Ordinary Biker Oz: UT-128

Monday, May 17, 2010

A Must Visit National Park in the American West

I know that there has been a lot written about Arches National Park in Utah, but I am going to share my thoughts anyway.

In June 2009 part of our 4 state trip included a day of riding from SW Colorado into Utah and up to Moab to visit Arches NP. As we rode up US 191 from Monticello, UT we saw many formations that gave us a small preview of what was in store for us.

Church Rock lies to the east of US 191, south of Moab, UT

Along the way we stopped at Wilson Arch, a popular formation right beside the highway with paved parking provided on both sides of the road. Hiking to the arch is allowed and the view from the arch is great.

Wilson Arch

The boys on the arch, what a view!

View from Wilson Arch and one of the group on the arch.

Parking lot as seen from the arch

The hike up the arch is short, but steep. We made the hike in our riding boots and I am glad I went up. It was really neat.

We continued to Moab and then to Arches NP. The park is just north of Moab on US 191. There is a gift shop with facilities at the entrance of the park. We rode 17.7 miles to the farthest part of the park, Devils Garden Trailhead. Along the way we viewed the desert landscape and the saw many of the 2000+ arches in the park.

One of the arches along the way.

There is numerous trails and we had limited time, so we decided to visit this area the most. One arch we hiked to was Pine Tree Arch. There were many in the area, but the hikes to them are longer.

Look closely and you can see me and my son at Pine Tree Arch.

There are many unique formations that are not arches. The Devils Garden area had some neat formations.

Elephant Rock - not the best angle, but you can see the elephant head and top of his truck.

Another unique formation.

We left Devils Garden Trailhead and road to Delicate Arch Viewpoint. Due to time we did not hike to the famous arch, but we hiked a short distance to a great viewpoint just south of the arch. It is an impressive site.

The iconic Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch

After view Delicate Arch we headed out of the park and on to Grand Junction, CO by way of an awesome road UT 128 (see previous post about the road).

Arches National Park is a worthy destination. Allot plenty of time to hike to some of the sites. Take plenty water, snacks, and sunscreen. I look forward to visiting the park again in the future.

Ride carefully and prayerfully!

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Thursday, October 8, 2009

Top Scenic and Beautiful Road - Utah to Colorado

I realize there are a lot of great roads in the US and each has its own special aspects. State Road Utah 128 is one of those great roads. The road is designated the Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway & is part of the Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway which is a National Scenic Byway. Due to the blind curves and no shoulder large vehicles (55,000+ pounds) are prohibited from using it.

UT 128 connects US 191 on the north end of Moab to I-70 west of Grand Junction, Colorado. UT 128 runs beside the Arkansas River for about 28 of the 43 miles. The road has sweeping curves, some tight curves and a good number of small hills that can make your stomach drop if you moving a long at a good pace. Link to map

We started on the west end of UT 128 after we left Arches National Park. We filled up and I sure am glad we did, as it was about 90 miles before we passed a gas station or store. Make sure you and the bike are ready before you take off.

We started off following the curves of the river with steep sandstone walls on both sides. The road was in great shape and at 3:30pm there was not a lot of traffic. There are several camping sites along the road so one must watch for traffic. As we traveled east the road leaves the canyon and rises from 4000 feet to 6000 feet above sea level and crosses the arid desert area until UT 128 intersects with I-70.

This was a fun and scenic road. I would love to ride it both directions in the same day. Is it the type of road to make sure you ride, even if it means adding miles to your trip? Yes!