Grand Canyon Tour

Albuquerque to the Grand Canyon and Back

14 Days     1,065 Miles plus hiking
Riding 76 - 115 miles per day
Fly in Saturday, September 18
Fly home Sunday, October 3
Albuquerque, New Mexico to the Grand Canyon and return to Albuquerque, New Mexico

Costs Calculated on July 10th. Count does not include crewmembers.
$2,295 for 30 or more riders
$2,595 less than 30 riders

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This tour is for someone who wants a two week cycling tour mixed with hiking and other adventure activities. We will ride 500 miles from Albuquerque to the Grand Canyon then spend three nights and two days hiking and exploring the area. You will have a choice of several individual or package hiking tours offered by the Grand Canyon Park Service. The climate of the southwest is perfect at this time of year with dry comfortable days and cool nights. Our return tour to Albuquerque will take a different route and explore more areas of the Navajo Indian region.

Voted by PAC Tour veterans as one of the best tours combining activities in the beautiful southwest.

The Grand Canyon Tour is more than just a destination to see the Canyon. The journey to and from the Canyon will have daily highlights worthy of their own significance. The tour begins in Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico. Albuquerque is now 303 years old so visiting Old Town is a step back in time. Most of the buildings here have thick adobe walls with visible tree trunks for beams in the roof. This is the just the beginning of a tour that will visit some of the oldest civilizations in the United States.

September is a perfect time of year for riding in New Mexico. The hottest summer days are past and the cold days of autumn have not arrived. The winds are typically from the southwest, bringing warm dry air across the region. Our circular route will have a balance of winds. The days are planned to fit into six to eight hours of cycling regardless of the weather.

As we head west from Albuquerque we climb from the Rio Grande valley. The terrain changes from the hustle and bustle of the big city to the desolate landscape of rural New Mexico. Big rolling grades of three and four miles continue into the distance. The cliffs here are beautiful red rock. Near the town of Mesita - Old Historic Route 66 begins a scenic 35-mile section. The old road leaves the noise and view of the interstate and winds around mesas and plateaus. Landmarks such as "Owl Rock" and "Old Laguna Pueblo" are worthwhile photo stops. A few miles later Route 66 splits again with an option to take the original trail that basically is a one lane road. This is a perfect cycling road because only a few local ranchers ever go this way.

After traveling 80 miles from Albuquerque, Route 66 arrives in the medium size town of Grants. The railroad came here over 100 years ago. Then uranium mining was their claim to fame the past 50 years. Maybe it still is. It is hard to tell. The town has seen better times. An interesting mining museum downtown explains it all. Mt Taylor looms 11,000 feet tall to the north of town looking down on all the changes Grants has gone through.

Gallup is a classic town with more to offer than Grants. The El Rancho Hotel is the best place to stay in town. All the rooms are named after pre 1960's movie stars who stayed there while making Western films in the area. The Navajo and Zuni Indians have a big influence in Grants. Many of the gifts shops sell excellent native crafts and jewelry.

The final miles of New Mexico are on the old highway. Route 66 bends and crosses the interstate several times in the next 25 miles. The cliffs and scenery again make this a great bike riding area. You will not see a traffic light for another 100 miles until entering Holbrook, Arizona. The varied terrain in New Mexico and Arizona make this area some of the most scenic of all Route 66.

We are mainly following the path of Interstate I-40 for 350 miles to Flagstaff. We will be riding on the interstate for about 125 miles the first four days. There are many more old Route 66 gravel options that bypass I-40 if you want to ride them. We go on those roads during our Rt. 66 cycling tour. Just bring wider 28 mm tires for these off road sections. The interstate is in good shape in Arizona. The shoulder is wide and relatively clean. We just rode this section on our Southern Tour in 2006 and no one had problems except for getting some flat tires from the little wires from old truck tires.

In Holbrook, Arizona we stay at the Wigwam motel which is famous for their teepee shaped rooms. The next day we ride past the Eagles famous song location of "standin on a corner in Winslow Arizona". Going toward Flagstaff, Humphrey's Peak stands 12,863 feet as the tallest point in Arizona. After Flagstaff our route climbs through dense Ponderosa pine forests at over 7,000 foot elevation. The trees continue for 100 miles until we arrive at the Grand Canyon National Park.

We arrive at the Grand Canyon on a Thursday night. Our lodge hotel is located about one mile from the rim. It is a scenic walk on a path to the rim gift shops and restaurants. There are also free bus shuttles making the rounds between points of interest every ten minutes. The next two days at the Grand Canyon you will have the flexibility to choose many hiking or cycling options. PAC Tour will be providing morning snacks and bottled water before your departure on your adventure. Because of the variety of different directions people will be heading, PAC Tour will not be scheduling lunches at the Grand Canyon.

Since this tour has several days of hiking options you might want to bring a small day backpack, hiking shoes, binoculars, compass and other hiking supplies. All hiking supplies should fit in your daypack. Your daypack will be stored in the PAC Tour trailer during the rest of the cycling tour. You don't have to put these items in your standard PAC Tour gear bag.

