Hi All,
We are flying out to Las Vegas in early May. We are renting a bike from Las VEgas Harley and will head out to the Grand Canyon for 5 days. The planned route is to head to Williams,AZ the first day. Cameron the 2nd and 3rd day. Then on to Kanab, UT the 4th day and back to Vegas the 5th day.
Any suggestions on roads other than the major interstates and hiways to take. Places to stop, other than the Canyon?
My wife and I are 60. This has been a long time wanna do trip for us. We are looking to make the best of it. Any help, suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

 

Hey 06Eglide,
I did a 21 day trip round utah, arizona, last year. Now i'm from ontario canada and have always wanted to see that area. The deserts are so much different than where i live. I loved that lonely stretch of highway 93 south out of the vegas area on the way to Kingman. One thing you might try is a view of the canyon that most people dont know about. Ask at the dealership to be sure, but there is a road that comes off of 93 ( i think its the one that goes thru Dolan Springs ) Its a "backroad" but leads to the canyon for a view of it from the west end. Worth the trip. Maybe another member can verify if thats the correct road.

Another cool spot is the little town of Oatman. Look it up on the net. Theres a very narrow, twisty windey road out of Kingman that will get you there. The road is a hoot, but watch out for burrows on the road, and "things" they've left behind.

I assume your taking route 66 instead of interstate 40 to get to Williams? Obvious choice there, so many whacky things to see on route 66. If your going to be in williams for 2 days perhaps a trip down to Sedona ? I have not been, but i've heard its a cool place to walk about and has some great restaurants.

After leaving cameron, i imagine you'll blast up 89 and take ALT 89 to the Navajo Bridge. Definitely some picture taking to be had there. Stop in to the visitor centre there its worth the few minutes stop to see pics of how that bridge was built. I dont know if you'll have time but obviously a side trip from ALT 89 to the north rim would be very worth while. The views from the decks at the North Rim Lodge are fantastic. The restaurant in the lodge is also pretty reasonable.

Now do yourself a favour, and get up real early on your last day so you can take some time at Zion Nat'l Park. Of all the parks in ut and az it is one of the best in my humble opinion ! The time you spend there can be made up for by opening up that Hog on interstate 15 on your way back into Vegas. 15 is really about the only road back in from that area. If you get back to Vegas after dark, its pretty cool when you come thru the last mile or two and the lights of Vegas light up the sky ahead of you.

Sorry to go on so long here, but there is SO much to see and do in that area ! Funny, but the time i remember most (other than riding acrossI70 VailColorado Pass in the snow)is riding down 95, south of vegas in 105 degree heat, wide open desert, stopping at some little road side single table restaurant, and sitting with a cold bud in each hand on the front porch talking to the local characters.

You and your wife will have a great trip, stay safe, keep your eye on the fuel gauge, and hey, post a few pics when you get back so i can drool over em.
Cheers
Ian.

[IMG]local://upfiles/54653/038B256F70734FD18E72EA085FB4AFCC.jpg[/IMG]

 

Voodoochild pretty much summed it up. Most people go to Vegas for the gambling, but my wife and I go for the riding. One little trip he didn't mention was the Moapa Indian reservation and the Valley of Fire National Park. The buttes in the park are an interesting shade of red like nothing I have ever seen. It is truly worth the hour or so ride from Vegas. You also might want to check out the Hoover Dam. It wasn't the highlight of my trip, but a lot of people find it interesting. The dealership is a great source of info on rides in that area. They have maps and free water. Don't forget to stock up on the water. And pay attention to the signs while you are riding. Some of them say "Last stop for XXX miles"....they're not joking. You don't want to run out of gas out there in that arid heat. Good luck and ride safe!

 

You might consider going from Vegas to Kingman, and then riding all of Route 66 that you can from Kingman to Williams. The stretch from Kingman to Seligman is really cool.

In Cameron be sure to try the Navajo Taco at the Tading Post there. They are some of the best I have ever had.

A trip through Zion National Park on the way back to Vegas would definately be worth your time.

Bill

 

My wife and I did 8 days all around that area last year & never hit the Grand Canyon. It is some of the best riding in the west. We spent 2 days in Springdale (Zion) and it was not enough for us. We are going back for more this year. We will hit the Grand Canyon this year too. Hwy. 12 NE of Bryce is GREAT.We've done manyof the suggestions aboveand I agree, Oatman, Valley of Fire, Flagstaff and Sedona are all worth seeing. It sounds like you need more time

Velobob

 

VooDoochild just about summed it up. That road he describes off 93 through Dolan Springs actuall goes to Lake mead it is at the very west end of the canyon but you can't see the canyon from there. It is also a dead end so you will have to come most of the way back and then you will see a cutoff to Kingman, AZ.

What time in May are you planning this? Reason I ask is that the North rim is quite higher in elevation than the south rim and the roads are closed during winter, When you stop at the douth rim they should be able to tell you weather and road conditions.

If you happen to get back to Las vegas with some time hit me up I would be glad to show you some "local" rides.
Lou

 

Meteor Crater east of Flagstaff is interesting. Nothing like the "Canyon", but, an impressive hole in the ground.

 

Fishcop, thanks for clearing that up, maybe i've got my roads mixed up around Dolan Springs. Saw so many fantastic backroads out there i'm surprised i remember any of them by name.

Hey maybe you'd know, when i came out of vegas (the lowpoint of the trip), i came across the Hoover damn and they were building a new overpass type of deal. Are they going to reroute all traffic to that overpass eventually? I wonder what the view of the damn will be like if they do?

Also at the "old" closed harley dealers at the west end of kingman theres a standup poster type thing of Willie G. When i was there someone had knocked his head off ! Did the get the poor old guy fixed back up ?

cheers
Ian.

[IMG]local://upfiles/54653/266A703F85F3416B9F758088E42945FA.jpg[/IMG]

 

Take me wit uh

 

Not sure when you are actually arriving but N. Rim may still be closed as the website says it doesn't open till mid May.

I guess I'll be arriving as you're leaving area. Have a small group riding out from Houston as 2 of the guys have never been to the GC. We'll be covering around 3300 miles in 9 days. Won't spend much time at each place but will go through Roswell, Santa Fe, Farmington, NM, 4 corners - only place in U.S. you can stand in 4 states simultaneously (NM, Co, Utah, AZ), Monument Valley, on down to Kanab, Zion, N and South GC, Flagstaff, Sedona and back through Big Bend in Texas and on home.

Have a safe trip,

Mack