Premium Member 1moreroad Posted December 9, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted December 9, 2016 Fair enough, but there's just so much traffic on the good roads around Phoenix. Maybe Mount Lemmon out of Tucson on a weekday? Lots of things to do/see around Tucson that are 1-2 hours apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodan Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 My advice would be stay away from Arizona. Going from the breathtakingly beautiful Utah to the drab and monotonous Arizona will be such a big step down you might pull a hamstring. My mother retired to Phoenix so I drove many times between there and LA and there's absolutely nothing to see. That, coupled with the fact that everyone carries guns everywhere (I was sitting in a bank once when another customer walked in with a 9mm strapped to his hip and walked up to the cashier window without anyone even flinching) means I generally tell people to avoid the place at all costs. Sure, Sedona is nice, as someone else mentioned, but its a solid 3 hours from Phoenix with absolutely nothing to see or do inbetween and in May it might still be snowing there. My advice would be go to Colorado if you want an almost as pretty as Utah experience. Sorry, but this is just dumb.... and inaccurate. Sunshine, please do stay away from Arizona. Your attitude is unwelcome here. As for ayrton... you are definitely welcome. AZ has some great roads, and some great scenery... Instead of taking I17 from Phoenix to Prescott, head northwest into Wickenburg by whichever route is convenient, then ride 89 North into Prescott. The stretch from Congress to Prescott is one of the most popular roads in the state, and it's a great ride. If you have time ride west through Kirkland to Bagdad and back to Prescott. Hwy 96 from Hillside to Bagdad is a fantastic ride. There's a good little diner in Bagdad for breakfast or lunch, but it's not always open weekdays. In Prescott (where I live, BTW), there's a number of areas to hike, depending on your abilities and interests. From Prescott, ride 89A into Jerome, and on into Sedona. The Coffee Pot diner is known for great breakfasts and it's menu of 101 omelettes. After breakfast there, I recommend hiking Devil's Bridge, a natural rock bridge just outside Sedona. Nice after breakfast hike and very cool. Your Grand Canyon loop will be a long day as you have it planned. If you have time and energy, there's a warbird museum in Valle, which is at the intersection of 64/180. None of the riding will be fantastic that day, but the scenery will be good. Lake Mary road is a nice ride, but if you like twisty roads, take I17 south from Flagstaff, then 260 from Camp Verde East to 87. Some nice curves and scenery on the climb into the pines. Rather than taking 87 back to Phoenix, there are better options further east if you have time... Option 1: 260 East to 288 south through Salt River Canyon, then 188 to 88 back into Phoenix. Another one of the most popular sportbike rides. Easy day ride from Payson. Option 2: 260 east to Springerville, and 191 south to Morenci, then west on 70 back to Phoenix. 191 used to be numbered 666 (the Devil's Hwy), and is a fantastic ride, but it would probably add a day to your itinerary. Watch out for DPS (our Hwy patrol) on weekends on any twisty road... they don't like motorcycles. They usually sit at one end or the other of the good stuff. Weather in early May can be a toss up in the mountains. We have had snow in May in Prescott, but it's usually the first week, and it doesn't last long. Flagstaff could get a little snow later in May, but it's not common there, either. Phoenix could easily be 100 deg in May. Plan on layers for cold mornings and pleasant afternoons. Towards the end of May we usually don't see a lot of rain, but again, that's a generalization. It will likely be windy in much of Northern AZ. Feel free to PM me when you get a schedule put together. We're planning a trip in May, but if I'm in town and available, I'd be happy to meet up and ride with you guys for a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldfart Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Excellent info, Rodan. I'll print it and keep it for my next Az trip! (If I pack it right in the case with my six-shooter I should be ready to go, ha.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruceintucson Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Excellent info, Rodan. I'll print it and keep it for my next Az trip! (If I pack it right in the case with my six-shooter I should be ready to go, ha.) My only suggestion to what Rodan stated, and I've ridden all those roads many times, is go UP AZ Hwy 191 (666) from Morenci to Alpine, not down. Going down you are on the brakes constantly and it's fatiguing and not as much fun as doing south to north. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member fanowater Posted December 17, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted December 17, 2016 Hi there all! I too am planning a May trip to south Utah and Arizona. Part of route we are looking into would be: 1) Virgin Utah to the North rim of the Grand Canyon, loop around to the south rim and then call it a day in Flagstaff 2) Flagstaff to Sedona and then loop around hitting the sights and lots of breaks and then back to Flagstaff. 3) From Flagstaff out to Monument Valley. Indian route 15 looks much more scenic than hwy 160 and we could add in Canyon de Chelly Any thoughts on Indian Route 15 versus Indian route 2? Me and my buds love the tiny freeways over the superslab, unless it is more scenic. https://goo.gl/maps/9xcJJ6o2AtM2 Thanks in advance! Hope your trip goes well Ayrton. Cheers 2015 FJ-09 2006 Triumph Daytona 675 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member woop Posted December 17, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted December 17, 2016 Fun trip, but Utah to flagstaff with a stop at the north rim of Grand Canyon is way too ambitious. North rim to south rim alone is 4 or 5 hours without being a tourist. Better to go to north rim, spend the night, enjoy one of the greatest sunsets in the world at the historic lodge with a drink in your hand. The north rim is a much slower pace than the tourist overrun south rim. Allow yourself to soak it in and you will not regret it. Next day, start early, blast over to the south rim to see a few viewpoints that will blow your doors off and make your way to Flag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member woop Posted December 17, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted December 17, 2016 BTW, a big miss for many people visiting the North Rim is the national forest surrounding the National Park. Most people try to cram their way into the campgrounds or lodge in the North Rim which gets booked to death way in advance. if you are camping, you can camp for free anywhere in the national forest. For info as to good spots, Jacobs Lake right where 89a meets 67 has the Kaibab National Plateau Visitor Centor where very nice retired volunteers will show you exactly where to go. Why cram yourself into an overstuffed National Park campground when you can have a nearby safe, free forest to yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member fanowater Posted December 17, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted December 17, 2016 Woop - Thanks for the comments. We are fairly ambitious riders though. Went to Banff NP part and back in 9 days (3440 miles, 8 days on bike, 1 day off). I have camped at the North Rim. It was quite nice. We are still putting our 'want to see, want to ride' list together. Maybe we can work out a route that ends at the north rim. Cheers 2015 FJ-09 2006 Triumph Daytona 675 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member woop Posted December 17, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted December 17, 2016 Good luck to you and have oodles of fun. You are a tougher man than I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 My advice would be stay away from Arizona. Going from the breathtakingly beautiful Utah to the drab and monotonous Arizona will be such a big step down you might pull a hamstring. My mother retired to Phoenix so I drove many times between there and LA and there's absolutely nothing to see. That, coupled with the fact that everyone carries guns everywhere (I was sitting in a bank once when another customer walked in with a 9mm strapped to his hip and walked up to the cashier window without anyone even flinching) means I generally tell people to avoid the place at all costs. Sure, Sedona is nice, as someone else mentioned, but its a solid 3 hours from Phoenix with absolutely nothing to see or do inbetween and in May it might still be snowing there. My advice would be go to Colorado if you want an almost as pretty as Utah experience. Sorry, but this is just dumb.... and inaccurate. Sunshine, please do stay away from Arizona. Your attitude is unwelcome here. No worries--you couldn't pay me to go back to Arizona. On the plus side, however, since Arizona driver's licenses never expire, I don't ever have to go back! 8-) I will concede though that Prescott is one of Arizona's more rarefied enclaves. I can see how living in Prescott, one could forget that they also live in Arizona. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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