In October last year we took 5 days to do the Cedar Mesa Ruins & Monuments Loop on Bikepacking.com. We had never been to the US desert southwest, and we had high expectations. They were completely met. This is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever had the chance to see.
· The night before the trip, we camped on Burch Canyon Road in one of the pullouts rather than at the National Monument. That’s also where we left our car for the trip.
· You need to reserve permits to visit many of the archaeological sites or hike into any of the canyons along the route. Then you have to stop at Kane Gulch Ranger Station to get them validated, so good to plan around their hours.
· I really liked doing it in 5 days instead of the 3 that the route recommends. You do carry more water, but there’s so much to explore that I would hate to rush it. You could cache water at the Comb Ridge road and skip going into Mexican Hat, but I liked having a warm meal.
· The Moki Dugway was totally worth it!!! Lots of traffic during the day, but going up early or late would be the way to go.
· Valley of the Gods was also a highlight.
· Comb Wash was sandy. I had 2.4” tubeless tires, my partner had 2.2” tubed tires. I had a significantly easier time than he did, but also it was doable for both of us, even if it wasn’t super fun. But it’s not too long of a section.
· Early October was a great time to do this route. Like most desert routes, I wouldn’t do it if there’s been a lot of rain. The roads turn to peanut butter mud.
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In October last year we took 5 days to do the Cedar Mesa Ruins & Monuments Loop on Bikepacking.com. We had never been to the US desert southwest, and we had high expectations. They were completely met. This is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever had the chance to see.
A video version is here: [https://youtu.be/pj3dtd_hxzE](https://youtu.be/pj3dtd_hxzE) Enjoy!
A few notes on the route:
· The night before the trip, we camped on Burch Canyon Road in one of the pullouts rather than at the National Monument. That’s also where we left our car for the trip.
· You need to reserve permits to visit many of the archaeological sites or hike into any of the canyons along the route. Then you have to stop at Kane Gulch Ranger Station to get them validated, so good to plan around their hours.
· I really liked doing it in 5 days instead of the 3 that the route recommends. You do carry more water, but there’s so much to explore that I would hate to rush it. You could cache water at the Comb Ridge road and skip going into Mexican Hat, but I liked having a warm meal.
· The Moki Dugway was totally worth it!!! Lots of traffic during the day, but going up early or late would be the way to go.
· Valley of the Gods was also a highlight.
· Comb Wash was sandy. I had 2.4” tubeless tires, my partner had 2.2” tubed tires. I had a significantly easier time than he did, but also it was doable for both of us, even if it wasn’t super fun. But it’s not too long of a section.
· Early October was a great time to do this route. Like most desert routes, I wouldn’t do it if there’s been a lot of rain. The roads turn to peanut butter mud.
Thanks for sharing – interesting!
wonderful pictures