::DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY::

Desert & Parks Tour 2.0 — 12 days

Day 1, Sunday. San Diego to Palm Springs (170 miles)

We start our adventure by exploring some of the terrific San Diego County back-roads as we ride through several inland valleys on our way to lunch at a small restaurant on the old Butterfield stagecoach route. After lunch, we’ll ride the famous Palms-to-Pines highway into the Coachella Valley and on to our destination in the “old money” town of Palm Springs. We’ll have time for a refreshing swim in the pool before dinner.

Day 2, Monday. Palm Springs to Lake Havasu City (200 miles)

We’ll ride from the low desert to high desert on our way to Joshua Tree National Park. Although Joshua Trees are the centerpiece of the park, the rock formations are unique and beautiful. From here it’s a 100 mile run across the desert to Parker Arizona on the Colorado River. We’ll ride over Parker Dam then along Lake Havasu on our way to Lake Havasu City, famous for having London Bridge. The bridge was taken apart, moved and carefully reconstructed back in the early 1970’s. Quite a feat!

Day 3, Tuesday. Lake Havasu City to Williams, AZ (210 miles)

We'll spend most of the day on historic Route 66 riding through Oatman, Seligman, Kingman and Peach Springs. In fact, this is the longest contiguous Section (150 miles) of the old road. Along the way we'll gain about 6000 feet (1800 meters) in elevation. Williams is the gateway to the Grand Canyon and is the last city on Route 66 bypassed by the construction of interstate 40.

Day 4, Wednesday. Williams to Sedona (190 miles)

This is what you might call, “taking the long way” since our route will take us north to the Grand Canyon before turning south and riding through the Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater National Monument on the edge of the Painted Desert. From here, we’ll ride through Flagstaff and Oak Creek Canyon on our way to Sedona. Sedona is a beautiful Arizona desert town surrounded by red-rock buttes, steep canyon walls and pine forests.

Day 5, Thursday. Sedona to Winslow (205 miles)

We’ll ride to the old mining town of Jerome which seemingly hangs on the side of a mountain. Then it’s on to Prescott, a vibrant mountain town, before riding through high forests on our way to Winslow. You know, “standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona ….” (Eagles song).

Day 6, Friday. Winslow to Mexican Hat, Utah (230 miles)

We’ll spend most of the day riding through the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservation. Along the way, we’ll see the beautiful Canyon de Chelly National Monument.

Day 7, Saturday. Mexican Hat to Page (145 miles)

This is a relatively short day but a chance to explore and enjoy the spectacular beauty of Monument Valley – a truly unique place.

Day 8, Sunday. Page to Springville, Utah (120 miles)

When we leave Page, we’ll make a stop at Glen Canyon Dam and its visitor Center. Glen Canyon Dam creates Lake Powell with more than 2000 miles of shoreline. Although this is another relatively short day, we’ll spend most of the afternoon in Zion National Park – more amazing scenery!

Day 9, Monday. Springdale to Las Vegas (200 miles)

From Springdale, we’ll ride through St George in southern Utah before riding the beautiful Virgin River Gorge into Nevada. We’ll ride through rugged and scenic desert terrain near the Valley of Fire on our way to Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam is a spectacular sight by itself and creates the largest man-made reservoir in the United States, Lake Mead. Then it’s on to Las Vegas!!

Day 10, Tuesday. Las Vegas to Death Valley (170 miles)

After a quick photo-op at the famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign, we’ll ride over Mountain Springs Pass on our way to lunch in Shoshone. From there we’ll drop into the southern end of Death Valley and a stop at Badwater, the lowest elevation in the western hemisphere at 286 feet below sea level. Our destination is the Furnace Creek Ranch, a natural oasis set in a rugged and beautiful valley.

Day 11,Wednesday. Death Valley to Crestline (235 miles)

We’ll ride from Death Valley over Emigrant Pass and into the Panamint Valley. From here, we’ll ride through Searles Valley on our way to lunch in Randsburg, a “living ghost town”. From here, it’s high desert until we cross Cajon Pass, then climb to the small town of Crestline, our destination in the San Bernadino Mountains.

Day 12,Thursday. Crestline to San Diego (190 miles)

We’ll ride the scenic “Rim-of-the-World” highway in the San Bernadino Mountains before descending into the inland valleys as we work our way south towards San Diego. Maybe we’ll have time for a quick descent into the Anza-Borrego desert and a fun ride up Banner Grade before a stop in the historic mining town of Julian before returning to San Diego.