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The best motorcycle road in Utah that no one knows

best motorcycle road in Utah
   Kolob Road coming out of Virgin, Utah

I'm here to blow the cover off the best motorcycle road you've never heard of. Somebody's probably going to hate me for this.

This is such a minor road that, as you can see, the mapping software doesn't even show it when I zoom back enough to get it all in. Trust me it's there.

And where is there? This is Kolob Road, going north out of Virgin, Utah. It runs up into Zion National Park but there is no sign of any kind telling you that. The only reason we found it was that my wife did some research before we headed for Utah last month, and she discovered it.

What a discovery! I would rank this hands down as the highlight of our entire trip. You can take a look at the pictures in the slide show below to get an idea of what I mean.

This little strip of two-lane, red(!) asphalt climbs and winds high into the park and the views are incredible. At one point you want desperately to look at the view but the road is narrow and steep and you don't dare. Find a place to park and walk back down if you want to see it.

I've been through Zion quite a few times and I have got to rank this as the best part of the entire park. And almost nobody knows about it! There's even a campground up at the top and they don't charge a fee to use it. Probably too much trouble to go all that way to collect the fees.

By the way, it's not a motorcycle-accessible road to the campground, so don't try that unless you're really into that stuff.

So it's 20 miles up and 20 back and altogether 40 miles of some of the best riding in all of Utah. The pictures don't do it justice; you've got to see it for yourself. But don't tell the locals I told you.

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Slideshow: Best motorcycle road in Utah

10 photos
The view up at the top

Slideshow: Best motorcycle road in Utah

, Motorcycles Examiner

Ken Bingenheimer has been in love with motorcycles as long as he can remember and finds Colorado the perfect place to ride. He shares his enthusiasm on his website, Passes and Canyons, Motorcycle Touring in Colorado. Reach him at kenbingenheimer@yahoo.com.

Comments

  • Johnny 4 2 years ago

    Author Frommer's "Budget Travel" magazine, July/August 2009 edition, has a nice article about this same road, titled "National Parks - Road Trip" on page 90. Check it out.

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