Las Vegas - National Parks Loop. Looking for advice on hotels and sights to see.

andysdad

andysdad

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A group of us (10 in all) is going next September to LV then doing the following loop (shows overnights except Day 1 which is out and return):-

Day 01 - Eagleriders to Hoover Dam Return
Day 02 - Las Vegas to Springdale
Day 03 - Springdale to Tropic
Day 04 - Tropic to Torrey
Day 05 - Torrey to Moab (2 nights)
Day 07 - Moab to Ouray
Day 08 - Ouray to Durango
Day 09 - Durango to Monument Valley
Day 10 - Monument Valley to Page
Day 11 - Page to North Rim
Day 12 - North Rim to Las Vegas


Planning on the major National Parks en route but would like to hear suggestions of other sights to see and places to stay.

We have some hotels lined-up and realise that preplanning months/years in advance is required for some places.

I've looked through Sven's thread and seen Clifton's advice which covers most of what we have planned already; thanks for that.

Antelope Canyon seems a must as we will stay in Page AZ anyway. The Silverton-Durango Railroad has already been suggested. Moab looks to be a major centre of fun - deffo a Dan Mick's 4x4 trip. We're there 2 nights.

Many thanks in advance - particularly looking for hotel info.

Cheers,

A
 
Thanks for that - a quick look at Ouray Chalet shows they can't do 5 rooms for our dates a year in advance - weekends are filling up already. We'd better be quick.....
 
andysdad said:
Thanks for that - a quick look at Ouray Chalet shows they can't do 5 rooms for our dates a year in advance - weekends are filling up already. We'd better be quick.....
Click to expand...

There's also the place across the street where the wife of one of the guys stayed. Hotel Ouray - I was in it, interesting, old, Victorian lodging house. https://www.hotelouray.com
 
The Valley of Fire is 60 miles North of LV and worth a trip. Also Death Valley is worth a day out or maybe an overnight stay. Can't remember the milage but it took 2.5 hours to Furnace Creek from LV.
I was in a car so filling station planning wasn't much of an issue. There's a filling station in Furnace Creek, but some research wouldn't go amiss if tackling it on a bike.
 
We did a big loop that way 2 years ago, all I have is in a big Garmin file, if you use Basecamp send me your email via PM and I'll send it to you (its too big to post here) - There is *lots* to see.
 

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A couple of us did pretty much what you're doing, only in reverse, back in 2012
There's a bit of a ride report here if you're interested - http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/302348-America-s-South-West-in-4-weeks
(note to self, must finish it sometime :rolleyes:)
I got some great advice off guys on here, esp Sgt Bilko.

Of all the great parks we visited Bryce & Zion remain as my favourites.
And the best bit of riding was Highway 141 along the Dolores river, between Moab & Ouray, as far as Gateway Resort.
Absolutely stunning place, probably still in my Top3 rides. See post 132.
If memory serves it was that fella Schtum that brought it to my attention….
 
andysdad said:
Thanks for that - a quick look at Ouray Chalet shows they can't do 5 rooms for our dates a year in advance - weekends are filling up already. We'd better be quick.....
Click to expand...

If you get no joy in Ouray, try Silverton just down the road. Lovely little town with a couple of great bars........:augie I can give you motel recommendations if you need them.

Call in at the Grand Mesa on your way to Monument Valley. It's a nice ride up a butte and great views from the top. If I can give you any advice about Monument Valley, approach it from the North via Mexican Hat. Just after Grand Mesa, take the 191 north and then south on the 163. There are some great rock formations there. You don't get to the 4 corners but to be honest, that's not worth the bother in my opinion. It's a much better ride and you approach the valley in the right direction for those great shots of the valley in the distance.

The north rim of the Grand Canyon is great but you won't need to spend hours there. Make sure you run through Zion National Park and the way back to Vegas as it's stunning.
 
Jockser said:
Of all the great parks we visited Bryce & Zion remain as my favourites.
And the best bit of riding was Highway 141 along the Dolores river, between Moab & Ouray, as far as Gateway Resort.
Absolutely stunning place, probably still in my Top3 rides. See post 132.
If memory serves it was that fella Schtum that brought it to my attention….
Click to expand...

Did I..? Did you stay in Gateway Canyons Resort? I know there were going to be some changes there, shortly after we stayed in 2011. I don't think John Hendricks who's the guy behind Discovery Channel has quite the controlling interest there that he had previously.

