fallsjohn

I'm thinking of flying to Vegas and biking to Zion for a week of camping and hiking. Can't believe I'd be the first to think of this. Are there secondary roads that roughly follow the interstate from Vegas to St. George, Utah? Didn't really look like it on my first look at Google. Can you bike on the interstate? Thanks!

ericswen

There is no way to cross into Utah from Las Vegas without taking some interstate (or without a major detour), and the interstate gets a little sketchy (at least for me) in the Virgin River area as you cross into Arizona. There are secondary roads that can take you a majority of the way, but I am unsure of the distance you would have to travel on the interstate.

People do travel on this route with bicycles. I am pretty sure NancySV and her bicycle family went through the Virgin River canyon on their way out of Las Vegas when they passed through on their last trip. Maybe she can provide you with some better insight.

markf

Personally, I would fly to somewhere closer to Zion NP (St. George, Cedar City) and spend more time in and around Zion, Bryce Canyon, etc. Or fly to Vegas and take the bus to Utah, then start riding.

jamawani 

When?

Zion marks a transition zone between the Sonoran and Great Basin climates.
Las Vegas and St. George are often over 100 by June.
It can snow at Bryce Canyon in June.

I have biked the area frequently.
No, there are no direct back roads.
I-15 was overlaid on much of old US 91.
There is an extended detour via Caliente.
The operative word is "extended".

If you are flying into Vegas
I suggest a shuttle to either St. George or Cedar City.
Both towns have bike shops and are bike friendly.
Since airlines now charge $100 for a bike -
Consider shipping the bike directly to the bike shop.

Or - - if it's only a week.
You may be better off just renting.

Best - J

nancy sv

We did ride that portion of the road last year - and there is no option but the interstate. I seem to recall we were stuck on the interstate for about 80 miles - much of it with a nice, wide shoulder. However, that part going through the canyon was a bit scary - the shoulder was down to about 2 feet in places. It was beautiful, and I would have loved to have gotten some pics, but there was no way we could stop.

That being said, apparently something is(finally) being done. On our journal, we posted a picture of John sitting on the side of the interstate fixing a flat tire while the kids played on the guardrail. The guy who works for the Nevada DOT used that photo to convince the engineers that people really DO cycle that road. He's been trying for years to do something about that corridor but the response was always - "No cyclists go that way - they all go to the Grand Canyon." He went into a meeting and started talking about doing something about the road to Zion and when they started saying nobody cycled that road he pulled out the picture of my boys on the side of the interstate and said, "Now tell me again that nobody cycles that!" That ended the argument.

rodar y rodar

Cool!

fallsjohn

Thanks for the advice everybody. I thought of Vegas because it's usually the cheapest place to fly to, but Salt Lkae City may be a possibility too. I'm thinking about mid-September assuming the weather would be not brutally hot. I guess if it is legal to ride on the interstate it would be fine. I don't think you're allowed to here in Ohio.

TOLOCOMan

Your right, you can usually get cheap flights to Vegas. When I was planning our trip, I decided the best option was to take a shuttle to St. George. We ended up driving to the start of our tour, so I can't really give you very good details, but it seems to me it was only going to be about $35 with bikes per person Vegas to St. George.

fallsjohn

TOLOCOMan: $35 sounds like a good option. That would allow much more time in the Zion/Bryce area.