Best time of year to cycle Moab
 

What is the best time of year to cycle around Moab, Arches, Canyonlands, etc?

Mixed pavement/gravel. I'm thinking of Potash Rd/Shafer Trail, Long Canyon and similar, rides up to 80 miles. Maybe staying a week or two.

Suggestions on other places to ride nearby would be welcome but I'm mostly interested in the best time of year.


-Tim-

April through mid May. The weather can be hit and miss as it's still spring, but overall a great time to be in the high desert. Plenty of Denver area teams host spring training camps in Moab from late March through early April so that says something right there. Personally my favorite time is late Sept into early Oct. The thunderstorms have faded and the weather is more stable. the temps are perfect and up higher you start to see the fall colors as well. Hope that helps.

I did that in August, and it got a tad warm. A quarter of a century previously I did it in April or May and it was perfect.

Thanks to both of you. Perfect info.

Sate September or early October sounds like my kind of time.

I won't get out there until at least the fall, maybe next spring.

April and May can be very windy, winds from the south a lot. Sept, Oct should be great.

Arches NP is doing road improvements during all of 2017 with a lot of traffic delays so it may not be a good place to ride this year.

Check out the Grand Junction area for riding. Lots of maps for road rides and mtn bike rides here.
A road bike ride on Rimrock Drive over Colorado National Monument should not be missed.