Sorry for the long title. We have a trip planned in August, leaving from and arriving back at Vegas.

The route is loosely round upto Yellowstone via Salt Lake City and back via Albubquerque.

It has been suggested that we should take in:

Zion, Bryce Canyon, Escalante, Capitol Reef National Parks

Any other suggestions of 'Must See' places or things.

We are interested in great scenery or places and sights that are truely unmissable.

All suggestions welcome.

Thanks

Piers

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Piers...Give some thought to spending spending time in MOAB, UTAH no wait...just do it!!!! ... red rock desert country - read Desert Solitaire - some great ridin/camping in Arches, Canyonlands, White Rim, Sand Flats etc. ....including lots o' 'hairy trails' if you are looking for that sort of thing. Some related links here....

http://www.arrowheadmotorsports.com/

Also recommend you set aside lots of time for SW Colorado - lots of high mountain ridin both on and off pavement- area around Silverton (HU US west meet location) is great....

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/mee...lorado2008.php

Stephen

Thanks for the reply. I should maybe have made it clear. I'm travelling from the UK and have little option but to hire a Harley D for the trip

Anyhow, the route and sights must be capable of accomodating such a beast!

Piers

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Thought I'd jump in this thread as well--hi, piersuk.

Couple things:

Las Vegas BMW rents GS12s; don't know how the costs compare, but you might check out one of those instead of a Harley. If you've never ridden on one, they are great touring bikes.

I actually rode from Vegas through Zion, Bryce, etc., to Moab, spent a couple days there checking out Arches and Canyonlands NPs. Fantastic. I did all of this on a cruiser, so you don't need a GS type bike unless you want to go off pavement.

Another "must see" is up by Yellowstone: Beartooth Pass, which is sort of NE of Yellowstone, in the direction of Red Lodge, MT. GREAT road, views. 10k+ feet elevation. Nearby is the "Chief Joseph Highway", which leads from the NE entrance of Yellowstone down to Cody WY. Another GREAT road (and Cody's a cool town, too). You should be able to find ride reports for these and others at ADVRider.

Grand Tetons NP is cool too, but lodging around there is $$$. BTW, generally I tried to avoid making reservations, but you should probably make reservations in Yellowstone, unless you are going to camp (and even some campgrounds require reservations).

Also, really depends what you and your pillion are interested in--natural beauty, fancy resort towns, good mix of the above? Frankly, I was underwhelmed by Taos NM and even Santa Fe--Santa Fe in particular very touristy. Have spent very little time in Colorado, but people who know it well rave about it.

I always suggest to get into the Navajo Indian Reservation (which you will probably go through on the way back from Albuquerque into Utah), and see Canyon de Chelly (Chelly pronounced "shay"). Much more canyon-esque than the Grand Canyon IMO, and much more intimate, again IMO. Lots and lots of scenery along the 2-lane highways traversing the Reservation, and just into Utah is Monument Valley, another "must-see" since you are in the area (quick, easy ride to/from Canyon de Chelly).

Piers....paved roads eh? Don't see them very much out west....too many options.....seriously though....and to build on others' comments.....there's tons 'o roads in SW Colorado with nothing but corners and views....and Utah Highway #12 through Escalante will give you the desert experience....if you're coming up through Wyoming, try to come up through Lander, Dubois and into Grand Teton Nat. park just south of Yellowstone.....a very pretty area.....busy though....

Well, there's lots of just plain 'good riding' roads throughout those areas, so don't hesitate to just wander around, instead of figuring on the quickest route between parks.

Here's a few more suggestions:

Rocky Mtn. National Park (No. Central Colorado)
South Park (just so you can say you were there)
Grand Canyon of the Gunnison N.P. - Colorado
Mesa Verde National Park (SW Colorado)
Million Dollar Hwy (Montrose to Durango, SW Colorado)
Taos, New Mexico
Monument Valley (Arizona)

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quastdog
Chiang Mai, Thailand

I went last Oct .Flew fron London hired 1200Gs in LA, expensive but almost ideal(the bike not the city). dun 3K+ miles in 2 weeks.Expect I missed lots but u must see Zion G.C of course, Sequoia, theres somewhere NE of Glen Canyon thru something called White Canyon I think Outstanding. see the desert somewhere perhaps the Valley of the Gods/Mokeee Dugway near Moument . Check temps before/if Death valley. Finally look forward lots I only had 14 days and saw such contrasts, if you have any specific Q's feel free to contact me.Oh take a camel back and enjoy.

