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SteelPony ExpressTours

This is an example tour. Every tour is custom-created around each group's specific needs and abilities.

Rockies to red rock · Eight national parks

Colorado & Utah

The two western tours joined into one run. Three passes over 12,000 feet in Colorado, the Million Dollar Highway both ways, then Monument Valley, the Moki Dugway, and every mile of the Utah route from Moab to Zion. Ten riding days, eight national parks, one flight in, one flight home, and one haul. Booked separately the two tours are $15,400. Together they're $14,150.

  • 10 riding days · 11 nights
  • ~2,090 miles
  • Fly into Denver, home from Las Vegas
  • Best: June and September
A group of riders on a two-lane road between red sandstone towers in Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Along the route

What you'll see

The stops and roads on the Colorado & Utah ride.

  • The Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton in fall color, with the San Juan peaks beyond
    The Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton (Day 4)
  • Snow-streaked peaks above the treeline at Independence Pass, Colorado
    Independence Pass, 12,095 feet (Day 2)
  • The Maroon Bells dusted with fresh snow above golden aspens and Maroon Lake
    The Maroon Bells, above Aspen (Day 2)
  • Delicate Arch with the snow-capped La Sal Mountains behind it
    Delicate Arch, Arches National Park (Day 2)
  • The Colorado River gooseneck far below the rim at Dead Horse Point at sunset
    Dead Horse Point (Day 2)
  • The park road curving past a pioneer barn beneath the red cliffs at Fruita in Capitol Reef
    Fruita, Capitol Reef National Park (Day 3)

The route

Day by day

10 riding days, 11 nights. Best time: June and September, when the Colorado passes are open and the desert isn't an oven.

  1. Day 0

    Fly into Denver, transfer to Boulder

    Evening
    About a 45-minute transfer. Bikes are waiting; orientation over dinner on Pearl Street.
    Overnight
    Hotel Boulderado (1909), Boulder
  2. Day 1~240 mi

    Boulder to Leadville over Trail Ridge Road

    Roads
    Peak to Peak Scenic Byway (CO-7) under Longs Peak to Estes Park · Trail Ridge Road (US-34) across Rocky Mountain National Park, topping out at 12,183 feet · Grand Lake · CO-9 through Silverthorne and Breckenridge · Hoosier Pass · US-24 into Leadville, at 10,152 feet the highest city in America.
    Stops
    The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park · the Alpine Visitor Center on the tundra · Breckenridge's Victorian main street.
    Paid tours
    • Rocky Mountain National Park entry and timed-entry reservation
    Overnight
    Delaware Hotel (1886), Leadville
  3. Day 2~270 mi

    Leadville to Ouray over Independence Pass

    Roads
    CO-82 over Independence Pass (12,095 ft) into Aspen · CO-133 over McClure Pass past the coke ovens at Redstone · orchard country through Paonia and Hotchkiss · US-50 to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison · Montrose and Ridgway to Ouray.
    Stops
    National Mining Hall of Fame in Leadville · Aspen's silver-boom downtown · Black Canyon South Rim Drive · Ouray, the Switzerland of America, in its box canyon.
    Paid tours
    • National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum
    • Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park entry
    Overnight
    Beaumont Hotel (1886), Ouray
  4. Day 3~230 mi

    The San Juan Skyway to Durango, by way of Mesa Verde

    Roads
    CO-62 over Dallas Divide with the Sneffels Range off your left · CO-145 up the San Miguel River to Telluride, then over Lizard Head Pass · Dolores and Mancos · US-160 to Mesa Verde and into Durango.
    Stops
    Telluride's box-canyon main street and free gondola · Lizard Head Pass · Mesa Verde National Park and the Cliff Palace tour.
    Paid tours
    • Mesa Verde National Park entry
    • Cliff Palace ranger-guided tour
    Overnight
    Strater Hotel (1887), Durango
  5. Day 4~150 mi

    The Million Dollar Highway, both directions

    Roads
    US-550 north over Coal Bank and Molas passes to Silverton · Red Mountain Pass (11,018 ft), the Million Dollar Highway, down to Ouray · lunch and a soak, then back the way you came.
    Stops
    Silverton, a National Historic Landmark mining town · the Durango & Silverton steam train pulling in at midday · Ouray Hot Springs.
    Paid tours
    • Ouray Hot Springs Pool
    Overnight
    Strater Hotel (1887), Durango
  6. Day 5~180 mi

    Durango to Monument Valley

    Roads
    US-160 west through Cortez · the Four Corners Monument · US-160 and US-163 across the Navajo Nation into Monument Valley · the 17-mile Valley Drive among the buttes.
    Stops
    Four Corners, standing in four states at once · the Mittens and Merrick Butte · John Ford's Point · sunset from Goulding's.
    Paid tours
    • Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park entry and Valley Drive
    Overnight
    Goulding's Lodge, the 1920s trading post where John Ford's crews stayed
  7. Day 6~190 mi

    The Moki Dugway to Moab

    Roads
    US-163 past Mexican Hat · Goosenecks State Park · the Valley of the Gods loop · the Moki Dugway, three miles of graded gravel switchbacks climbing 1,200 feet up Cedar Mesa · UT-261 and UT-95 past Natural Bridges · US-191 north through Blanding and Monticello, under Wilson Arch, to Moab.
    Stops
    The San Juan goosenecks · Valley of the Gods · the top of the Dugway · Natural Bridges National Monument · Wilson Arch.
    Paid tours
    • Goosenecks State Park entry
    • Natural Bridges National Monument entry
    Overnight
    Red Cliffs Lodge on the Colorado River, Moab
  8. Day 7~190 mi

    Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point

    Roads
    UT-128 upriver past Fisher Towers and back · UT-313 out onto the Island in the Sky mesa · the Canyonlands park road to Grand View Point · Dead Horse Point · the Arches scenic drive to Delicate Arch viewpoint.
    Stops
    Fisher Towers · Mesa Arch · Grand View Point · Dead Horse Point overlook · Delicate Arch · the film museum at the lodge, where John Wayne's westerns were shot.
    Paid tours
    • Canyonlands National Park entry
    • Dead Horse Point State Park entry
    Overnight
    Red Cliffs Lodge, Moab
  9. Day 8~210 mi

    Capitol Reef and Scenic Byway 12

    Roads
    US-191 and I-70 to Green River · UT-24 through Hanksville and along the Fremont River into Capitol Reef · the Capitol Reef scenic drive · UT-24 to Torrey · Scenic Byway 12 over Boulder Mountain to Boulder.
    Stops
    Goblin Valley turnoff · Fruita's pioneer orchards and the Gifford House pies · Capitol Reef petroglyphs · the Boulder Mountain overlooks at 9,600 feet.
    Paid tours
    • Capitol Reef National Park entry
    Overnight
    Boulder Mountain Lodge, Boulder, with dinner at Hell's Backbone Grill
  10. Day 9~190 mi

    The Hogback to Bryce Canyon

    Roads
    Scenic Byway 12 along the Hogback, a ridge with a drop on both sides, to Escalante · Kodachrome Basin · UT-12 through Red Canyon's arches · the Bryce Canyon rim road to Rainbow Point and back.
    Stops
    The Hogback · Anasazi State Park Museum in Boulder · Kodachrome Basin · Sunset, Inspiration, and Bryce Points on the rim · sunset from the lodge.
    Paid tours
    • Anasazi State Park Museum
    • Bryce Canyon National Park entry
    Overnight
    Bryce Canyon Lodge (1925), inside the park
  11. Day 10~240 mi

    Zion to Las Vegas

    Roads
    US-89 south · UT-9 through Zion's east entrance past Checkerboard Mesa · the 1930 Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel and the switchbacks down into the canyon · Springdale · UT-9 and I-15 through the Virgin River Gorge into Nevada · downtown Las Vegas.
    Stops
    Checkerboard Mesa · the tunnel windows · the Zion Canyon floor · the Virgin River Gorge · Fremont Street.
    Paid tours
    • Zion National Park entry
    Overnight
    Golden Gate Hotel (1906), the oldest hotel in Las Vegas
  12. Day 11

    Fly home from Las Vegas

    Morning
    Breakfast, then a 15-minute transfer to the airport. Your bike goes back on the trailer and follows you home to Des Moines.

$14,150 per rider

One Price. The Whole Trip.

Included

  • Motorcycle transport there and back from Des Moines, Iowa
  • Round-trip flights from Des Moines
  • Airport transfers
  • Historic hotels every night
  • A planned route on the best roads in the region
  • A lead guide
  • A support vehicle for luggage and tools
  • Every paid tour and admission on the itinerary

Not included

  • Food and drinks
  • Fuel
  • Bike repairs and parts
  • Your riding gear
  • The spare emergency bike, if you need it ($50/day)

Good to know

  • Booked separately, Colorado and Utah are $15,400 with two sets of flights. Combined they're $14,150.
  • Three passes over 12,000 feet. Mornings are cold up high even in July. Pack layers and rain gear.
  • Rocky Mountain National Park requires a timed-entry reservation in summer. We handle it.
  • Arches uses timed-entry reservations in season. We handle them.
  • Water is the whole game out here. The support vehicle carries it, and we stop for it more than you'd think.
  • The Moki Dugway is three miles of well-graded gravel at 5 to 10 mph. Every touring bike handles it; we ride it slowly and stop at the top.

Riding rule: Open range, sand on the corners, and long gaps between gas stations. We fuel at every chance and ride the canyon roads at a touring pace.

Group: 3 to 6 bikes

How It Works

No two rides are the same. Every tour is built around the group that books it: the pace, the stops, how early you roll out, and whether the afternoon is one more pass or a hot spring. And we pay attention to who rides with whom. We've spent a lot of years around riders and have a good sense of who will mesh, so we match up groups that get along. Most people go home with new friends.

Every tour needs three bikes to run. Got your own crew of three to six? Book the whole tour for your group and we'll set dates that work for you.

  1. Step 1

    Reserve your spot for $200

    Pick a tour and put down a $200 deposit. It holds your place, counts toward your tour price, and is refundable any time you ask. Change your mind about which tour? Move it to another one.

  2. Step 2

    We set the date

    Once enough riders have signed up for a tour, we set the dates with the group. Every tour runs with three to six bikes. The balance is due 30 days before the tour starts.

Reserve your spot for $200See all the steps

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Questions

Questions? Ask Away.

Questions about a tour, your bike, or bringing your own group? Send us a note or give us a call. We'll get back to you within 36 hours.

(515) 805-7225