Best Utah Motorcycle Rides

First Chapter - Coalville Scenic Byway

Introduction

Enjoying breakfast at Cowboys Smokehouse Café in Panguitch  one fall morning I met two German tourists riding rented Roadglides. They had started in LA, went to Vegas, then Zion. Their route would take them to Bryce Canyon, MOAB and Colorado.  Finally flying home from Denver after 8 days.

They inquired about my route. I spared them the details and just said Kanab. I didn’t tell them about yesterday’s ride – about the town of Koosharam and its charming and historic Green Valley Mercantile or the cattle drive I encountered coming down from Fish Lake. I didn’t tell them that they missed the view of Navajo Lake at 9000 feet formed after a volcanic eruption, fed by underground springs with no outlet. Or the impressive hoodoos of Hell’s Kitchen. Their plan was to hit the well-known spots and take stories back home and that’s ok. But I know what they missed. Places that are not as popular as Zion or Bryce. But not as crowded. Not overrun with tourists looking for parking and a place to eat.

Hoping my guide will inspire you to venture off the interstate and see some of the majesty of the real west. Canyons, lakes, mountains and towns that few tourists visit and may even be overlooked by locals. Visit the obligatory big names – but maybe incorporate some of my favorite roads.

All these routes have a common theme - easy to access, incredible vistas, lots of curves and little traffic. There are a few that can get busy – but they are still worth it. None of these roads are in Bryce, Zion or Moab but all are handy to Salt Lake City.

This guide is by no means a complete list! As I travel across the state I find more and more roads. For example, I was told recently that a road heading out of Midway connecting to the Alpine Loop was now paved end to end. I rode it and it was amazing (see the Midway Scenic Backway).  

Pick a chapter, ride the road. Let me know your thoughts and your favorites that I may have missed.

Coalville Scenic Byway

Coalville Scenic Byway is officially the East Chalk Creek Road but I decided it deserves ‘Scenic Byway’ status and christened it so. I am sure you will agree once you ride it. Meandering from Coalville east to Wyoming the variety of scenery can’t be matched. Ending 24 miles later at the historic Utah Wyoming Corner monument. If wide sweepers, no traffic to speak of and incredibly diverse scenery appeal to you Coalville Scenic Byway is not to be missed.

Quick Glance

Starting Point:             Turn right off Coalville’s Main Street onto 100N.

Ending Point:              Utah Wyoming Corner monument.

Distance:                     24 miles.

Road Rating:               Wide sweeping curves more so than tight twisty turns.

Scenery:                      Agriculture and Canyons. 5 out of 5.

Traffic:                        Virtually none. 5 out of 5.

Highlights:                  Utah Wyoming Corner monument.

Connecting Routes:    SR 32 or I-80 from the South. Chapter 3.

Rum Runner Trail (Yellow Creek Road) – well packed dirt.

Getting There

Getting There: The town of Coalville is just east of Park City. You can reach it from Salt Lake City via Interstate 80 over Parley’s Pass. Parley’s can be busy and has a lot of truck traffic so much truck traffic that it widens to 4 lanes to accommodate slow moving vehicles as it climbs nearly 3000 feet. Many times, I have seen a semi-trailer passing a semitrailer passing a semi-trailer! It is a great road if you hit it on a light traffic day. Once you arrive at Park City you have two choices – continue I-80 which is actually a good curvy section with less traffic than Parley’s OR if you want a more scenic route look for Brown’s Canyon to SR 32 to Old Lincoln Highway.