Utah 12 or 24 or 95 or....
 

I'm an experienced backpacker. I'm a very inexperienced cyclist. I want to try a 5 day ride. I would like to try Southern Utah. Has anyone biked in the Grand Staircase? I guess all I absolutely have to know is if there is a descent shoulder? HAhahhaa

I haven't biked those roads myself, but Adventure Cycling has a couple of maps in that area, you might get some info from the "details" links on the Western Express and Utah Cliffs Loop pages - or maybe even want to buy a map.

http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/index.cfm

It sounds a little hot right now though. Maybe a better spring/fall ride? Colorado is coming into season now.

I have ridden a portion of Burl trail rode which starts in boulder,ut (highway 12) in July. Very little traffic, hilly and hot. Bolder,ut has a great place to stay and world renowned restaurant, Hells Backbone. Burl trail goes down to Glenn canyon. It's almost entirely paved except for a 15 mile section. Highway 12 and 24 are not much different than Burl trail, narrow, not well maintained, no shoulder, except the have a lot of traffic.

This looks like a great lead. Thank you very much. I'm a mapaholic.
I don't really know what I want to do. I know it will be something not too very grandious but I know it's coming. I was looking at the Mohave Preserve as there is very little traffic and I can easily pick it up from here. This is very brand new to me and now it is summer in Las Vegas. But I have to be at work at 6:30 and find it easy riding in in the mornings and not so terrible when I ride home at 100 degrees. By the time it cools down again I should have a much better scope of how the cycling is developing for me. I am just loving it thus far.
I have a weeks vacation in October. I have a permit for a short hike in the Grand Canyon then 5 more days left after that. I might just walk out of the Canyon then do a rim ride immediately after. You and I both live in great country to be outdoors.

Hey my friend, let me fix you up. I believe it is called the Burr Trail and it is one of the finest stretches of road I have ever taken.....but as a motorcyclist or backpacker. In fact, I just got back from there 3 weeks ago. Fantastic country.
I may also haul my bike up to Boulder and ride the Burr Trail after my hiking trip. I don't know. Everyday I feel stronger than yesterday. I don't know what I'll be up for in 3 months. There is so much to choose from.

I have bike toured on all of those highways...and I always see many other bike tourers along the way...all these possible routes are beautiful but sometimes very remote and you will have to be careful to carry water thru some of these stretches, plan ahead.

You could do a week 'National Parks Swing' starting in St George or Cedar City and hit Zion, Bryce, and Cedar Breaks.

You could do a loop starting/ending in any of these places: Zion NP - Hwy 12 - Kodachrome Basin SP - Escalante SP - Calf Creek Falls Rec Area - Boulder - over Boulder Mtn - Hwy 24 - Torrey - Loa - Koosharem - Otter Creek SP - Antimony - Zion.

You could do a week loop starting/ending in any of these places: Green River - Goblin Valley SP - Hanksville - Hite - Natural Bridges Nat'l Monument - Blanding - Monticello - Moab - Green River.

Or Hanksville - 276 - Bullfrog - Halls Crossing Ferry (check the schedule) - Swing by Grand Gulch - Hwy 95 Jct - Natural Bridges - Hite - Hanksville (most remote of all the routes mentioned)

They all work. Some sections like Hite to Natural Bridges is a big uphill with no water, you might choose to go the other way, from Natural Bridges to Hite...but commerical camping available along the way in most places. Plus wild camping anywhere, these are pretty remote areas...

Just some ideas...
Cheryl

These are among my favorite places in the world.
I was wondering, how do you get through the Mt Carmel tunnels in Zion with a bike?

Great suggestions, Cheryl. You just forgot Capital Reef Nat. Park in there. The Burr Trail cuts through the backside of CRNP and the unpaved section is otherworldly. The 75-mile road (mostly paved) is a place you are likely in the off-season to see zero-to-one cars the entire trip.

I just did both paved ends of the Burr Trail on motorcycles but I couldn't go through the canyon on my street bike. I did ride the Moki Dugway in a sand storm though. That was "a blast". I also got to see that Lake Mead is creeping back into Hite Marina again.

Bike up to the tunnel, get off your bike, and wait for a pickup truck to come by, or even a motor home. Ask for a ride through. It's easy enough to do, as all traffic comes to a stop because it's one way traffic through the tunnel.

Cheryl

That sounds like a plan. I've parked at the Mt Carmel entrance many times. Hiked the East rim trail and hitchhiked back to the Mt Carmel entrance many times.

Looks like you have lots of advice already but I'll just add my 2 pennys worth...
I just rode through some of Utah a couple of weeks ago and my favourite two days were from Bryce Canyon through Escalante to Boulder (from Escalante was the best bit) and the Burr trail. The Burr trail was hard on a fully loaded touring bike set up for the road, but it's possible in a long day. Just take lots of water! I saw only 6 cars in 10 hours of riding! The views are stunning.

I'm new at this. I will be hiking the first part of my vacation in October but I am seriously thinking about hauling my bike to Boulder then riding an out and back to the edge of Capitol Reef. This will be during a full moon. I love hiking by the moon. Don't you think a full moon bike ride on the Burr Trail would be other worldly?