multi day bike ride

[TreeHugger]

OK, I need everyone's creative genious on this one, here's the deal:

The school I work at has an adventure component built into the curriculum. Three times a year we take the kids on camping/backpacking/river trips, etc. One thing we would like to try this year is a multi day bike trip. That would be 4 days/3 nights. Probably mostly on roads, dirt or paved, with places to camp in between. The most difficult thing about this is we would probably have to do, like, 20-25 miles each day at most and would like to stay off of busy roads. A huge challenge to figure out where to go. Oh, we can travel a few hours to get where we need to, but keeping in mind where ever we start, they have to ride to their first campground.

Hmmmm.... any ideas???

Thanks!!!!

[greyhair biker]

How about along Skyline Drive...it can be accessed from several places, for the supply van, it is definitely off the highway roads and you can camp nearly anywhere along it you want...and it is fairly long and very scenic. Another one would be a loop around Bear Lake, be it a regular road and nearly flat, it is a 50 + miler, and lots of little places to stop...and the milkshakes in Garden City are to die for!

[TreeHugger]

Hmmm, I like the idea of Skyline Drive... but I think this will be in the spring (which I just realized), it might be snowed in still, ay? Dont you live out near Vernal? Any possibilities out that way?


Thanks for the ideas!...

[johnnyspoke]

How about the Kokopelli trail? Should be pretty good in spring. It's mostly dirt road or fire road and could be broken into 20-25 mile sections pretty easily. Where it begins in Colorado has some singletrack-some of it quite technical-so that could be an option depending on the skill level of your group. Closer to Moab it has some big climbs into the La Sal mountains but this is on dirt roads with some options to shuttle riders up and have them ride back to camp.

I led a group ride there a couple years back so I could help you out with places to camp, mileage, general conditions, etc.

[James_B_Wads2000]

The White Rim Trail would be fun and free of snow in spring.

If that is too far you could ride on the Pony Express route in the west desert. There is good camping at Lookout Pass, Simpson Springs maybe Fish Springs. If not in the FS wildlife area, there is a cool abandoned ghost town nearby. Could be a lot of distance between Simpson and FS without great camping.

There are other roads in the West Desert of Utah that could be toured. The Notch Peak Loop is very scenic. You could camp near the trilobite beds and do a little fossil hunting, camp in Miller Canyon, camp in Painters Spring Cabin, camp in Marjum Pass. Lots of options.

Lots of nearly abandon dirt roads out west and the best part is it

[TreeHugger]

Thank you guys SO MUCH. This is sooooo helpful. This is why I love this site so much!

Although we would LOVE to do Skyline Drive, it'll be under snow in April/May. The Pony Express route sounds pretty interesting and probably within our kids (6th graders) ability level, plus we could add some curriculum too. The Kokopelli trail I think we'll have to save for ME to do!! haha!

Thanks again for all your ideas!

Yours,
Karen

[stefan]

posted in the wrong place - cross posted from backpacking


how about half-baked thoughts ...

if you're thinking about escalante ...

i might suggest doing the hells backbone road out of boulder. there is a camp on the road called blue spruce. this is right at pine creek (the box) which would be an excellent place to hike [high-elevation, deserty box canyon in a small wilderness area, with frequent wading across the creek]. off of the hellsbackbone road is the road towards posy lake, which breaks to the west towards North Creek and another camp called Barker (never been). this road can be ridden down towards highway 12, where another route continues up main canyon towards "twin trees" camp. could ride this road up into the escalante mountains too.

also the burr trail road (east out of boulder) is a spectacular road, in particular, through long canyon and just out beyond the circle cliffs where it becomes dirt. beyond that it's more submerged in the pi

[greyhair biker]

Spring is gonna limit you to the lower half of the state...elevation wise...anything around and under the 4000' mark would be rideable in the spring...I guess that's kinda obvious, but Vernal is around that and lots of rideable stuff ( I am 2 hours north of there). You may have to do some map searching to see what elevations fit that category.
I have to agree with the Kokopelli idea though, good views, LOTS of miles, and it is accessible in several locations for shuttles & help. :2thumbs:

[stefan]

ahh missed that. spring ... right, high country, hmm ...

[greyhair biker]

[quote=James_B_Wads2000]The White Rim Trail would be fun and free of snow in spring.

If that is too far you could ride on the Pony Express route in the west desert. There is good camping at Lookout Pass, Simpson Springs maybe Fish Springs. If not in the FS wildlife area, there is a cool abandoned ghost town nearby. Could be a lot of distance between Simpson and FS without great camping.

There are other roads in the West Desert of Utah that could be toured. The Notch Peak Loop is very scenic. You could camp near the trilobite beds and do a little fossil hunting, camp in Miller Canyon, camp in Painters Spring Cabin, camp in Marjum Pass. Lots of options.

Lots of nearly abandon dirt roads out west and the best part is it