I’ll admit it: the Tour of the Canyons was the last San Juan Huts trip I wanted to ride.
I’ll admit it: the Tour of the Canyons was the last San Juan Huts trip I wanted to ride.
Not because I’d heard anything bad about it. Quite the opposite. It just wasn’t the kind of riding I naturally gravitate toward. Not my style, not on roads, and just not my thing. Give me big mountains (hell even little hills), alpine passes, miles of cactus, and rugged terrain, and I’m happy. A three-day gravel ride through canyon country? It always landed at the bottom of my list and was not something I was seeking.
Then I rode it. I was convinced by a coworker to ride this route first so I would have knowledge of it. I was not really excited, but willing to try it. We agreed that if nothing else, I’d be in shape for the summer after the ride.
Then the day to go came and someone asked if I was ready… I said, “No way but I will be by the time I am done.” Are we ever really “ready” for some of these adventures? Couldn’t really call it adventure if it was easy to be ready. And then, somewhere between the towering walls of Unaweep Canyon, the endless red rock along the road, and the quiet backroads with the best views of the La Sal mountains leading into Moab, I realized I’d completely underestimated this route.
The Route
The Tour of the Canyons is San Juan Huts’ newest and in some ways strangest bike trip. It’s a three-day, two-night “gravel grinder” that starts in Grand Junction, Colorado and ends in Moab, Utah, and unlike our bigger mountain routes, it’s built for mixed surfaces: pavement, gravel, and dirt road, no singletrack required. It’s short, it’s approachable, and it might be the best test-run adventure we offer for anyone building up to the bigger multi-day trips. Plus it is so much easier to get the time off from work for a shorter trip!
The line itself cuts through some of the wildest and unseen canyon country in the state and takes you out of Grand Junction, Colorado, past Unaweep Canyon, into the red rock around Gateway, Colorado, past the historic Hanging Flume, and up over the shoulder of the La Sal Mountains before dropping into Moab, Utah on gravel backroads. (Optional add-on: some riders extend Day 1 by climbing into Colorado National Monument first, adding about 30 miles and 2,800 feet of climbing before the route even officially starts.)
Though you are riding on highways for many miles of the trip, there are very few vehicles. The beauty around you rivals that of Moab and Sedona red rocks, easily. Yet there are not many people who will see it the way you can on a bike. The wildlife, the waterfalls, the springs for filling water, the unique historical sites, and the variation in landscape only capture a few of the sights included.
What Bike to Take
One of the questions I get asked most about this route is whether you need a gravel bike. Given the name of this adventure, Gravel Grinder Tour of the Canyons, it’s a fair assumption. But I rode my full suspension mountain bike, and I’d do it again. It comes down to body position. I prefer sitting more upright and in control than stretched out over drop bars for three days straight, especially with a loaded bike and long miles on mixed surfaces. Yes, a gravel bike is lighter and probably faster on the pavement stretches. But comfort wins out over speed on a trip like this, and my mountain bike let me ride the way I actually like to ride, regardless of what the surface underneath me happens to be. You don’t necessarily need to buy or rent a bike just for this trip.
Did it make it harder? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Definitely. Am I a little crazy? Sure.
Day 1: Grand Junction to Gateway
We stayed the night before at the Grand Junction KOA in a cabin, though if you choose to, downtown Grand Junction has some great restaurants and is fun to explore the night before.
The ride itself starts in town, with some traffic, and you pass right by the dump not far into the day, and I remember being skeptical right out of the gate. But that feeling doesn’t last. Before long you’re deep into Unaweep Canyon, and it’s beautiful all around: keep an eye out for waterfalls, and watch the canyon walls for bighorn sheep, because they’re out there in many sections if you’re paying attention. There’s a lot of climbing through here, and it feels like the relief of the century to finally see the Unaweep Divide sign, which lands near the top of the climb and tells you the hard part is (almost) behind you. In the next section, you’ll pass the ruins of the Driggs Mansion, a century-old stone hunting lodge sitting below Thimble Rock, worth a photo and a snack break to read the history.
