Advice needed for spring Grand Canyon trip from KY

[Redfish Hunter]

I offer this little piece of advice and it will not take you out of your way regardless of which rim of the canyon you go see. Travel to Page Arizona. This is the closest Arizona town of any size to the North Rim and is not prohibitively far from the South Rim. Just outside of Page AZ is Antelope Canyon. There is an Upper and a Lower Antelope, I prefer Lower. Pay the ridiculously high price to the Navajo guides, tip them at the end if they do a decent job. This is one of the most memorable and impressive parts of my Out West trips, I highly recommend it.

 

[Goodman4]

Cool pics, Redfish! I'll have to keep that on my short-list.

Don, I read your invite post in my email and thought, "Man I wish I could get out there a couple weeks earlier. It'd be great to meet Don, AJ and all those guys that have been entertaining and assisting me for the last few years." Then I got online and saw the pic of AJ and Lupita and thought, "Well, maybe not"

Just kidding about AJ. He wouldn't keep us away. I sold him a punctured tire once. And I assume that's one of the animals we ride down into the canyon, right?

 

[Goodman4]

Well I'm in detail planning mode for early June if anybody's still watching this thread. Since Wheatie's goals are very close to mine, I am using his trip report as a guide for much of the middle of the trip. We are going to go the south route on the way out so we can say we've ridden through part of Oklahoma and Texas and it only adds about 100 miles. We'll come back through CO and central KS on the way back instead.

Main goals are: see the big ditch, see some of the parks and other interesting scenery, ride some good scenic roads, and get the wife to enjoy this almost as much as the Montana trip.

Here's what we have planned for our 16 day trip:

Drop our daughter off in Southern IL and get far enough to feel like we've started the first night. Then three 400-500 mile slab days listening to audiobooks on the way out - South Missouri, OK, N Texas, North NM then up to CO and probably stay in Cortez.

Drive up to Arches and visit the park then stay in Moab. Spend the next day at Canyonlands and back to Moab. Follow Mark's route to Tropic (191S, 95, 24, 12) and spend the night there.

Next morning do Bryce and stay in Kanab. Next day do Zion and back to Kanab. Then down to Grand Canyon North Rim and back up to Page, AZ.

Then take 98, 160, 163 (Monument Valley), 191, 160 (four corners) to Durango, CO staying the night there.

Drive up 550 and maybe do 92 around Black Canyon, then stay in that area that night. On the way home, go up Pike's Peak since the couple times I've been there the road has been closed. I haven't actually been to the top but my parents claimed I was conceived there 51 years ago.

Drive slab on the way back with 400 mile days. We think we could handle more than these miles any day, but this should keep it fun and fresh for us.

So does this sound like a good plan? We think we could add a day of riding somewhere in there, and are leaning towards doing that in CO, but the SW Utah area could be a good option too. Thoughts on that? Also, we would either be at the North Rim on Saturday or Sunday the 6th or 7th. Would Saturday be a lot worse traffic than Sunday?

So if we had a day to ride, should we do RMNP and what part of that would be best? I think that may be a little far N to come back and do Pike's Peak, and then do the long ride home. Are other parts in the Buena Vista or Grand Junction area worth spending a day? I have to do 550 cause that will be a highlight as we have done 8 of AMA's top 12 motorcycle roads and 550 knocks off another. Is 92 around Black Canyon a good road?

And sorry we won't make it to the SWFOG as we'll be just headed that way by then. Prepare the way for us.

 

[want2ride]

Sounds like I will be missing you. I am leaving for the canyon on the 10th of June and getting back the 23rd. Not taking the Colorado route, saw that last year on the cruiser!

 

[Goodman4]

I finally got the trip report posted. Truly amazing trip. We had so many good pictures between us it was hard to get them into a report. Thanks again for the help.