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Memorable Rides on the Upper Colorado Plateau

Where the road less traveled is neither a poetic metaphor nor a pedestrian platitude.

Many interesting and beautiful roads in western Colorado and eastern Utah are widely known and frequently visited but roads don't have to be famous and popular to be worth traveling. Most roads mentioned here are lesser known, sometimes even to local riders. These roads not only feature stunning scenery but are often lengthy, remote and lightly traveled. Many include long unpaved sections ideally suited to adventure-touring motorcycles with large fuel tanks and all-day comfort. All but a few of the unpaved roads are easy going, suitable for newer riders, cautious older riders or anybody wanting beautiful scenery. It should be understood the following descriptions represent snapshots in time. Unpaved mountain and desert roads vary from season to season and may even be impassable after major storms.

My Motorcycles of choice for the roads below: Kawasaki KLR650 and Suzuki DL650 V-Strom. I've ridden most of the roads below multiple times on a variety of motorcycles. All these roads are easy on a KLR650 although a few may require an experienced off-pavement rider. Most of these roads are easy on a DL650 V-Strom. The few roads I have not ridden a DL650 on, and perhaps would choose not to, I've been with other riders who did ride DL650's although to be fair they were experts. Assuming suitable ground clearance, it's the rider more than the machine—the heavier the motorcycle, the more skill and confidence required. — Verle Nelson, Cedaredge CO

Weather information:

NOAA/National Weather Service | Road conditions Colorado CDOT | Road conditions Utah UDOT

Western Colorado:

Black Ridge Road Gunnison River canyon overlook, side trip on "Inspiriation Loop" below.
7.3 miles of 2-track primitive, easy when dry.

Gateway to Delta Across the Uncompahgre Plateau, mostly unpaved.
Mostly easy adventure touring / a mile of deep sand / a few steep, tight, loose-rock hairpins favoring dualsports.

Highway 141 A popular loop with 100 miles of pretty canyons.
Paved / any kind of motorcycle, especially sportbikes.

Inspiration Loop 140 miles of twisty pavement, fast gravel and dirt roads.
Paved / unpaved / easy / any kind of motorcycle.

Los Pinos Camp A primitive camp near Los Pinos Pass.
Paved / unpaved / tricky 300 yards to camp site, doable with care on big adventure touring bikes.

9 passes 1 day Nine unpaved passes, all in one day, a modest endurance ride.
Easy.

13 passes 1 day Thirteen unpaved passes, all in one day, a serious endurance ride.
7 passes easy / 6 passes 4WD trails favoring good riders on dualsports.

Road to Nowhere Unpaved road way up north in Western Colorado.
Easy.

Uncompahgre Over 100 miles of unpaved Divide Road with no towns or houses.
Easy.

Fifteen easy unpaved mountain passes in Western Colorado, west of or crossing the Continental Divide.
Gravel / dirt / small rocks, loose or embedded in clay / seasonal soft sand or powdered dirt / normally suitable for most motorcycles with good clearance / condition can vary depending on weather and road maintenance / may be impassable when wet / all closed by winter snow / muddy from spring thaw.

Western Colorado and Eastern Utah:

Dolores River River road north out of Gateway along the Dolores River.
Unpaved / short (15 miles to end) / easy.

Moab-Telluride A 450 loop, 250 miles unpaved.
Mostly easy adventure touring / a mile of deep sand / a few steep, tight, loose-rock hairpins favoring dualsports.

Paradox Trail Unpaved roads between Paradox and John Brown Canyon.
Easy.

Eastern and Southern Utah destination or focal point:

Aquarius Plateau A beautiful high plateau between Escalante and Bicknell.
unpaved / easy

Bullet Canyon Not all that remote but pretty and private overnight camp.
Easy / good gravel.

Burr Trail Mostly Paved but still beautiful route between Boulder and Bullfrog.
Easy / seasonal soft sand or powdered dirt.

Butler Wash Road A short, sandy ride along east side of Comb Ridge.
Unpaved / easy / seasonal soft sand.

Canyonlands 450 mile mostly unpaved circumnavigation of Canyonlands NP.
Easy enough on a dual sport / experts do it on big adventure bikes.

Capitol Reef areaThousand Lakes Mountain, Cathedral Valley, Aquarius Plateau, Hell's Backbone, Burr Trail.
Paved / unpaved / easy except for seasonal soft silt and sand on Notum Road. Cathedral Valley roads (see report).

Cathedral Valley Cathedral Valley, Cainville Wash Road.
Upaved / moderate until washed out at 22 miles in (see report).

Cave with a View What to do when it rains and you don't have a tent.
Pavement / 100 yards of soft sand to cave / easy but may be private property.

Baxter & 9 mile Baxter Pass, 9-mile canyon, UT72 and a seasonal master chef in Torrey.
Paved / unpaved / easy / seasonal soft powdered dirt.

Comb Wash A short, sandy ride along west side of Comb Ridge.
Unpaved / easy / seasonal soft sand.

Cottonwood Canyon Canyon-rim view of Cottonwood and Dolores canyons.
Unpaved / easy on a dual sport / experts would do it on big adventure bikes.

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, south-central Utah.
Paved / unpaved / easy on a dual sport / experts can do it on big adventure bikes / soft sand / one rocky climb.

Hells Backbone Boulder Mountain, Burr Trail.
Paved / unpaved / easy / seasonal soft sand.

Hovenweep A National Monument off the beaten path.
Paved.

Mesa Arch Island in the Sky, Canyonlands.
Paved, (unpaved alternate Island in the Sky descent).

Monument Valley Winter trips to Navajo land.
Paved.

Muley Point Overnight camping with a distant view of Monument Valley.
Easy / 4 miles unpaved / seasonal soft sand.

Pucker Pass A 2-day loop ride beginning with Baxter Pass.
Paved / unpaved / mostly easy / Pucker Pass varies from easy to difficult depending on maintenance and storms.

San Rafael Desert Well over 100 unpaved miles to Hite from Green River.
Easy for dual sports / experts do it on big adventure bikes / seasonal soft sand.

Snow Flat An interesting road from UT261 to Comb Wash.
Easy on a dual sport / experts could do it on big adventure bike.

Utah Highway 72 One of my favorite little-known highways in Utah.
Paved.

Alternate Routes:

John Brown Canyon Gateway CO to Moab UT via John Brown Canyon
Easy.

Elsewhere:

Deals Gap Smoky Mountain Ride, twelve states, 4133 miles.
Paved.

Death Valley Extraterrestrial Highway.
Paved.