From there it’s a steep, fun, and fast cruise down into Gateway. If you time it right and roll in before 6pm, stop at the gas station in town for ice cream or lemonade before heading to the hut for a small reward, but it matters after a day like that. The hut itself sits surrounded by red rock and towering mesas, on a working ranch with plenty of animals to make friends with as the day winds down. The Dolores River runs right through the canyon in front of the hut for great views and a muddy swim.
Day 2: Gateway to Paradox
Day 2 brings you through some of the most beautiful canyons in the area. The stop for a break at a spring where you can fill up on water in the shade and cool off by soaking yourself was a welcome reward. The next awesome stop is the Hanging Flume overlook, which puts you high above the Dolores River canyon with some real history to see and learn about along the way. We met other travelers and a van lifer with a gravel bike who had a million questions about the trip and ideas for the next one for us.
Toward the end of the day you finally get some dirt riding in, crossing a bridge through a remote stretch of canyon along the river. This was my absolute favorite section of the entire trip and we stopped for a long time just to watch a bald eagle hunt in the river below. Toward the end of the day you will reach the Bedrock Store, made famous by Thelma & Louise, which is also worth a stop. It’s currently closed, but the old signs and the porch alone make it worth pulling over for a picture.
There’s a hill up to the Paradox hut that feels never-ending at the end of a long day, but once you reach it, the views are worth the climb. You get the San Juan Mountains stretch far in the distance, and Mt. Peale and some of the La Sal Mountains peek over you from the other direction.
Day 3: Paradox to Moab
The climb out of Paradox is steep and doesn’t give you much of a warm-up, it has you working hard right from the start. The Paradox overlook makes up for it, though; looking back down at how far you’ve climbed gives you a real sense of accomplishment or scale of crazy, you decide. The next section is beautiful, dropping down and winding through another canyon on the way to the Utah state line.
Then begins another hellacious climb. We had snow for a few minutes near the top, followed by sideways wind through the town of La Sal, before finally hitting more dirt riding and catching sight of the red rocks of Moab. This dirt section is where I was very happy I was on my mountain bike instead of rattling my whole body on a gravel bike! From there it’s fun ups and downs through juniper and sage filled canyons, passing Area BFE near Moab along the way, which is one of many spots famous for some seriously technical off-roading and off-road rigs creatively built.
Coming down into Moab is a welcome relief or should be. Moab winds, from my experience, usually come from the South-ish, but not the case for us. The wind was blowing the wrong way for us the whole way in, but even so, the thought of Moab’s food starts calling your name long before you actually get there.
Why You Should Ride This One
I went into this trip assuming I already knew what kind of rider I was, a rider made for dirt and rock trails made for a full suspension, not a “gravel grinder” through canyon country. I was wrong about almost all of it. The bighorn sheep and waterfalls in Unaweep, the cool history at Driggs Mansion, the Hanging Flume, the bald eagle hunting dinner, the porch of the Bedrock Store, the view from the Paradox overlook looking back at everything I’d just climbed. None of it was supposed to be my kind of trip, and all of it ended up being one of my favorite adventures in our entire system.
That’s really the case for this route. It’s the shortest trip we offer, it’s the easiest to actually get the time off for, and it’s approachable enough to be a perfect first multi-day bikepacking adventure. This is some of the wildest, least-seen canyon country in the state, and almost nobody sees it the way you will from a bike. Few cars, fewer people, and mile after mile of red rock, history, and wildlife that most travelers drive straight past without a second glance.
Ride it on a gravel bike if speed is your priority. Ride it on a mountain bike, like I did, if you’d rather sit upright and comfortable than fast. Either way, you’ll finish in Moab with sore legs and a handful of stories of the unexpected joy and unexpected obstacles on the trip.
I’d already done the Sneffels Traverse hike before this and absolutely loved it. I’ve since ridden Telluride to Gateway. Durango to Moab is still on the list. But if you’re deciding which San Juan Huts trip to book first, don’t put the Tour of the Canyons at the bottom of your list the way I did.
Move it to the top.
