Desert Canyons & Historic Route 66

From the airport, just take a short shuttle or taxi ride to our hotel. We’ll be at the hospitality desk to meet you and welcome you with a Desert Canyons and Historic Route 66 motorcycle tour dinner. If you’re still awake afterwards, we think you’ll find something to do this evening!

After breakfast, we collect our motorbikes, and the adventure begins. We head east along the shores of Lake Mead, and then take our first dip into the scenic wonders ahead with a ride along the Valley of Fire. After a neat little lunch stop, our afternoon’s ride takes us away from the desert heat towards our hotel in Springdale, sitting pretty on the Virgin River and overlooked by red and yellow sandstone bluffs.

Today the scenery is just amazing. We rise early to catch the morning light as we ride under the spectacular cliffs of Zion National Park on the ‘Switchbacks of Zion’. Then we climb up to nearly 3000 m to Bryce, either via Cedar Breaks or with a stop at the Waterside Inn in Hatch (check out the jail!). This afternoon there is plenty of time to ride along the park road and stop at the many scenic lookouts, or possibly take a short hike. The views are quite stunning!

It’s an early start for possibly the most spectacular day’s riding you will ever experience. Today you’ll find out what ‘the Grand Staircase’ is and discover the meaning of the phrase ‘inhospitable environment’ as we cross the Escalante Wilderness. We take in the sleepy towns of Torrey and Escalante, the daunting Capitol Reef – the ‘Devil’s Backbone’ – Glen Canyon, the Colorado River and Natural Bridges National Park, before our day ends in picturesque Bluff. This evening go for a stroll and visit the old stockade.

Another early start with breakfast in a local café. Then we catch the magical morning light of the classic Wild West landscape of stark sandstone buttes and forbidding pinnacles of rock poking through an endless expanse of drifting red sands, known to the world as Monument Valley. It is only when you are ‘in’ Monument Valley that you realise how your perception of the Wild West has been shaped by this one place – a perfect scenic distillation. At the Tribal Park you can learn more about this magical ‘valley’ and Navajo culture, and grab some lunch. It’s then a fairly straightforward ride to our next spectacular sight, a little river cutting better known as the Grand Canyon. Stop at trading posts for silver and turquoise art and jewellery, once traded for food by the local artisans. We have plenty of time on the Rim Drive to stop and take in the views and marvel at the geological strata in the late afternoon light. A fantastic end to your day on this Desert Canyons & Historic Route 66 motorcycle tour.

First thing – how about a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon? It will take your breath away as you soar over the ravine and follow the river’s meandering path through the rock. Genuinely awesome! A short ride takes us to Williams, a nice little town with a good vibe, and plenty of places to grab a bit and do a bit of shopping. You’re on Route 66 now …. Next stop Seligman, and this afternoon you’ll get to see many iconic Route 66 sights as we pass through Truxton, Peach Springs and Hackberry. Our destination today, Kingman, is considered the ‘heart’ of the Mother Road, in the middle of the longest remaining stretch of the road through the Hulapai Reservation, with its scenic buttes and mesas. We hope today you will have had a real sense of nostalgia on this desert canyons and historic route 66 tour.

We continue on Route 66, winding its way over the forbidding Black Mountains on the Oatman Highway to the ghost town of Oatman. Now a tourist attraction, with wandering burros a traffic hazard, the town still retains its historic charm. We’ll then take a meandering ride on to Las Vegas, crossing the Colorado River by bridge rather than helicopter and taking in the Hoover Dam and scenic Lakeshore Drive. Have a fun night in this neon oasis, and bid farewell to newfound friends, made on your Desert Canyons & Historic Route 66 motorcycle tour.

Sadly, it is time to go home – or maybe stay a night or two in this unique city.