UsedToBeFaster

Once this COVID19 thing is done, I'm thinking of going on a long road trip to various national parks on the west coast (Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Yellowstone).

I want to haul 4 bikes along with me.

Any feedback on the quality of riding within/around these parks?

Regarding transpiration, initially I thought, I could rent a mini-van and put the bikes inside but the rental place can't guaranteed a particular mini-van so I could get stuck with a smaller mini-van that can't fit the four bikes

So the solution I'm working with is taking my medium SUV and placing the bikes on a rack/trailer. Any suggestions? I'm willing to spend unto $1000 (the cost of the rental). My SUV can tow a trailer with 3000 pounds comfortable and upto 5000 pounds not so comfortably.

Steve B.

GC and Zion limit cars and are thus bike friendly, for the GC this is the case west of the hotel/campground complex. Bryce I’ve heard is good as well, from around the lodge area to Rainbow Point is all uphill, 2100 ft in about 18 miles. Yellowstone I’ve always heard is awful, too many cars and too many people. Timing is everything, but they really don’t have an Off season when the roads are open.

debade

Day rides in Yellowstone last year. We also bumped into touring cyclists. Motorists were fine. We drove there and had our bikes on the car. Also went on some off-road. From my perspective is was a good place to do some riding.

diphthong

my big question..,the four bikes...are they for others or all for you? like a mtb, road bike, gravel, etc. if they're all for you, i think you'd be fine with two-a road bike and
a mtb. you'll be better off with a van for bike security purposes. the trailer will be a pita.

i can only opine on the particulars road cycling-wise on the various parks you listed since i've ridden portions of them all on a road bike. have come across non-paved
stuff here and there tho.

death valley np-fantastic road cycling. road quality great. traffic low. biggest issues are support (not a lot out there), heat if in the warmer months of may-october,
lodging (again not much but there is camping as well) and distances. the size of the park is deceiving. it is the largest national park in the lower 48
so what looks to be close on a map could actually be 2-3x farther. the sense of scale while on the road is skewed as well. what appears to be a mile or two away
could be 8-10 miles away. there are plenty of flat miles and ridiculous climbs (daylight pass, dante's view, towne pass, artist drive, etc) if you want 'em. the roads
are limited until you hit the furnace creek area but once there, you've got a few more options. lots of roadie miles available in dvnp.

grand canyon np-have cycled both the north rim (10% of all visitors) and the south rim (90% of all visitors). both are great but the north rim wins. road quality good for
both but traffic can get a little dodgy on the south rim. south rim has waay more resources but north rim is the better experience imho. north rim is usually only
open from memorial day-halloween (or thereabouts). north rim is more forested and 1,000 feet higher than the south rim. love love arizona hwy 67 that heads from
jacob lake to road's end on the north rim is gorgeous. there was a recent fire but it's recovering nicely. plenty of aspens (if you visit in the fall) and
beautiful, elongated, european-styled meadows along the 67 for miles. north rim sightlines are pretty good along az hwy 67 until a few miles past the np entrance
when the road bends and gets more narrow. you'll then have a few options to turn off the main road to go to the various viewpoints (cape royal, point imperial, etc).
cape royal is recommended but i think the best experience is heading to road's end to the grand canyon lodge/bright angel point, getting a bowl of the elk chili, an ipa
and settling down to catch the sunset. north rim lodging camping fills up pretty quickly and booking in advance is def recommended. jacob lake has a decent little motel
and it's approx a 50 min drive away from the edge of the north rim. there is the kaibab lodge which is about a 20 min drive from the edge of the north rim as well. stayed
there two years ago and would stay again. like nearly all lodging in the area save the grand canyon lodge, it's very basic. once you enter the np on the north rim on hwy 67,
keep an eye out for the bison herd that likes to reside just before the road turns away from the meadows. road quality good, traffic low but it can get really windy. road is
never too steep and there are no ridiculous grades on the 67. the north rim is a pita to hit by itself but if you're going to zion and/or bryce canyon, it's a natural. remember,
you're close to 8,000 ft elevation here so prepare accordingly.