There are many day hikes to choose from in the Canyon from two to ten hours long. It is possible to camp overnight in the Canyon on Friday and return on Saturday. Some of these hikes require guides and extra costs for camping or equipment rental. You are responsible for the costs of these extended hikes. You should make these reservations directly with the rangers at the Grand Canyon at least three months in advance.

Some of you might want to try “Susan’s Hike” which is an intense ten hour walk down the Kiabab Trail to the river and back up the Bright Angle Trail. Route cards with time goals and water stops are provided for this hike. If you would rather spend your days cycling you can ride many of the paved bike paths in the area.

Serious cyclists need to remember that hiking uses different muscles than bike riding. Even if you are in shape to ride 100 miles per day, a five-mile hike can give you intense muscle soreness the next day. All cyclists should include cross training with jumping rope, jogging and carrying a 20-pound backpack up and down 30 flights of stairs each day.

The days at the Grand Canyon will be a good change from our cycling routine. The hiking options can be strenuous, so remember you still will need to ride six more days back to Albuquerque. Hikes in the Canyon tend to be hot and dry. Always carry at least one bottle of water for every hour you are hiking. More information about hiking options and contact information for overnight hikes will be provided in your rider packet.

Sunday we are back on our bikes coasting down the hill to Tuba City. The landscape changes again from forests to dry rocks. Tuba City is famous for their Indian culture. Our hotel is next to one of the oldest and best maintained trading posts in Arizona. It is a good place to find books, postcards, music and crafts from the local Indian natives.

Hopefully these days have the expected southwest tailwinds continuing through Monument Valley. The wind carved plateaus have been reduced to gnarled shapes resembling chunks of giant red driftwood. Our hotel in Mexican Hat is overlooking a gushing river. The sign on the cliffs offers the comforting welcome of "Watch for Falling Rocks".

We continue riding through Indian county to the historic town of Chinle and toward Canyon De Chelly. This canyon is much smaller than the Grand Canyon but just as beautiful. We will stay here for two nights and be able to explore the Canyon de Chelly with hikes and jeep tours. PAC Tour will provide hiking food before you depart for the day. The extra costs for jeep tours or lodge lunches are additional. There are several thousand years of history of people living in this canyon. We can hike to a cliff dwelling that is located near the lush vegetation of the canyon floor. On our previous tour we took a jeep shuttle to the far rim of the Canyon and then walked ten miles along the floor of the Canyon. Our Navajo guides told us many personal stories of the life living in the Canyon.

Leaving Chinle our route returns to Gallup, New Mexico. The final two days to Albuquerque follow a different route than our first days of the tour. We head into the land of Fire and Ice where ice caves were formed near the volcanic lava fields. The riding through here is very scenic and unique to New Mexico. Returning to Albuquerque we will have a final dinner together in Old Town. This will be a fun way to celebrate an enjoyable two weeks together.

Grand Canyon Travel

The Canyon Tour begins and ends in Old Town Albuquerque, NM. Riders fly into and out of the Albuquerque airport. Riders need to take a taxi ride 6 miles to our motel in Old Town Albuquerque.

Bike Shipping

Riders ship their bike in cases to the beginning motel. The bikes should arrive several days before departure. Most riders call the motel to check on the bike’s arrival or use the tracking system of the carrier. PAC Tour will furnish a storage container to keep your bike box safe while we are on the tour.

More detailed bike shipping and the motel address information will be available in the 2010 Rider Packet that is mailed in late December or early January.

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The Historical Record

Grand Canyon Tour 2007

Susan's Tour Photo Album

Grand Canyon Tour 2003 Recap

2003 was the first time we held this tour from San Diego to the Grand Canyon and back during September. Thirty six riders participated in the 13 day, 1,300 mile tour.

The route followed the Mexican border the first 3 days. The first day had several tough climbs over 4,000 foot mountains and then a nice downhill into the desert. The heat was over 110 degrees and set records for that time of year. The second day everyone rode into Gila Bend, Arizona and were caught in a wild afternoon thunderstorm. The streets were flooded, but the cool air was a pleasant change. Overcast skies continued the next day making for perfect desert riding conditions to Wickenburg, Arizona.

The next several days brought cooler conditions as the riders climbed over the 7,000 foot mountains at Prescott, Sedona and Flagstaff. An out and back ride from Williams to the Grand Canyon gave many riders the chance to ride the old steam train to the Canyon and return in the afternoon on their bikes.

The return trip to San Diego went a different route heading west toward Needles, California. Everyone followed a classic section of Route 66 for three days through Ashfork, Hackberry and Kingman. The climb over Sitgreaves Pass to Oatman is a steep twisty old one lane road without guardrails. Wild donkeys still roam these mountains as ancestors of gold miners who thrived here in the 1900's.

Days 10 and 11 crossed the California desert again. The record heat continued well over 100 degrees. Everyone was handling the heat better now but hoped for cooler riding conditions. The final days were pleasant as they climbed the mountains to the apple pie festival town of Julian. The last day was a fast ride dropping 4,000 feet in 75 miles back to San Diego.

We don't know when PAC Tour will offer this tour again. Another route option would be to begin in Albuquerque, New Mexico and go to the Grand Canyon and back. We could avoid the desert heat and still ride the mountains of New Mexico and Arizona. The tour would still fit in a two week time frame. Look for this new tour to be available in the future.

2003 Route