I tried to avoid most of the tourist traps, so can't think of that many to recommend. If Vegas isn't touristy enough for ya, well, you're going to be pretty disappointed by everything else.

I think I mentioned before that Cody WY is a cool little town, with supposedly the biggest firearm museum in the US (as well as a Buffalo Bill museum and some others), and daily rodeos and shoot-em-up shows.

I thought that Jackson Hole was horrible--every building selling some kind of high or low end trinkets--but I guess it's picturesque, and pretty much right there by Grand Teton NP.

The Chief Joseph Highway I mentioned in another thread is named after, you guessed it, Chief Joseph, leader of the Nez Pierce indians, who led his people through hundreds of miles of mountains in an attempt to escape the US Army. Fascinating (and sad) story, and there are little historical signs about his route all around Yellowstone.

I also thought of another cool ride--not a "must do" but worth doing if you're in the area: take the "Historic Route 66" from Kingman AZ (NW corner of AZ) west to Oatman AZ (I think Oatman's in AZ). Very twisty and narrow, with some old buildings thrown in for color. Oatman itself is a tourist joint full of Western buildings, etc.

This is another question where you'd probably get better feedback on ADVRider.

Use google look up tourism Nevada, and then any other state you may go to. have list of places. Have fun!

Thanks

I probably didn't word that well.

What I was getting at was things like, a Baseball Game, Rodeo things along those line.

Piers

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Stop suggestions - BMW MOA A similar trip with advice on the BMW MOA site.

Must see's in Colorado.

Grand Junction - Colorado National Monument (100% Must Ride) 1.5 Hours from Moab east on I-70. The monument is a hwy that goes through red rock cliffs and overlooks the Grand Junction valley (Grand Valley).

Aspen - Fun to ride your bike down main street and take pictures with the nice mountain surroundings.

If time permits, then head over to Idaho Springs and ride the highest hwy in American to the top of Mount Evans. One amazing view from the top. I-70 east of Grand Junction about 3 hours that goes through Vail. Skip the Eisenhower tunnel and go up and over on Loveland Pass. Turn off in Frisco and the highway connects to go up and over on your way to Breckenridge. Nice views and you can see forever on a clear day. You will come out on East Bound I-70 about 25 minutes from Idaho Springs.

The southern mountians of Colorado (San Juans) are a little more like the swiss Alps then the I-70 Hwy range along vail, etc. Depends on your time and likes.

At the risk of being repetitive, some of the absolute winners are:

- Monument Valley (breathtaking unique landscape that you can ride through at any speed and still feel like you are a small speck on the underbelly of the universe)

- Canyon de Chelly ( mentioned by another respondent)

- Southwest Colorado (Durango, Silverton, Pagosa Springs)

- of course the Grand Canyon

If you have a good map, you'll see all the secondary and old highways so you can avoid the interstates, with all the trucks and noise.

Please take a look at my site ( Motorcycle rides, motorcycle roads, routes, videos and adventures - MyRidz.com ), where I have posted photos and blogs of trips through the same area. And of course, I cordially invite you to post all the tall tales of your trip on the site too (stories, photos, videos).

Ride safe... but Get Out There
Keith Kelly Motorcycle rides, motorcycle roads, routes, videos and adventures - MyRidz.com

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Keith Kelly, one of the MyRidz Guys
Check out our site for motorcycle road trip tall tales: www.myridz.com

Top stuff people, many thanks. My Streets and Trips map is covered in little red flags now.

Any more suggestions are more than welcome though.

Keith, what are you using to create your webpage? Is it Joomla or something from that family?

Piers

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