eat into those precious vacation days. Well,