Bryce & Zion National Parks Mountain Biking

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1 WATCH THE VIDEO Bryce & Zion National Parks Mountain Biking LENGTH: 5 Days / 4 Nights ACCOMMODATIONS: Camping, Hatch Hut, and One Night Inn FITNESS LEVEL: Intermediate For up-to-date pricing and dates, please visit our website. Standing as brilliant masterpieces of color, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks are even more breathtaking when seen from a trailside perspective! Come and experience the richness of Utah s Color Country with the first outfitter to bring you off-road! Here, every day is different. Starting from the tree-line at Brian Head Peak, we ride fast, forested single-track to Panguitch Lake and continue to the base of the mountain. At Red Canyon State Park, we find ourselves winding through peculiar passageways of hoodoos and pink twisted cliffs! Back up on the mountain, we ride over hardened beds of lava rock and inactive cinder cones. The next part of our adventure takes place high above Zion where we catch glimpses of its stately horizon from our lookout points along the exciting Navajo Lake Trail and Virgin River Rim. Finally, we descend right into the back door of Zion National Park for a refreshing conclusion in the Virgin River! As one of our flagship trips, Bryce and Zion National Parks offers a great experience for riders of all ability levels. The wide variety of terrain makes it possible for every rider, beginner or advanced, to find the perfect amount of challenge and satisfaction. Trip Amenities Cell phone service is very good. Inns on this trip are often remote, appropriate to the locations in which we ride. They are chosen for comfort, scenery, and proximity to our activities. Meals Most dinners and breakfasts on this Inns tour are in local restaurants except when in Panguitch Lake and Duck Creek, where your guides prepare dinner and breakfast for you. Picnic lunches are prepared each day by your experienced guides. Bryce and Zion National Parks MTB - page 1

2 Day 1 Brian Head to Panguitch Lake After meeting in St. George, we ll travel as a group to Brian Head Peak for a light lunch, introductions, and a pre-trip meeting. Our adventure begins as we descend the exciting Bunker Creek single-track. Mountain Bike Action Magazine rated this single-track as one of the top ten best trails in America. It descends 2,885 feet over 12 miles to Panguitch Lake. If your legs are willing, you may opt for an evening ride around the lake passing the many small cabins and lake-side summer homes. Total Mileage 12 miles + 9 optional Inn/Camp Quality Inn/Panguitch Lake Terrain Single-track & Double track, No Van Support Day 2 Red Canyon and Bryce Canyon Get ready for some of the best single-track in Utah--Red Canyon! A quick van ride will drop us off at the top of Butch Cassidy Draw where we ll ride out to the Casto Canyon trailhead, passing many amazing views of Slate Mountain and Powell Point. Our destination, Casto Canyon, crosses a small creek bed up to 44 times, and takes us into the Land Before Time, a dizzying array of hoodoos and pick cliffs. We ll meet the van for lunch at the end of the canyon. After lunch, we ascend beautiful single-track to the top of Brayton point and start a ripping descent back through the Land Before Time to the van and shuttle to our hotel near Bryce Canyon or our camp in Red Canyon. We spend the late afternoon and evening in Bryce Canyon National Park, where we will have a few hours to explore popular trails among the famous hoodoo sandstone pillars. Total Mileage 22 miles plus hiking 2-4 miles Inn/Camp Quality Inn/Red Canyon Terrain Single-track & Doubletrack, No Van Support Day 3 Thunder Mtn and Navajo Lake After breakfast and packing up our camp, we ll ride a loop from Red Canyon utilizing the new bike path and the Thunder Mountain trail. The Thunder Mountain Trail is one of the most scenic mountain bike trails we have ever found; on any trip! This trail takes us around huge red hoodoos, through canyons, and into green pine forests. After our morning ride, we load our bikes and shuttle one hour west deep into the Dixie National Bryce and Zion National Parks MTB - page 2