It'll still be a great place to stay though, if not exactly inexpensive. http://www.gatewaycanyons.com
 
I'd highly recommend the Broken Spur in Torrey :thumb2 Nice rooms and good food :beerjug:

https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/in...w;sid=566ff0d53a9e5513fb36765f643c4f97;dcid=2

Black Bear Manor in Ouray is the nicest B&B I've ever stayed in anywhere in the World

https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/bl...d=5d5b3d1fe0bc5a47ab734af52e7431dede329fbfX13

The St Elmo Hotel is also very nice, but nowhere near as friendly. It's a Victorian hotel which has been lovingly restored.

https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/st...id=5d5b3d1fe0bc5a47ab734af52e7431dede329fbfX1

Page is a bit of a dump, but Antelope Canyon is a stunning place.

We stopped at the Grand Canyon North Rim Lodge last year and it sells out months in advance . Make sure you book ASAP. The View Hotel in Monument Valley has absolutely stunning views from the bedroom windows, but tends to be block booked by coach parties. Rooms are released a week or two before they're due to visit once their exact room numbers are known. I only managed to get a room about 10 days before we left home.

If stopping in Tropic bear in mind there's only a mediocre restaurant attached to the local store or a small pizza place where tourists are ignored in favour of locals :anger: I'd either stay in Escalante where there's a nice restaurant just as you leave town on the left hand side heading west or the Bryce Canyon Inn which has reasonable food.
 
Just a bit of a tip, the hotels in the national parks can be very pricey as are the eateries so we always stay just outside. It's OK for a romantic soiree but if you are a big bunch of guys, it makes a big difference to the budget. I'd recommend the Bryce Canyon Pines motel at Bryce. Sensibly priced, a decent pool a restaurant on the side and only a mile or so from the entrance.

Highway 12 up to Torrey is a fabulous road but watch for the over banding on some parts as it can be a wee bit dodgy.
 

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andysdad said:
I've looked through Sven's thread and seen Clifton's advice which covers most of what we have planned already; thanks for that.
Click to expand...

Here's a link to my Flickr album from last years trip by Mustang which may interest you as it also covers Torrey, Moab, Grand Canyon North Rim, Page and Monument Valley.

We also revisited Mesa Verde and it's an absolute must when travelling from Durango to Monument Valley :beerjug:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk1yYhBd
 
Schtum said:
Did I..? Did you stay in Gateway Canyons Resort? I know there were going to be some changes there, shortly after we stayed in 2011. I don't think John Hendricks who's the guy behind Discovery Channel has quite the controlling interest there that he had previously.

It'll still be a great place to stay though, if not exactly inexpensive. http://www.gatewaycanyons.com
Click to expand...


No, didn't stay. We rode up there one afternoon, got them to sell us some gas, headed back the same way & stopped in Green River.
Bit rich for my blood :rolleyes:
 
Thanks to everyone who has commented so far - loads of ideas which I'm forwarding to the planning group (10 people = herding cats.....)

BRUT33 - we're doing Valley of Fire but not Death Valley as we're headed North West (and have done DV before)
BILCO - we are going to Monument Valley via Bluff so will follow your route BUT we are going to 4 Corners (at least all the Breaking Bad fans will!)
JOCKSER - great RR thanks. Very helpful.
SVEN - as already stated, great RR (DR?) and lots of ideas there too.
JON - thanks for that one.
EBBO - PMed you!

What a forum; you meet the nicest people on a GS (or RT or K or.....)!

A
 
EDIT - apparently Ouray is out, and Telluride is in; any recommendations for Telluride please?
 
I would echo Jocksters thoughts. Don't miss Bryce and Zion. My Mrs lived in the states for over a year. Spent 9 months at Uni in NC and then spent 5 months driving all over with 6 mates in a Winnebago (they went to 45ish states. She still says Bryce and Zion are two of her favourite places on the planet.

Very jealous. Sounds like an awesome trip


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Schtum said:
Did I..? Did you stay in Gateway Canyons Resort? I know there were going to be some changes there, shortly after we stayed in 2011. I don't think John Hendricks who's the guy behind Discovery Channel has quite the controlling interest there that he had previously.

It'll still be a great place to stay though, if not exactly inexpensive. http://www.gatewaycanyons.com
Click to expand...

Gateway Canyons Resort, we dropped in, had a good look around the excellent motor museum, had a cool drink beside the pool then headed out again. It was deserted when we were there , I asked the lady behind the bar how it was going, she said very well lol.

Karen's 141 Diner in Gateway had closed by the time we got there too (rent rise made it unviable)

We rode from Delta > Grand Junction > Moab that day, 259 miles, just fantastic.
 
Unless we win the Lottery we cannot afford to stay at Gateway Canyons - from $797 per night :eek:

Grand Canyon North Rim and Bryce Canyon Inn now both booked - thanks for the info. Weekends are already getting booked up a year in advance; scary.

Bryce and Zion on the route plus Grand Mesa, Mesa Verde and others. It's still a year away but we can't wait!
 
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