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Riding near Vegas in January

Slo-Ryd

Junior Member
Contributor
I'm flying out to Vegas on Saturday the 12th and rented a Street Glide for 4 days. I planned on taking day trips to the following areas and hopefully find dealerships nearby to get shirts from. Anyone from the Vegas area that can offer any tips or suggestions concerning weather and or dealers heading to any of these areas?

It's my first venture out to the southwest but wanted to take a little mental checkout from the snow and below freezing temps up here in Connecticut and do a little desert riding while on vacation. We usually ride in anything above 40 or so, and it looks like the averages are around the low to mid 50's during the day so that is balmy enough for me.

Needles, CA / Bullhead City, AZ (250 miles Round trip)

Barstow, Ca. (300 mi. R/T)

Death Valley (350 mi R/T)

I just want to make sure I won't be crossing any high elevation mountain ranges on the way to any of these locations with risk of snow. I also planned just day trips to be able to avoid nights in the desert which I know are freezing this time of year.

NV T shirt - Las Vegas easy choice
Ca - Victorville seems to be the closest to Barstow?
AZ - Kingman?

Have a car for the week too and plan on hitting the dam and Grand Canyon....didn't look like a good idea on a bike.
Open to suggestions to must see places around any of the areas as well:)
 
Bring warm gear.....it gets cold and windy in Vegas this time of year.
I would ride up north into Utah 1 day. Barstow avoid. Hoover dam and Lake Mead are cool. Ride to Laughlin is another.
 
On the way up north to Utah, ride through the Valley of Fire. Also ride through Red Rock Canyon. Neither of these are that far from Vegas, but great scenery. And yes, it does get cold and windy in Vegas in the winter. Nevada has helmet laws and be very careful if you ride on the strip. Lots of drunk drivers and idiots that are looking at all the sites and not paying any attention to their driving.
Have fun :D
 
Bring warm gear.....it gets cold and windy in Vegas this time of year.
I would ride up north into Utah 1 day. Barstow avoid. Hoover dam and Lake Mead are cool. Ride to Laughlin is another.

Plan on staying south of Vegas for the warmer temps. Utah may be a bit more frigid I think. I'm hearing Oatman, AZ is a must do/see on the old Rte 66 and would fit into a Kingman, Oatman, Bullhed City and Needles ride then back up to Vegas via 40 west to 95.

Why should I avoid Barstow?
 
Long way on the interstate........nothing but desert and nothing really there.
I was just hoping to pick up a t-shirt from each of the 3 states. From what I searched, Victorville seems to be the closest dealership in CA from Vegas...........bummer if it's a long boring ride. Much more to see closer by.
 
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Yeah... Victorville is the closest dealer in CA but you have to go through Barstow (boring) to get there unless you take a different route.

Dealers in Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs.

Just isn't much to see when riding through the desert.

Baker (halfway to Barstow from Vegas) has the "world tallest thermometer" : 134 ft but nonoperational as of 2012.
Commemorates the highest temp recorded in the US.
134 degrees in 1913.
Seems this is the high point of interest in Baker.

If I recall correctly, there was a sign at the top of the approach to Baker stating it was downhill to Baker.... for 17 miles! Thought that would be a cool ride on a bicycle, except if you were going the other way.

Have fun......
 
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