3 Forest. After arriving at our destination (overlooking Zion National Park), enjoy a short hike to Cascade Falls where we ll find a curious waterfall that seems to appear out of nowhere! Have lunch and then back on our bikes on the Virgin River Rim Trail! The trail is challenging, but the views of Zion (and our descent to Navajo Lake) are well worth the climb. Enjoy a siesta while admiring the aspens and meadows surrounding the lake or take another ride around Navajo Lake. This aspen-forested single-track is a fun 12 miles around the scenic shoreline. Total Mileage 14 miles (Thunder Mountain), 9 miles (Virgin River Rim), 12 miles (Navajo Lake) + 1 mile hike Inn/Camp Duck Creek Village/Teah Campground Terrain Single-track, No Van Support Day 4 Navajo Lake to Zion Depending on yesterday's events, enjoy the ride around Navajo Lake on the rolling 12 mile single-track followed by the incredible backcountry ride to Zion National Park. The first 15 miles descends over 3,000 feet, followed by a 15-mile combination of long ups and downs until we meet the paved road into Zion National Park. After a quick shuttle through the mile-long tunnel through the park, a 20-mile descent takes us through Zion and into Springdale. We will be staying in a comfortable inn for our last night situated beneath the Zion cliffs. Total Mileage miles Inn Springdale, Utah Terrain Single-track and Jeep Road, Van Support Day 5 Zion National Park We have one last day to soak up Zion s multi-hued cliffs and massive stone monoliths. Today we venture off on Zion's trademark trail, the Zion Narrows. Walking along and through the river, we take in unparalleled views of Angels Landing and the enormous cliffs that make Zion, well, Zion! For the more adventurous, opt to ride into the Zion Canyon on the bike path then hike the Narrows. After lunch we ll shuttle back to St. George arriving around 3:00 p.m. For those taking our shuttle, we ll arrive in Las Vegas around 5:00 p.m. PST. Total Mileage 1-3 miles hiking, biking 12 miles Terrain River Walking Bryce and Zion National Parks MTB - page 3

4 The Basics State: Utah Duration: 5 days/4 Nights Type: Camping / Inns Airport: Las Vegas, NV Mileage: 140 Miles Season: Spring/Fall Elevation: 3,000 11,300ft MEETING INFORMATION Location: The Crystal Inn Address: 1450 Hilton Dr, St George, UT Time: 11:00am (MST) * We will return to St. George around 3:00pm on the last day and Las Vegas around 5pm. OPTIONAL ADD-ONS Round-trip shuttle from Las Vegas to St. George: $75 The shuttle will leave from the Element Hotel* in Las Vegas, (Summerlin), at 7:30am on the first day of the tour. This hotel is located next door to our world class tour center and bike shop. Element offers a free breakfast and an excellent rate for guests of Escape Adventures. *Single Supplement is available. Ask for pricing. BIKE RENTALS We offer Santa Cruz and Specialized bikes. Please click for more information. Learn more about our rental gear on our website. Bryce and Zion National Parks MTB - page 4

5 CAMPING RENTALS Three-man tent with fly and ground tarp 30 degree sleeping bag Camp Pillow (BYO pillowcase) Self-inflating ground pad Bringing or shipping your own gear? See our shipping policy. WEATHER You will be riding and sleeping at elevations over 7,000 ft for the first 4 nights of this trip. Weather predictions in this area are often unreliable due to the elevation, so it is best to be prepared for cold evenings and inclement weather. Please use the following locations when checking the weather online: Panguitch, UT (Day 1) Bryce Canyon, UT (2, 3) Duck Creek Village, UT (4) Springdale, UT WHAT SETS US APART? Our People: Our guides are the best in the business! Trained personally by the owners, our guides understand the areas you ride and the safety of the group. Our Commitment: We don't just preach environmental awareness, we live it! We recycle 90% of our waste, run our facilities with solar and wind power, and we are the world's 1st carbon-neutral outfitter. Our Food: Our guides lovingly prepare meals for the trip with an emphasis on fresh, local and organic foods, ensuring you have the fuel you need to ride, and a delicious meal at the same time- including dessert! Bryce and Zion National Parks MTB - page 5

