Tours of United States of America

Ride the Red-Rock Roads of Utah

Accessed through the weird and wonderful desert city of Las Vegas, this is a road cycling tour on the smooth and sun-kissed roads of southern Utah. At the heart of the '˜American West' this is a part of the world famous for its red-rock national parks, such as Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion. We visit all of these, cycling on quiet, well-surfaced roads with our cycling guide and with the back-up of a cycle-specific support vehicle. This was cowboy country not too long ago and there are reminders of late 19th century life in the abandoned wooden buildings at Fruita and in the former cattle-droving route of the Burr Trail, as we cycle across to Boulder. The landscapes that we pass through are also amazing; outrageous rock formations, deep canyons, lonesome pine trees, endless vistas and clear blue skies '“ like something from a classic John Ford movie. After an initial transfer from Nevada across the stateline, our road cycling journey takes the form of an 8-day loop, via Torrey, Boulder, Escalante, Bryce and Springdale. We use a good standard of accommodation on this tour and our day rides are never too tough, although on most days there is the option to extend your ride. There are a couple of days, too, at Bryce and at Zion, where you will have the chance to ditch the bike for a few hours and go hiking instead, to make the best of these premier locations. If you are looking for a road cycling holiday either side of the summer months, with a probable 10 or 12 hours of sunshine a day and a real '˜Wild West' flavour, this is one we can recommend.