Basics
- Activity Type:
- Biking
- Length:
- 2 Days - 50 Miles
Details
Length:
2 Days - 50 Miles
Additional Details:
This typical itinerary illustrates a bike trip through Dinosaur National Monument on the Yampa Bench. The Yampa Bench itinerary will vary with the time of season, weather conditions on the trip and scheduling of campsites.
| Day 1 | ||
| Meet group at headquarters in Vernal, Utah. A one and a half hour van ride takes us to Iron Springs overlook for a magnificent view of things to come. Time to fill your water bottle and adjust your bike seat for one of the most spectacular downhill glides on the Colorado Plateau. Seven miles and two thousand vertical feet later you will have made the descent from the high plateau through Sand Canyon to the Yampa Bench. Riding along the mostly level bench takes us past breathtaking overlooks where we can view the Yampa River one-thousand feet below. We will camp near Johnson Canyon where a short hike reveals an area noted for its rare plants. | ||
| Day 2 | ||
| Day two will be our most ambitious day of biking (20-25 miles). A morning roller coaster ride takes us past the old Baker homestead, beyond Haystack Rock to the beginning of our climb over Blue Mountain's Ridge tops. Two miles and 700 vertical feet of pedaling deliver us into Bear Valley where we receive our reprieve; several miles of smooth sailing. We will camp this evening at the head of Disappointment Draw with distant views of the Yampa Valley. | ||
| Day 3 | ||
| This day begins with a short morning ride before hiking down disappointment draw to where our vans will be waiting. Arrival back in Vernal is approximately 1:00 p.m.. | ||
