Since the Adventure Cycling Route Network doesn't go near Salt Lake City, I started by checking the Department of Transportation sites for Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah. This search didn't yield much outside of some suitability maps. While helpful, these weren't quite what I wanted. Then I thought to check tour journals for ideas. I happened across one that went from Yellowstone to Orem, Utah. Orem is only 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, so it seemed that their itinerary would fit the bill quite nicely. I forwarded all this on to Katherine and Liz. I hope to hear from them regarding how it went.
It was not the first request I've received this summer for routing information to Salt Lake City. Not that I'm knocking Salt Lake City. On my one visit there, I thought it was a lovely city. It just never occurred to me that traveling cyclists would want to go there specifically. While talking with Katherine and Liz at the coffee shop, I asked them why it was their destination. The answer? Train access. Apparently, though there is a train to Glacier National Park, there isn't one to Yellowstone. Salt Lake City is the closest place to catch a train back to California. Aha! Mystery solved. I wonder how many of my other route requests have been driven by a need to catch a train?
photo by Dennis Struck on flickr
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GEOPOINTS BULLETIN is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures and persons from Adventure Cycling's Route Network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure.
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Salt Lake City is a great final destination from a variety of directions.
ReplyDeleteI rode a route from Jasper, Alberta to Salt Lake City some years back. The trip from Yellowstone to SLC is incredibly beautiful. South from Yellowstone through the Tetons is a cycling classic. From there, 89 carries you to Logan and ultimately to Ogden through scenic rural roads. I choose to take a dirt rood between Logan and Ogden, then road the short distance into SLC.
And yes, one reason to end at SLC was to catch Amtrak back to California. But this route stands as a very pretty route. People can mistake SLC for a geographically boring place, but it's far from it. Utah is easily among the prettiest states in the union, and SLC sits at the base of the Rockies not far from Canyonlands, Arches, Zion, Dinosaur Nat'l Monument, the Tetons, and Yellowstone.
I've ridden many trips self-supported, and this remains among my top experiences.