I agree with ChickinOnaChain. I did the same thing.
Rent the GPS unit too.
When you head into the canyon you won't have to worry about how your going to find your way back.

Of course if your a paper map guy getting lost would never happen.

 

Ride HGWY 12 in utah. Unbelievable you go from desert to rock canyons to Ceders to Alpine back to rock in Apox.100miles ! Yes I would skip Bryce not because it aint worth seeing but its too touristy. Around the Bryce Tropic area theres lots of cabins too rent for the night or you could camp at Rubys inn, It could get a little cold at night.
But in southern Utah there isn't lot of bar or club selections. Stop at a comvenience store and pick up your beer for the night or a Liqour store(don't pass any of them up cause ther isnt a whole lot of them either. But sometimes its better to sit outside and watch the sun go down sipping on a cold one !

 

a loop around the Grand Canyon

 

Don't eat steak before going to the Bunny ranch......you'll make the girls cry.
Get a t-shirt and a magnet. (don't forget to tip)

 

Thanks for the heads up on the bars. I'll stop at the store and get a few to drink at the campground at monument. Looks like there will be a place or to in Panguich. I also have rt 12 mapped out and that's the way I'm going. Looking forward to it.

I just googled "Bunny Ranch reviews" and this thread came up..

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=133434323

Over $1000 for 2 girls? lol. If I'm out that way, I may pick up a tee shirt but no way in hell I'd pay that much.

 

Others have made excellent suggestions, +2 on hwy 12. If for some reason, time grows short, I would recommend Oatman,Az. Its close (about a 2 hr ride south of Vegas), a nice ride and a neat little town to visit.

 

going to raisen in my hero honda , assuming riding a harley.........

 

Sometimes I take a lunch ride down to Lake Havasu City via Oatman, AZ (Route 66) and Topock, AZ. If you want to skip LHC and still see Oatman, you can ride either through Laughlin, NV or Kingman, AZ. If you exit the Kingman, AZ route, you can head back to Las Vegas, NV or continue down Route 66 into Kingman (or take the freeway) and hit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

As mentioned, Zion NP is not that far from Las Vegas, NV. To the SE of Zion NP is also the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The sunsets are great, but the road to the lodge is closed in the winter and I'm not sure when they open back up. Also, check for construction heading toward Page, AZ. Personally, I've spent the night in one of the small North Rim cabins at the lodge and then rode up to Brian Head Ski Resort in Utah which is also not far from Bryce Canyon. From there you can connect back to I-15 and head back to Las Vegas, Nevada. However, there is another road which heads west out of Cedar City, Utah. That road also connects to the ET Highway in Nevada which can take you up to Rachel, NV--think Area 51 or down to Alamo and back toward Las Vegas, NV. Please note that there are no fuel stops in Rachel, NV or in Oatman, NV for that matter. There is also a lot of nothing on the ET Highway but if you are into aliens you may find it fun to say you rode the ET Highway and got a few photos of your bike on it as well as in front of a UFO.

If you keep riding the ET Highway, you'll end up in Tonoaph. From there it is south back to Las Vegas, Nevada or farther west to Death Valley NP. From DVNP, there are a couple of different ways to return to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Much closer to Las Vegas is also the Valley of Fire State Park, Lake Mead NRA, and Hoover Dam. There is also an old mining town named Nelson off of the Searchlight Road (same road headed toward Laughlin, Nevada). There is another named Chloride, AZ between Las Vegas, and Kingman, AZ. The green chili is pretty tasty there. Another place on the same road is called Rosie's. The deep fried french toast appears to be a big hit along with being able to purchase lotto tickets.

 

Thanks for all the tips on this ride. Yall put me on the right roads for sure. Just got back few days ago. Ended up going from Vegas to Flagstaff via 40 (save time) and RT66 then on up to Monument Valley staying in Bluff, UT. Weather was great. Next morning got up and rode up the Moki dugway to 95 to 24 to 12 through Bryce and stayed in Panguitch. Next day rode down 89 to 9 and through Zion, down to valley of fire and back to vegas.

2ed day was spent dodging some pretty bad storms. You could see them off in the distance all day but I was pretty lucky up until right before I got on 12. The bottom fell out and there was nowhere to hide. Went about 6 miles or so and found a park restroom shelter to get under. Waited it out there until it cleared up some. Put on some dry socks and got back on the road. RT 12 was FUN. It did get cold and I was wet. Was still raining some. All that didn't matter, I loved that road and was having too much fun. I'd stop every so often and warm my hands up on the exhaust. Once I came down from the hills it warmed up and I dried off pretty fast. Anyway...here's a few pics