zion np-plenty of lodging in 30 mins away st. george but closer (possibly pricier) lodging in rockville or springdale. did grab lodging in zion np at the zion canyon lodge a
few years ago and it was rustic but super convenient. cycling zion canyon from the southern/main park entrance to canyon road's end is magical. it's about 5 miles one-way
with very little elevation gain. road quality awesome. the park runs shuttles during the busy season (late march-october) so car traffic is limited to those staying at the park lodge,
nps vehicles and the shuttles. if you're on a bike, the shuttles will not pass you until you pull over and put a foot down. this ride is highly highly recommended. there is the tunnel
on the road heading into-out of the park on ut hwy 9. you cannot ride through the tunnel. the ride from the lower canyon up to the tunnel and back is scenic and worthy as is the
ride from the eastern border of the park along ut hwy 9 to the tunnel and back. not a ton of roadie cycling in zion but what there is brings the scenery.

bryce canyon np-all the lodging/support is concentrated just outside of the park near the intersection of ut highways 12 & 63. there is camping within the park. it's roughly a
20 mile excursion one-way from the intersection of hwys 12 & 63 to road's end at rainbow point on hwy 63 in bryce canyon np. you also end up at 9,000 feet so keep that in mind.
there are some decent little grades along the road but it's the elevation that gets you vs the grade. the farther you get from the park entrance, the more the auto traffic thins out.
haven't ridden this in approx 6 years but remember it being in good chip seal shape. great expansive views of the surrounding utah scenery-esp to the rainbow basin northeast.
bcnp is a one-road park but if you've got the time, ut hwy 12 from the town of bryce all the way to the town of torrey is top-notch.

yellowstone np-have only entered/exited through the southern entrance and it is not the easiest. steep grades at altitude combined with heavy traffic and narrow, shoulderless roads.
you will probably be happier parking near the main lodge/old faithful and riding north from there. sightlines not the best throughout the park (at least in the parts i've been in).
obviously gorgeous, especially the stretch along wy hwy 191 along firehole river/grand prismatic spring.

you didn't mention it but since yellowstone np is on the docket...i would respectfully submit doing little road riding in yellowstone and leave the road riding to adjacent grand teton np.
there is a roughly 60 mile loop which i can't recommend highly enough. bike path takes off from the town of jackson heading alongside the national elk refuge and continues to the
hamlet of moose where you enter gtnp. make a left from the sweet bike path and enter the park. roll past jenny lake and the snake river then curve around to the town of moran and
head back south along wy hwy 89. relatively flattish but it is at pretty decent altitude. low traffic and much more bike friendly (roadie-wise) than yellowstone.

indyfabz

From what I hear, Old Faithful now has a cloverleaf to handle all the traffic. In 2000 I cycled in from W. Yellowstone and then to Teton. Didn't enjoy it much. If yo do ride, do it very early. Look at the conditions on Google Maps Street. I nearly go doored during an "animal jam" while climbing Craig Pass.

indyfabz

I hear that's nice. I camped at Jenny Lake during a tour and rode to Moose for some supplies. The path did't exist then. Jenny Lake is definitely worth a stop. Nice views of the mountains. Young bear had to be shooed out of camp.

UsedToBeFaster

Kids will be coming. Both can do 50 mile rides easily.

Which np have dedicated bike paths or at least dedicated lanes?

Thanks

diphthong

only one out of your named parks is grand canyon on the south rim. there is the dedicated greenway that heads from the southern entrance by tusayan and goes to the village. once up to the rim, there is the hermit’s drive (i think it’s called) that you can cycle for a spell. it’s got the shuttles (like zion) along that stretch.

the loop i spoke of at grand teton np is either on a dedicated bike path or minimized autos path for approx 35 of the 60 miles.

only other bike path for western np’s that comes to mind is the one in yosemite valley.

Steve B.

The road west of Grand Canyon Village to Hermit Point closes to cars starting beginning of March, so buses only, 7 miles one-way and great for bikes. Floor of the Valley Rd. at Zion as well is closed to private vehicles at some point in April, also about 6 miles OW, also good for bikes.

As well, there's a good video blog on YT from the Bicycle Touring Pro and his multi-day unsupported tour of Yellowstone. He didn't indicate issues with crowds or traffic, I don't think it was the summer season.

obrentharris 

Average daytime high temperature at Furnace Creek in Death Valley in May is 100 f. June is 110 f.
You might want to save Death Valley for another time.

Brent

Bassmanbob

If you are considering a bike trailer, I'd look at the Kuat trailers. They have a few different models that can accommodate both two or four bikes. Some also have cable locks built in for your bikes. I have the one with the cable locks for two bikes, and I love it.

