kramer09

I am going to bike from the salt lake airport to Las Vegas and I need some help on planning my route. Any help would be greatly appreciated ??
I am wondering if route 89 is a good road, and also route 9 from mt. carmel junction to st george ? also I am considering stopping at bryce or zion.

Thank You for any input !!!!

Wasatch_commute

I've never toured the souther utah on a bike before. But, I've driven to Bryce, Zions, Mt. Carmel junction area several times. In general, I'd say it would be a very nice ride except the dry weather. The road condition is pretty good for biking, I'd say. I know some folks who've ridden from Provo/Orem area to Moab. They might know more about back roads and good routes etc... If I talk to them, I'll let you know what I learned. When are you planning to do this tour?

lbray

Hwy 89 is pretty good. Would you go up Spanish Fork Canyon (Hwy 6) and through Sanpete valley or through Payson, Santaquin, Nephi, Levan? I have ridden both routes. Mt. Carmel to St George through Zion is nice but you need to arrange for transport through the Zion tunnel. From St George you would go west over the Beaver Dam Mtns, not through the Virgin River Gorge/I-15. You might go up to Enterprise, UT then west into Nevada and south to Las Vegas. That would be the desolate part of the trip. I have not ridden that part.

Larry

kramer09

I am doing the ride early june. I was thinking of riding on route 89 but wasn't sure if there was a good shoulder. Do you know how route 89 is ?

lbray

The shoulder on 89 is decent pretty much all the way through. I wonder if you should go over Duck Creek and down Cedar Canyon then west from Cedar City rather than Mt. Carmel/Zion/St. George. Hwy 6 up Spanish Fork Canyon would be the hairiest part of the ride due to high traffic, semi trucks, and boaters heading to Lake Powell, but that is only about a 15 mile stretch. After you turn off at Thistle Junction it quiets down considerably. I don't know if there is any planned construction along the route this summer. Again, I wonder how you plan to get from southwestern Utah to Las Vegas. You cannot ride down I-15 between St George and Mesquite. The Virgin River Gorge would be suicide on a bike. It seems that going west from Cedar City to Panaca, NV would be best but I have not travelled those roads for 25 years and have no recollection of what the shoulder is like. I'm certain the traffic level would be very low.

kramer09

I was told that I could use I-15, If I can't I guess the worst case is that I rent a car in st george or cedar city and drive i-15, it certainly isn't my first choice but it would give me more time to check out bryce and zion. By the way thank you for taking the time to respond, your input is not only invaluable to me but knowing that 89 has an OK shoulder is a huge piece of mind, when I get home I will check out my map and see exactly where rt 6 is.

lbray

It may be legal to ride on I-15 through the Virgin River Gorge but I would consider it very unsafe on a bike. It is narrow and windy (both kinds , strong winds and lots of curves) with a lot of traffic. I recall narrow shoulders, not typical I-15. I have ridden the freeway from Beaver to St George and back dozens of times. That was not bad. But I would not ride down through the Gorge. Hwy 6 up Spanish Fork Canyon goes from Springville/Spanish Fork just south of Provo to I-70. It is the main route semi trucks use to get from I-70 to SLC and back. It is also the main route between Lake Powell from SLC. It was included in an article in Readers Digest regarding "America's 10 Most Dangerous Roads". It is the one that is on the news every month or so for another head-on collision or spectacular roll-over. The part you will ride is the better part but there will be a lot of traffic. I have ridden it twice and it was not too bad. It is a steady climb with a good shoulder. You will turn off at Thistle Junction and head down Hwy 89 which has a lot less traffic. Also, be aware that typical conditions in early June in Southern and Central Utah often include strong, steady winds from the South/Southwest. Be mentally prepared!

kramer09

I can take hills all day but headwinds suck the life out of me. Is it almost a certainty that the winds will be out of the south/southwest ?

And if you have time - is the idea of this trip a bad one, is this not a good scenic trip ?

Is route 9 from mount carmel to st george a decent ride, i got the impression from you I should avoid it ?

Thank You for all your help, it is very helpful to me !!! After I looked at the map I see all routes you are talking about. I seems like if I head west from spanish fork it is a better but less scenic ride than 6 to 89, Is that a fair assesment ??

lbray

The headwinds from the South are very typical that time of year but you might get lucky. I do not think your idea is a bad one. The winds generally build during the day and are strongest in the afternoon. Get an early start each day and resolve to deal with the winds without getting discouraged. I have ridden thousands of miles over the roads you are considering and plan to continue to ride this part of the state.

The Carmel/St George leg will be possibly the highlight of the trip. Just call Zion NP info to see what arrangements need to be made to get through the tunnel. I have ridden through it half a dozen times using car headlights and the occasional window for light. I don't think they allow that anymore.

After hearing that you are willing to ride on I-15 (which has worked well for me) I suggest you pedal West from St. George, over the Beaver Dam mtns to Beaver Dam, AZ. (This will avoid the Virgin River Gorge which I myself would be unwilling to ride) It is a nice climb of a couple thousand feet over a very quiet desert highway. When you hit I-15 at Beaver Dam you can ride the freeway and some sections of frontage road to Las Vegas. Have a great trip!

kramer09

Thank You for taking the time to answer my questions
I am extremely grateful for you advice !!!!!!!!