Utah Motorcycle Tour

Utah’s national parks from a different direction. Eight days out of Salt Lake City, seven nights and around 1,100 miles, taking in Bryce Canyon, Zion, Monument Valley and Arches, with Highway 12 somewhere near the heart of it.

Torrey comes first, then the route picks up Highway 12 through the Dixie National Forest, a road that climbs along a narrow ridge with the ground falling away on both sides and is routinely listed among the most scenic in America. Bryce Canyon and its amphitheatre of orange spires sit on the same stretch, then Zion and the canyon road through its tunnels.

The second half crosses the Navajo Nation, and the landscape opens out accordingly. The Vermillion Cliffs lead to Page and Lake Powell, then the Navajo National Monument and the buttes of Monument Valley on the way to Blanding. A short 75-mile day follows into Moab, which leaves most of the afternoon free, and the last ride north takes in Arches National Park and its sandstone fins before the long run back to Salt Lake City.

EAGLERIDER provides the bike and books all seven nights, with Harley-Davidson touring models alongside Triumph and BMW sport machines. Fuel, meals and insurance are separate. Salt Lake City makes a quieter and often cheaper arrival point than Las Vegas for much the same country, and it puts Highway 12 on the second day rather than the fifth. For riders who want the Mighty Five without the Nevada bookends, this is the version to look at.