As far as your trip, south Utah/ northern Arizona is possibly my favorite place on the planet. My wife and I have been there three times in the last four years. You mentioned Death Valley and Yellowstone; they are a bit of a distance from Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon. Death Valley is closer (about 6 hours from the Grand Canyon), but that's still far considering there are so many great national parks, state parks and national monuments that are closer. If it were my first time there, I'd consider Zion, Bryce, North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. There are also some great Utah state parks as well, including Kodachrome and Goblin State Parks. Then there also is the Grand Staircase Escalante, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, the Moki Dugway, the Valley of the Gods and of course the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. All of this plus more is within a 150 mile radius of Page, AZ.

Now, the three times we were there, we did NOT bring or ride bicycles; they were all series of day hiking trips. From what I've read and seen, if you are going to be in that general area, you should consider Moab, UT for cycling. It seems to be a Mecca for mountain bike cyclists. Moab can be your center for Canyonlands and Arches NPs and other surrounding areas with so many bike trails.

Edit: I just realized this is in the road bike forum, and I mentioned mountain biking quite a bit. Take what you want and leave the rest.

Camilo

I like the advice and list Bassmanbob made. But don't forget Dead Horse Canyon State Park in the Moab area, right near Canyonlands. Moab is flat out a mecca for mountain biking from nice mellow, easy trail riding to technical as you'd like. The road biking we did was very mellow too. And the day hiking is never ending wonderful.

There's no end of things to do and see in that Utah/Arizona area. I've been to Death Valley twice and will go again in a heart beat, but like mentioned, it's a haul and might be better combined with Nevada and California places.

Don't try to do too much, stick to the southwest for this trip. All of those places deserve a few days minimum..

Leave the west coast for a different trip - there's a lot to do in California and other west coast states - Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Yosemite, Crater Lake, the Oregon coast, Olympic Penninsula, North Cascades, etc. etc.

I don't think anything short of a full sized van would let you fit 4 bikes inside along with 4 passengers. I don't think a minivan could, but maybe the OP has been able to do it. Our old full sized Suburban could do 4 bikes (but tight squeeze), but three was more like it, and even then almost all the personal items (clothing, etc.) would have to be in a Rocket Box on the roof. We have a hitch rack and a couple of roof mounts for "over flow" when needed. We've rented normal sized SUVs and could barely fit two bikes in them.

I love being able to carry bikes inside a vehicle. My wife and I travel with our travel trailer and two gravel bikes (each with extra wheels with skinny road tires). We're able to put the bikes in the covered bed of our pickup truck tow vehicle. Trailers can be a bit of a hassle, and short ones are especially hard to back up.

What a great trip though. You can't help but have a spectacular time in the southwest.

diphthong

elevation differences in utah/arizona make things interesting. summer is ungodly hot for capitol reef, canyonlands, arches and zion national parks. it's fine for bryce canyon
with the 7,000 ft+ elevations. it's also fine for the north rim of the grand canyon. south rim can get a little toasty in summer but better tempwise than 4 of 5 utah parks.
if you wait till late sept-early nov, it frees up essentially all those parks visitationwise and tempswise and also gives you the possible options of hitting death valley np along with
some of the colorado parks like black canyon of the gunnison, mesa verde, colorado natl monument and great sand dunes. october is my fave month in the southwest.
a little nip in the air at higher elevations but still doable and the desertesque parks like death valley, zion, canyonlands are still viable in the mornings if the heat lingers.
it's a loong waays away but october still has the longish days.

Camilo

The great suggestions go on and on. There really is no end to it. In the spirit of piling on to the OP, I'll mention Great Basin NP. We "stumbled" on to it a couple of years ago when we were traveling extensively in the west. Just noticed it in the atlas on the route we were taking. Well worth a visit. The ride up the park road would be steep and arduous, but could be fun. Very, very nice hiking and a spectacular cave.

We've done our last two trips through western Canada, the PNW and down to the southwest in September, October and November. It is of note that some of the SW US parks see peak demand in the fall because it's too bloody hot in the summer. If a person is looking for camping in the NPs, best to check for next fall now to see which ones are booking up at that time of year and which ones are truly seeing shoulder season demand. We've been to almost all of the parks mentioned in the past few years and I'd gladly go to each and every one of them again. We do travel with gravel/road bikes, but mostly hike.