Unpack your bags only once and explore the thousand foot canyons and the soaring sandstone cliffs of this awe-inspiring area. Long known as a mountain bike mecca, this area also boasts some beautiful road cycling. Come explore it with us.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: We meet in Moab, Utah, for a bike fitting at 3:00pm for those renting bicycles. We stay at the unique Gonzo Inn in the center of Moab. You know an inn is special when it has a bicycle station for washing and repairing bikes in the parking lot. We’ll have an orientation at 5:30pm, followed by a welcome dinner.
Day 2: Our first day of riding takes us along the Colorado River past soaring cliffs, petroglyph panels and dinosaur tracks to Arches National Park. We’ll bike through the entire park and get to see some spectacular scenery. We’ll see the famous Bow Tie — a pothole arch on the edge of a cliff rim, and Corona — a handle arch seemingly carved from the sandstone. You’ll find the arches as dissimilar as they are fascinating. 41 miles.
Day 3: Today we bike out to Castle Valley for a special treat – a feast at our guide Patty’s home. Everyone always raves about her cooking on our tours. You’ll bike along the river and by Red Cliffs Lodge where you can stop to do a wine tasting if you like. 43 miles.
Day 4: Today we bike to beautiful Canyonlands National Park. Formed by erosion from the Colorado River and its tributaries, the landscape is filled with colorful canyons, mesas and buttes. We’ll probably also see bighorn sheep, peregrine falcons and collared lizard during our picnic lunch in the park. 46 – 69 miles.
Day 5: We take a day off from cycling today to explore another facet of Moab. You can take the opportunity to hike, rent a mountain bike or drive a 4-wheeler for some off-road riding. Or choose to relax by the pool at our beautiful inn. If you’re really keen on biking, we’ll provide you with a ride up La Sal Mountain, known by the locals as the “Big Nasty.” 0 or 67 miles.
Day 6: We’ve saved the best for last. Our ride today takes us to Arches National Park, a preservation for more than 2000 natural sandstone arches. We’ll bike past the most famous Delicate Arch, as well as by other formations with such intriguing names as Courthouse Tower, Park Avenue, and Balanced Rock. After another short hike for a close-up view of Delicate Arch, we bike back to Moab. 19 – 56 miles.
Day 7: We’ll end the tour with a morning raft trip down the Colorado River. We begin our journey down the river at magnificent Fisher Towers. Calm waters in the beginning will give us time to learn more about the unique geology of Castle Valley. There will be a couple short sets of rapids, but there will be plenty of time to relax in between. We’ll say farewell and end our tour with a picnic lunch and a shuttle to the Moab airport, arriving by 2:00pm. 0 miles.
We’ll say farewell and end our tour after a picnic lunch, with a shuttle to the Moab airport, arriving by 2:00pm. 0 miles.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
USA
Utah
Outdoor: Land Rambler
Bicycle Touring
Women Tours
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