If you’re planning a week or two of motorcycle touring in Arizona, visiting some of its most spectacular canyons is a must. The Grand Canyon State has a lot to offer when it comes to stunning red rock formations, lonely Navajo lands revealing awe-inspiring landscapes, and plenty of incredible roads connecting the most scenic spots.
Here’s how to plan your Arizona motorcycle tour to see the canyons:
There are several ways to ride and explore the Grand Canyon, and it all depends on how much time you’ve got. Most riders travel to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, Nevada, as this route offers several other points of interest along the way like Boulder City and the Hoover Dam. The Grand Canyon is just a day’s ride from Vegas, and it’s an iconic route to complete on a motorcycle as you cross from the barren lands of Nevada into the bright red canyonlands of Arizona.
After you leave Vegas, you should consider stopping in Boulder City for lunch. Famous for its motorcycle-obsessed culture, Boulder City has some great eateries like the Wheels Garage Grill where you’re guaranteed to see bikes parked out front regardless of the time of day.
Next up is Hoover Dam, a massive water reservoir damming the River Colorado. It’s worth a stop and a photo, especially at the Tillman bridge.
Pass the Hoover Dam and you’re entering Arizona. Riding Route 93, you’ll soon see a large Grand Canyon sign. Here, take the Pierce Ferry Road and follow it for fifty miles. It’ll lead you to Eagle Point, and from here, you can see the Grand Canyon in all its glory on the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a curved glass bridge suspended in the air.
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is less visited, but it’s just as spectacular. If you have the time to explore, head North toward Grand Canyon Junction and visit the Grand Canyon Village. Here, you’ll find a large visitor center, Native American art and crafts shops. This is the area where you can explore several more lookout points over the Grand Canyon like the Shoshone Point, Grandview, Yavapai, Maricopa, and Mohave Points. Most of them are accessible by motorcycle, but you can also walk or take a shuttle bus.
The Grand Canyon might be the most famous in the world, but its nearby cousin Canyon de Chelly is just as breath-taking – and much less crowded. Located some 223 miles (ca. 359 km) West of the Grand Canyon Village, Canyon de Chelly lies in the Navajo Nation lands. Accessible by a small, narrow road, de Chelly is a sight to behold – at first, it looks just like another strip of Arizona desert land until you walk right to the rim of the canyon and see the lone rock spire and the canyon bed stretching out below.
There is a small campsite in Chinle if you’d like to spend the night and explore more of the canyon de Chelly area. If you’d like a walking tour, be sure to consult with the Navajo park rangers as some of these lands may be off-limit to non-Native Americans.
Monument Valley isn’t exactly a canyon, but motorcycle touring in Arizona wouldn’t be complete without riding across the iconic scenery found here on Route 163. Monument Valley is the quintessential American West famous for its incredible red rock towers and sandstone buttes.
Starting in Kayenta on Route 163, the Monument Valley ride is short but spectacular: the road cuts right across the Mars-like landscape, revealing some of Arizona’s most magnificent scenery. For the best views, time your ride to arrive at Monument Valley in the late afternoon for the “golden hour” when the setting sun appears to set the red rocks ablaze and the landscape looks like it’s on fire, the colors ranging from dark crimson to gold and pink.
If you’re off to explore Arizona in the summer months, pack plenty of water and sunscreen as the temperatures here are high and the sun is unrelenting. Stop in shaded areas often, and don’t forget to fill up on gas frequently as some points may have great distances between them.
Through Arizona, views over the Grand Canyon, and much more.