Best route to take from San Diego to Denver

[StealthRabbit]

Wow... Summer could be brutal. Consider diagonal in Colorado, heading to and including Moab, UT, Flagstaff, 29 palms

I would suggest staying at higher elevations and as far away from desert as possible. (Impossible.... )

I have done central UT and NV via summer motorcycle trips to Bay Area. I was dying of heat, between community pool stops.

[brown_dog_us]

Originally Posted by Stevie Guitar

Hey there All!

My oldest son just graduated from CU Boulder, and has asked me to ride bikes from Denver to San Diego. We are both fit, and I am considering doing the trip. I would like some opinions about safe, but direct, routes.

-Stevie Guitar

A good friend of mine road from Boulder to Vegas and back about a month ago. He is in excellent shape and experienced at long distance cycling, and he said it was too hot and he wouldn't do it again. You will be doing this a month or two later and you need to continue on from Vegas to SD. I hate to say "don't do it", but this could get someone killed so make sure you are prepared and you have the right gear. If you are still interested, then check out Adventure Cycling. It's a great place to look at different routes and get an understanding of the logistics.

[davebarnes]

I would do another route.
Say: Vermont to Kentucky. Much prettier. Lots of back roads. No 100-mile stretches with nothing.

[irman]

I assume you mean Motor Cycles ?
If yes, I have done that about halfway.

Just follow I-70 west and then meet up with I-15.
Then all the way down to San Diggy.
Can not get anymore direct !

Bicycles ? The ones you have to pedal ?
You better be dang fit !

[davebarnes]

I just assumed bicycles.

[sunsprit]

If it's motorcycles, I've done Denver-Point Loma round trip many times ...

Your quickest travels are to follow the interstates ... I-25 South to I-40 West to I-17 South to I-10 and then a small jog at Buckeye to I-8. Services along the highways are pretty good for stops/fuel. But expect many miles of just grinding out miles without much interest. Daytime temps at the lower elevations soon can be a mite uncomfortable ... I rode naked bikes and a Barbour one-piece suit was my favorite for all the conditions. But more modern cycling clothing offers more protection with better airflow, so you have a lot of options in this area. Normal PP gear is an essential for such a trip, IMO and best worn whenever you're on these roads. If I were to set out on such a trip now, I'd opt for a bike equipped with fairings. Don't forget that the weather through the SouthWest can be a factor, with localized windy areas and possible rain squalls ... generally of short duration, but intense to be riding through if you're caught out in one of these events.

If you have the time/interest, consider other routes that could be more entertaining that may add some miles and vistas that make for a more interesting trip. You could do I-70 to SLC, thence West and South at whatever route appeals to you to reach SD. Again, grinding out the miles from SLC to Las Vegas is not particularly interesting, it's just a ride. And most of the LV to the coast drive is not especially entertaining, either.

[RunonMD1]

Originally Posted by Paula Lynn

I've done the 15 to 70 route many times, and it's not as bad as you seem to think. Granted, it's pretty boring to Vegas and a bit past Vegas, but there's alot of small towns, then you have a gorgeous drive (27 miles) through Arizona before you get to Utah, which is breathtaking. Enjoy the ride - you won't regret it.

You are absolutely correct.

A very minor point, should you desire to make note of it, as it's an extremely common error:
the proper spelling is "a lot," rather than "a lot."