This summer my wife and I are taking a trip on the bikes to Colorado and southeastern Utah. We plan on spending a day or 2 in Moab and visiting Arches and Canyonlands Nat'l Parks, and passing through Monument Valley another day. My question is how much of the parks can you access on bikes? I know the main roads are paved, but it looks like there are some back roads that are dirt. Will we be missing out on a lot if we stick only to the black top? Or should we take a jeep tour of the back country if time allows? Any info or opinions on each park is welcomed. This is our first trip of this type by motorcycle. My wife will be on her trike pulling a small trailer and I will be on my Streetglide.

 

You don't want to ride your bike in Monument Valley, it is even hard on a car. Take one of the Jeep tours they offer. You will get to see more that way too.

Arches is mostly paved roads, but if you want to take some hikes give yourself more time.

Here is a link to a thread I did last year when we rode out that way. This may give you some additional information to consider.

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/road-...tures-too.html

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Thanks for the link to your thread, I really enjoyed reading it and the pictures are outstanding! A couple of questions I do have are about Monument Valley. How long did the jeep tour take? And do you recall the name of the company y'all used and if you would recommend them? Thanks.

 

We used:
http://www.trailhandlertours.com/

I do recommend them. The tour we took started at 9 am and was 2 1/2 hours long. We did a group tour, with about 10 people. There are also private tours if you don't mine paying more.

 

We are heading that direction from mid-May to early June. We used a lot of the great information the Ozoneman provided in our trip planning and are actually staying at a couple of places he noted. We hope you have a great trip and ride safe!

 

Just noticed you are from Breaux Bridge. We were just there Sunday and Monday. Did a pretty cool swamp tour.
The advice above is good.

 

I was out there a number of years ago, incredible country but every day we were there(3-4 days) it was 105 to 110 degrees. So whatever you do carry plenty of water!!!!

 

While you're at Moab check out Dead horse point state park. I think the morning would be better for photography if you go there, the sunsets are pretty good too. There's a good state campground close by. As far as Arches, if you are going to hike to Delacate Arch the afternoon sun is best on that. If you are just going to do the viewing spot then the morning sun would be better. You can see plaenty at Arches along the paved roads. The Hike to Delicate Arch is challenging if you are not in shape and you need to bring at least a couple bottles of water per person along. The hike gains several hundred feet in elevation but is worthwhile. You can easily spend a day in the park if you get off and hike around some, bring good shoes if you do. Have a great trip!

 

Arches, Canyonlands, and Dead Horse Point are great. Monument Valley is a waste of time and money.

 

To each his own. Our group of 6 enjoyed Monument Valley very much. But if you decide to see it, you should make sure to stop at Mexican Hat and Goose Neck State Park on the way there. They are close to each other and about 30 minutes north of Monument Valley.