— Southwest Utah National Parks Bike Tour —

Here’s a recap of a bike tour Debbie and I took with Trek Travel this past September. It was a six-day; five night tour through some beautiful scenery in southwest Utah.

Day One

Trek Travel picked us up in St. George, Utah at 8 am. After a five plus hour shuttle ride, we arrived at our first destination, Boulder Mountain Lodge in Boulder, Utah. Over the course of the next five days, we would bike our way back towards St. George. After lunch and getting fit to our Trek Madone 5.2 bikes, we were off on our first ride. It was an out and back ride of 35 miles down the Burr Trail into Escalante National Monument and a view of Capital Reef’s Waterpocket Fold. We had some difficulty with breathing problems at this high altitude. We started at 6800 ft, descended to 5600 ft, climbed back up to a great lookout (7000ft) where we turned around and headed back to our lodge. We stopped along the way to take pictures, soak up the sites and catch our breath. Day One concluded with a welcome reception, overview of tomorrow’s ride and dinner at Hell’s Backbone Café.

Day Two

The ride today took us from Boulder to Bryce Canyon National Park along one of the most scenic routes in the states. This 75 mile ride was the second hardest ride of the week with close to 6000 ft of climbing to three peaks ending at Ruby’s Inn just outside Bryce. We were awed at the view just miles into the ride when we rode through Hell’s Backbone. The shoulder of the rode dropped off (at least 1000 ft) on both sides and we found ourselves riding closer to the center while looking at the view both right and left. Lunch was at the second peak of the day, Powell’s Point at 8000 ft. We ended the ride with a 2000 ft climb to the Inn. After settling into our room, we found the outdoor hot tub that helped relax the muscles from a hard day’s ride. Social hour followed where the 15 riders discussed the day’s ride, scenery and the day to come. Dinner followed at Ruby’s Inn and off to bed to rest for yet another busy day.

Day Three

Today was a combo day, ride in the morning and hike in the afternoon. We rode into Bryce and climbed to the top, Rainbow Point, at 9100 ft. We stopped two or three times at scenic pullovers on our way up. Once at the top, we got off our bikes, hiked to other scenic views before enjoying the descent back down to Sunset Point. A chicken fajitas lunch followed served with margaritas made by our Trek Travel guides. After lunch, we grabbed our change of clothes from the van and prepared for our afternoon hike into the canyon. We got a totally different perspective hiking in the canyon and looking up at peaks and lookouts from our biking viewpoint earlier in the day. It was a great day for picture taking. We ended the day again in the hot tub before heading to Bryce Lodge for social hour and dinner. Another great day!

Day Four

Today was a hotel transfer day, riding 85 miles from Bryce to Zion National Park. We started the day with rain showers and 52 degrees at 8000 ft. By the time we got into the park, it was sunny and 95 degrees at 3500 ft. Even though the overall drop in elevation was 4500 feet, we still climbed for 30 of the miles into a headwind. The early cold, rain and headwind were quickly forgotten when we reached Zion. Awesome rock formations greeted us and we stopped many times at lookouts during the last 1500 ft. of descent into the canyon. After several pictures, we completed our journey at the Majestic View Lodge, our home for the next two nights. After another visit to the hot tub and pool, we settled into happy hour at the lodge and dinner out in Springdale located just outside Zion.

Day Five

We were up early for breakfast outside where we watched the sun come up over the rocky mountain formations. Today was the hardest ride day but also the most rewarding. The 75-mile ride had a 15 mile ascent of 5500 ft. elevation. Our guides indicated that having climbed the Alps themselves this was as difficult a climb as any. Only 9 of our 15 riders rode this climb. The others opted for hiking in Zion. A much deserved lunch was served at the top of the mountain at Kolob Canyon Reservoir, a picturesque quiet setting at the end of the road. After lunch, we enjoyed the downhill descent, again stopping many times for pictures of the beautiful scenery along the way. After visiting the pool one last time, we spent our final evening together reminiscing over the week’s events while we dined at the Bit and Spur Saloon in Springdale.

Day Six

We decided to hike the last morning in Zion as the planned bike ride was just a short out and back. We caught the first morning shuttle into the park to hike up the Virgin River through the Narrows Canyon. At some points, the canyon walls are only 15 feet wide and 2000 ft high. It was a great way to cap off a fantastic week. We hustled back in time for lunch, said goodbyes to new friends from various parts of the world (Germany. Canada and the states) and headed home.

The week was everything we hoped it would be. It really made the trip more enjoyable since we had prepared by putting in many miles in the six weeks preceding the trip. We ended the trip with 300 miles of cycling, 28,000 feet of elevation and over six hours of hiking. Our guides were great, offering support and suggestions along the way. Everything that was needed to make the trip successful was provided. Debbie and I are already thinking about our next trip.

-Ken Gamache