6 Specific Trip Tips Las Vegas, Nevada, is the closest city with a major airport and car rentals. We recommend that you fly into Las Vegas and drive or take our shuttle to St. George. Visit our Las Vegas departure page on our website for more information, directions, hotel listings and more. Please arrive in Las Vegas or St. George at least 12 hours prior to your departure time in order to have time to rest before the tour. Bring a pair of shoes that can get wet for our spectacular hike in the Zion Narrows. Use our Pre-Trip Information Center for packing lists, how to prepare, FAQ and more! TRIP COST INCLUDES: Two guides, all meals starting with lunch on the first day through lunch on the last day, except dinner on day 5, which is on your own, support vehicle, snacks, first-aid, bike maintenance, community gear, and a souvenir shirt. Gratuities to local restaurants, hotels, transportation, and additional activities mentioned on this itinerary are paid by Escape Adventures. If you engage in an activity that is not part of this trip as outlined, then you are responsible for tipping. TRIP COST DOES NOT INCLUDE: Airfare to and from our departure point, lodging before or after the tour, rental bike, or gratuities to Escape Adventures guides. Tips to the guides are given at your discretion and based on the quality of your experience. We suggest 10-20% of your trip cost to be divided between the guides. Bryce and Zion National Parks MTB - page 6

7 Cancellation Policy If you need to cancel your tour reservations, for any reason, our cancellation policy is as follows: Time Frame: Up until 45 days prior to trip departure Refund Available: Refund of what you paid minus a $100 processing fee per person days prior to trip departure Refund 50% of payments minus $100 processing fee per person days prior to trip departure Refund 15% of payments minus $100 processing fee per person 14-0 days prior trip departure no refund available In order to keep our tours affordable and provide proper notice to our lodging partners, we must adhere to this timeline, no exceptions. After our refund deadline has passed we cannot provide a refund for any reason, including circumstances beyond your control such as weather-related travel delays, family emergency, or injury. There is also no partial refund if you arrive late to your tour, or depart early. Insurance agencies however, offer a full or partial refund in many circumstances if you purchase travel insurance to cover your tour. Payment in full is due 45 days prior to trip departure. Travel Insurance We encourage you very strongly to purchase travel insurance to protect against extenuating circumstances such as illness and injurybelieve us, they do come up! We have a special arrangement with TravelGuard insurance so that you may purchase reasonablypriced travel insurance at the same time you place your tour reservation. For a detailed description of the TravelGuard policy we offer, visit our website or call ask about product Transfer Policy Multi-day tours only: If you would like to change to a different tour or departure date after signing up, we will be happy to transfer you on a space available basis up until 45 days prior to your tour. Please provide your transfer request in writing - is sufficient. Please note, a $25 transfer fee will be deducted from your previous payments for each transfer, and if you later choose to cancel your tour, the cancellation deadlines will apply to the date of the originally scheduled tour. Does not apply to ½ and full day tours in Las Vegas or Moab. Tour Confirmation Escape confirms tours 30 days prior to tour departure; prior to this time, tours may be cancelled due to low enrollment. After your tour is confirmed, it will not be cancelled for low-enrollment, but in rare cases may be cancelled due to weather, government intervention, unsafe trail conditions, or any other reason that would affect the quality of the schedule tour or the safety of its participants. If we are forced to cancel your tour, we will provide a 100% refund and work to add you to another trip that works for you. If you need to cancel your multiday tour for any reason, your request must be in writing - is sufficient (no phone cancellations will be accepted). Travel Plans We advise you to avoid non-refundable flights and other travel arrangements, and are not responsible for the costs of such arrangement in the event your tour is canceled. The travel insurance offered in conjunction with our tours covers the cost of your tour, but does not cover additional costs such as travel to and from your tour departure location, and hotel stays prior to or following your tour. Please consider purchasing additional insurance coverage if you have non-refundable travel arrangements. For additional information please do not hesitate to call one of our experienced trip planners, and visit the Pre-Trip Information section of our website. Please call Monday-Friday, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Pacific time. Bryce and Zion National Parks MTB - page 7