Bryce Canyon & Capitol Reef Gravel Riding
7 days
From $ 2629
Duration7 days
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  • Etepia
  • Bryce Canyon & Capitol Reef Gravel Riding

Spend 7 days exploring jaw-dropping Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks by gravel or mountain bike. Welcome to two of the great parks of Utah. You’ll say "wow" a lot. Also the occasional "how the bleep did that form?" Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks bring grade-A geological game and rides to match. This trip samples the best of both. We’ll explore prehistoric-seeming desert plateau country on bikes. Canyons and cliffs, monoliths and monoclines. Our expert guides will lead you through it safely, dropping experience-enhancing nature and history knowledge along the way. They’re killer cooks, too, and they handle all the meals. Your standards for camp cuisine will never be the same. At night, we stay in comfy tents and gaze at a super-starry sky. Maybe even the Milky Way! Capitol Reef is designated a "Gold Tier" International Dark Sky Park. We'll ride a top-ten list of trails and backroads, including the Aquarius Plateau, Escalante Petrified Forest, Waterpocket Fold and Burr Trail. And many more. We’ll also ride Hell’s Backbone, a road that seems to wind into the sky. Here’s to red rocks and big views.

This tour is operated by

  • Duration: 7 days
    Service level: Standard
  • Physical Grading: Demanding
  • Ends in: CASTLE KONA REEF
    Ages: 18+
Bryce Canyon & Capitol Reef Gravel Riding - Tour Map

Itinerary

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Day 1: Heart of Bryce Canyon
The red-rock landscape surrounds us as we leave St. George behind and make our way deeper into Canyon Country. We finish our scenic drive at Red Canyon for a tasty lunch, but our adventure has yet to begin- after lunch, we will continue our day with a 25-mile ride on the Red Canyon Bicycle Trail through a ponderosa pine forest right into the heart of Bryce Canyon National Park. After spending some time enjoying the sights, we will ride back to our campsite for a delicious guide prepared dinner before we retire to our tents for the night. Lunch and Dinner included.
Cycling: 25 miles; Elevation gain/loss: 1412'/767'; Van transfer: 4 hours; Surface: Paved bike path
Meals: D
Day 2: Aquarius Plateau & Petrified Forest
We wake up early in eager anticipation of today’s ride. A hot breakfast hits the spot in the cool morning air as the sun rises over the horizon. After packing up our camp, we hit the trail, setting out for awe inspiring views. We stop for lunch at a spot overlooking the Aquarius Plateau, the highest timbered plateau in North America. We conclude our ride at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, another beautiful campground to call home for the night. All meals included.
Cycling: 43 miles; Elevation gain/loss: 2152'/3959'; Surface: 47% paved, 53% dirt
Meals: B, L, D
Day 3: Climbing Hell’s Backbone
Enjoy breakfast in camp before we begin riding the evocatively named Hell’s Backbone Road. Embrace the challenge of this rugged road carved out of desert slickrock by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the Great Depression era. Take in the breathtaking views as you navigate the mountain contours. We stop for lunch on the trail before crossing the historic Hell’s Backbone Bridge, taking time to gaze over the expansive Box-Death Hollow Wilderness area. We end our day with a hearty and well-deserved dinner while camping amongst the lush pine and aspen forest. All meals included.
Cycling: 32 miles; Elevation gain/loss: 4968'/2560'; Surface: 16% paved, 84% dirt
Meals: B, L, D
Day 4: Boulder Town & Burr Trail
Wake up, stretch, and congratulate yourself; you survived Hell’s Backbone! We rise today and have breakfast before a leisurely downhill ride into the eclectic mountain town of Boulder, Utah. After lunch at Burr Trail Grill, we jump back in the saddle for another 24 miles on our restaurant’s namesake- the Burr Trail. In the 1880s, John Atlantic Burr built this trail to move cattle from the Aquarius Plateau to Bullfrog Basin near the Colorado River. Today we enjoy the trail that history has left for us as we marvel at the geologic wonders that surround us. A final climb onto a ‘step’ of the Grand Staircase leads us to our campsite for the night. All meals included.
Cycling: 37 miles; Elevation gain/loss: 2712'/4508'; Surface: 89% rough pavement, 11% dirt
Meals: B, L, D
Day 5: Switchbacks, Strike Valley & Capitol Reef Canyons
Shake the red dust off your tent after a hot breakfast in the open air. Climb back on your bike to continue along the ever-amazing Burr Trail. A downhill route alongside sheer canyon walls gives us time to take in our surroundings. We’ll make lasting memories of the sweeping views from Strike Valley Overlook before tackling the infamous Burr Trail switchbacks. Just past those hairpin turns, we find ourselves along the monocline that forms the Waterpocket Fold. Take in the panorama of scrubby juniper and pinyon pines as we make our way through the southern portion of Capitol Reef National Park, finally ending our day at Spring Canyon. All meals included.
Cycling: 32 miles; Elevation gain/loss: 1673'/2807'; Surface: 100% dirt
Meals: B, L, D
Day 6: Ride Where Mountains Moved
Today we continue up the scenic backway of Notom-Bullfrog road, our views interspersed with narrow canyons and endless blue sky. You will see the sandstone strata of the Waterpocket Fold on your left, a result of the Laramide Orogeny event over 50 million years ago. We stop for a trailside lunch at Orientation Pullout, then cycle on into historic Fruita, Utah just inside Capitol Reef National Park. We’ll stretch our legs off the bikes on some short hikes around our campsite for the night, or just relax in camp. A celebratory dinner concludes our day as we prepare our final ride tomorrow. All meals included.
Cycling: 29 miles; Elevation gain/loss: 1563'/1449'; Surface: 60% paved, 40% dirt
Meals: B, L, D
Day 7: Through Capitol Reef Canyons
Our last day begins with a quick breakfast so we can get an early start on our last ride. We tackle the aptly named Scenic Drive of Capitol Reef National Park. We traverse 18 colorful miles surrounded on both sides by towering canyon walls. A farewell lunch in Torrey is the perfect conclusion to our adventure before we head back to St. George to say farewell to our new friends and look back upon the memories we’ve made. Breakfast and lunch included.
Cycling: 18 miles; Elevation gain/loss: 1372'/ 1372'; Van transfer: 3 hours; Surface: 60% paved, 40% dirt

End place: CASTLE KONA REEF

Meals: B, L

Inclusions

Included

  • Salsa Cutthroat gravel bike or Specialized hard tail bike
  • 2 professional guides
  • round trip ground transportation from St

  • Accommodation

    Front country campground, 3 nights, Primitive camping 3 nights

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