Touring - Touring via Grand Canyon

Hello all!
I'm gathering information on the Grand Canyon for next spring. I know, it seems a little far off but that's how I get through the winter. Don't get me wrong...I still ride through the cold season. I'm just starting to plan some things for spring.

Adventure Cyclist has a map that starts in Cedar City, UT. I'll probably take a bus to Salt Lake instead and start there. The route goes from Cedar City, UT to Tempe, AZ. 500mi or so. Add 200 from Salt Lake to Cedar City and you now have a great two week ride!

I may try to stay a few days in the Grand Canyon. Any experiences, stories, or ideas from any of you would be great!

I don't know about the laws and camping yet. I'll gather as much info as I can between now and then.

Thanks for your help! Happy touring!

Jerry H.

Howdy -

Check out my journal at Craguyonabike. I've toured the area many times.
First - - you say "spring" - - How spring is spring?? The North Rim is closed until early May and you can get snow in the high plateaus around Bryce and Cedar Breaks through May, as well. Plus there will be a lot of snow built up from the winter in the high elevations. Early May is very tricky - April quite difficult and possibly dangerous.
Second - you can send your bike around the Grand Canyon on the shuttle and hike across - but that requires lots of preplanning plus getting backcountry camp permits. There's also Phantom Ranch's bunkhouse, but beds are hard to get.
Third - the prevailing wind direction in that part of the country is from the SSW - so you'll be dealing with a lot of headwinds if you are going south. Nothing's guaranteed - especially the wind. Have you considered heading north instead? Plus you have the sun behind you that way.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/?o=as&doc_id=1168&v=1fo

Best - John

Wow! These are things I need to look into. Thank you! I don't really have a time schedule (as far as Spring or Summer). Almost all of my tours have been in the Midwest. Not much planning. But then, not too many surprises, either!

Thanks for the input. I'll check out your journal.

Jerry H.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/?o=as&doc_id=1168&v=1fo

Best - John

Ahhhhhhh those pictures of the North Rim bring back fond memories. Didn't cycle, but camped & visited the north side in '02.

You should think about flying directly to St Georges Utah instead of transfering to a bus. There are regular connectors from SLC on Delta or Skywest AL.

This is an amazing tour, have a great time, and don't forget the sun screen!

The sun screen is EXACTLY the thing I would probably forget! Thanks for the reminder! I'm throwing things in a box that I know I will need.

I would love to fly. The cost of air fare is about 3 times that of Greyhound. I'll check again after January. I might get lucky. It would sure save me a crap load of hours!

Hey JH -

US 89 from its junction with 89A to Cameron is a real bummer - - the AZ DOT has used up the shoulders in a lot of places to make a passing lane. I have been in touch with the state bicycle coordinator and he says that nothing will be done to improve this situation until the highway is four-laned in 5-7 years. (Methinks that will only make things worse!) It's a death trap with 10,000 vehicles per day traffic and zero - zilch - zippo - shoulder for long stretches. What's worse, there are a few stretches with just two lanes WITH a shoulder which may serve to lull drivers into thinking that bikes have enought room. Highway 89 around Prescott is almost as bad.

Why not do a loop tour of southern Utah and northern Ariz and skip heading down to Tempe? Two weeks - Zion, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, the Goosenecks, Capitol Reef, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Bryce Canyon. Lots of great cycling without having to deal with all the nasty traffic.

Also, consider flying into Las Vegas (maybe Southwest- cheap) and hopping on a bus to St. George - maybe an hour or two away. St. George has good bike shops. Take a look at state-series maps of Utah and Arizona. I think you would have a nicer trip. I've included a pic of Monument Valley.

Best - Jama'

PS - No matter which way you do the trip, you'll have some SERIOUS climbing from the get-go. Be in shape.

I recently cycled on a ride called GABA. It was an organized ride from the Grand Canyon to Nogales Mexico. I would not do it again. The roads were mostly new, but had a ton of glass on the shoulders. We had the police stop at the break areas several times a day telling riders they had to ride on the shoulders. The shoulders had the cutouts that keep drivers from going off the road (don't know what they are called) which were right where I wanted to cycle. Anywhere near a reservation, the glass was horrible. Drivers in AZ are a lot like MI, they don't want to share the road. Best place was the city of Tucsan. We had wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph. Probably half of the tour had to be sagged past Lake Mary. One smallish fellow was blown off the left shoulder- clear across the street. The lady in front of me had the wind blow her off into the gravel two times. I saw about 5 tarantulas crossing the street, but was warned about the scorpions when camping.