CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Out of Grand Junction and back again: 776 km, roughly 10 h 13 in the saddle. The stops in between: Dinosaur Colorado, Vernal and Moab. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,300 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
Grand Junction sits where the Gunnison River flows into the Colorado, in the high desert of western Colorado, and it takes its name from that meeting of waters. Red sandstone mesas close it in on one side, the Book Cliffs on the other, and in between is a fertile valley full of orchards and vineyards. Peaches from nearby Palisade are famous in Colorado, and the town of Palisade has become a small wine region, with tasting rooms among the fruit farms. Orchard Mesa, a short way south, is part of the same agricultural belt.
Read the complete Grand Junction write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Grand Junction is where the day begins. Next is Dinosaur Colorado.
The little town of Dinosaur, Colorado, has streets named for its famous residents: Brontosaurus Boulevard, Stegosaurus Freeway, Triceratops Terrace. It lies in the arid country of the far north-west corner of the state, just east of the Utah line, in the Uinta Basin, a land of red rock, juniper and dust. The surrounding hills are banded in pink, grey and rust, and the sky is huge. Rangely, about twenty-four kilometres east, is the nearest sizeable settlement and the practical place for fuel and supplies.
Read the complete Dinosaur Colorado write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Dinosaur Colorado comes up about 174 km into the recorded legs. Next is Vernal.
The town has about eleven thousand people, with a long main street, a few motels and diners, and a museum of natural history with a collection of dinosaur skeletons, including a life-size model garden with creatures that appear to lurk beside the road. The surrounding country is red and tan rock, sagebrush, and dry river valleys, with the high, snowy Uinta Mountains standing to the north.
Read the complete Vernal write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
about 229 km into the recorded legs you reach Vernal. Next is Moab.
Moab sits in a green strip of valley beside the Colorado River, surrounded by red sandstone cliffs, and it is the main base for exploring the canyon country of southeastern Utah. At about 1,200 metres, it is a small town of five thousand people, though in the busy seasons it feels much larger. Arches National Park lies just five kilometres north, Canyonlands is a short ride southwest, and the roads in and out are as scenic as any in the country, with long views of red rock, blue sky and the La Sal Mountains, which stay capped with snow into early summer.
Read the complete Moab write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Moab, late in the day. Next is Grand Junction.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Grand Junction write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Back at Grand Junction. That is the ride.
Grand Junction → Dinosaur Colorado is 174 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Dinosaur Colorado → Vernal is 55 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Vernal → Moab is 366 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Moab → Grand Junction is 182 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.