Utah National Parks accessibility

[beef56]

My wife and I planned to travel through the National Parks in Utah on our Spyders. My question is how many of the roads in those parks are hard surfaced? I think most agree that Spyders and gravel roads aren't compatible. We plan to hike some but the accessibility is to the trailhead is still a concern.Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

My wife and I planned to travel through the National Parks in Utah on our Spyders. My question is how many of the roads in those parks are gravel? How much accessibility is there on hard surface roads? I think everyone agrees Spyders and gravel don't play well together. Thanks in advance for your input.

Take a look at the parks with Street View and Satellite view in Google maps. It's pretty easy to see which is which.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

My wife and I planned to travel through the National Parks in Utah on our Spyders. My question is how many of the roads in those parks are hard surfaced? I think most agree that Spyders and gravel roads aren't compatible. We plan to hike some but the accessibility is to the trailhead is still a concern. Thanks in advance for your input.

Hi, in Vermont many of the ( interesting ) roads are hard packed gravel and it has never been a problem on 14 RT. .... I did put a DIY belt guard on in 2016 but prior to that it didn't have one .... if the surface looks " iffy " ( ie. soft ) just slow down ..... enjoy ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[beef56]

We live in South Dakota where you can't drive slow enough on some of the gravel. lol We travel a mile of gravel whenever we leave our house.
I have installed the belt guard and drive very slow, usually less than 15 mph, but still hear a rock thump like it went between the belt and sprocket. We spent some time in the Wyoming Big Horns last fall. I vowed we wouldn't put our Spyders through that again. Fortunately the traffic was light so we could drive at a snails pace but it still shook the s**t out of them! I hoped someone on the forum had visited the Utah parks possibly even with a Spyder. Thanks

 

[ARtraveler]

Most of the parks we have been to in Utah, were asphalt pavement. If you get to places with dirt roads, you are way out there.

There are now vehicle restrictions in Zion. Roads which used to be open to vehicle traffic are now bus only. You have to park out of town and take the bus, same as Denali Park in Alaska.

We were there last, in December a couple years back. We had free rein for travel with no restrictions anywhere. We drove to the Virgin River and had free access to the tunnels. Don't know if that is still the case.

To be safe, look up each park you are interested in to find out the latest restrictions. We have relatives in Hurricane so will most likely be out there in summer 2021.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Here's a good starting point for all kinds of info about the parks. https://www.nps.gov/index.htm

 

[canamjhb]

If you're thinking Zion, Bryce, Escalante, Arches, Capitol Reef...... All paved roads and great riding. Have done that area many times on both 2 and 3 wheels..... Jim

 

[beef56]

If you're thinking Zion, Bryce, Escalante, Arches, Capitol Reef...... All paved roads and great riding. Have done that area many times on both 2 and 3 wheels..... Jim

Thanks for the response. I hoped that was the case. We plan to take the Timeout camper and ride WY, CO, and over into Utah. Hope to be gone 2-3 weeks in early June.

 

[JayBros]

Beef, for all three states get Butler G1 motorcycle maps, https://butlermaps.com/. I used the CO one for a great tour in '19 and am planning UT this year. Good luck!

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Thanks for the response. I hoped that was the case. We plan to take the Timeout camper and ride WY, CO, and over into Utah. Hope to be gone 2-3 weeks in early June.

Keep an eye on the weather. It can be nasty sometimes going over the Rocky Mountains in early June. Snow in early June isn't the norm, but it can happen.

 

[pegasus1300]

Zion: Main road is paved and open as it is a main highway. Bus to other areas.
Bryce: roads are paved. Some sideroads are hard packed gravel. You decide
Capital Reef: Main road is paved. Some sideroads are packed gravel
Canyon Lands: Many roads are paved, the ones that aren't you can't drive on anyway.
Dead Horse Point: paved
The Hogs Back Paved but no guard rails
Arches: paved to many arches, some hiking
Natural Bridges: paved but you must hike to see most of the bridges
Calf Creek Falls: paved to parking lot, 2.5 mile easy walk to falls,very interesting
Kolob Canyon: Paved beautiful drive
Kolob Reservoir: Paved beautiful drive 5 mph curves
Pipe Springs: Paved
Goblin Valley: Paved
Monument Valley: Gravel, busses available, Reservation shut down now due to Covid.
If there are other areas you want to know about, shoot me a question.

 

[canamjhb]

Zion: Main road is paved and open as it is a main highway. Bus to other areas.
Bryce: roads are paved. Some sideroads are hard packed gravel. You decide
Capital Reef: Main road is paved. Some sideroads are packed gravel
Canyon Lands: Many roads are paved, the ones that aren't you can't drive on anyway.
Dead Horse Point: paved
The Hogs Back Paved but no guard rails
Arches: paved to many arches, some hiking
Natural Bridges: paved but you must hike to see most of the bridges
Calf Creek Falls: paved to parking lot, 2.5 mile easy walk to falls,very interesting
Kolob Canyon: Paved beautiful drive
Kolob Reservoir: Paved beautiful drive 5 mph curves
Pipe Springs: Paved
Goblin Valley: Paved
Monument Valley: Gravel, busses available, Reservation shut down now due to Covid.
If there are other areas you want to know about, shoot me a question.

Paul Knows..... Hey Paul, remember when you saw me riding north in Utah on my RTL towing a trailer followed by my (at that time) wife on a yellow Goldwing.....?..... Jim

 

[pegasus1300]

Remember it very well. Hope we can get together for some real miles sometime.

 

[beef56]

Beef, for all three states get Butler G1 motorcycle maps, https://butlermaps.com/. I used the CO one for a great tour in '19 and am planning UT this year. Good luck!

Thanks for the information. I plan to order some!

 

[lstayner]

Maybe we will see you out there. We are headed that way in early June too.

 

[SPYD3R]

AMERICAS MOST SCENIC HIGHWAY....
Rt.12 in Utah.... DO NOT MISS THIS ONE....
i've ridden it 3X, and i will again.... most definitely the most beautiful 124 miles i've ever ridden.... and you won't ride on dirt, it's paved the entire way...
i've ridden all around Utah, i find it to be the absolute best in the 38 States i've ridden in... you can see a tremendous amount of beautiful places without riding on dirt roads... highest point is 9000 ft, it's posted...
whatever you do, do it safely and let others know where you will be on a daily basis...
enjoy and let us all know how it went...
Dan P
SPYD3R

 

[pauly1]

Be sure to get your National Parks Senior Pass, if you are age-62 eligible. An annual pass is $20 and a lifetime pass is $80/person. If two are riding on a single motorcycle, only one pass is needed; you'll need to check if riding two separate bikes.

 

[beef56]

Be sure to get your National Parks Senior Pass, if you are age-62 eligible. An annual pass is $20 and a lifetime pass is $80/person. If two are riding on a single motorcycle, only one pass is needed; you'll need to check if riding two separate bikes.

We both have passes. I turned 62 on January 11 and the price increased from $20 to $80 on January 1. It has paid for itself at $80, still a bargain!

 

[Lew L]

.
Say 56,

Are you going to stop at the Deadwood 3-wheel rally???? We are touring though Utah and Colorado in the first 2 weeks of July.
Lew L