Moab Travel Logistics

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SPECIAL WE DO FRISCO: If you are coming to Moab from the San Francisco Bay area, Dreamride offers custom itineraries to clients who drive Hiway 50. We can make this special journey part of your vacation. Bank on our years of experience traveling to and from the Bay Area, our former home, to our new home, Moab, Utah. Ask for info when you call to book your Moab trip. We can provide simple mileage counts to attractions and landmarks, lodgings, and historic sites, or set up hotel reservations and timed attractions for your trip to us from the coast. Click on AMTRAK TIPS if you are thinking of riding the train from Oakland to Green River or Grand Junction.

DIRECT TO MOAB: GREAT LAKES AIRLINES provides daily service to Moab's Canyonlands Airport from Denver. Routes to Moab change so often that we no longer post phone numbers.

MOAB AIRPORT SHUTTLES: Moab is twenty miles from our local airport, Canyonlands Field. Dreamride provides local airport shuttle services for vacation clients ONLY for $35 per person ($70 minimum) each way. Please reserve when you book your vacation package.

VIA SALT LAKE CITY is 243 miles north-northwest of Moab. It is our second choice. Look at Grand Junction below to be happier when you get to Moab. Flying into SLC means you will benefit from bargain fights and access to better car rental rates. Thrifty or Budget rental cars, both of which have an office in Moab (go to the Moab Valley Inn), will not allow you to drop the car off without a fee. The drive from Salt Lake City to Moab takes four to five hours. The beginning of the drive can be an urban nightmare. Try to time your flight to avoid rush hour traffic. If you want maps to get you from SLC to Moab you click on MAPS FOR UTAH. In brief, from the airport take SLC Interstate beltway 215 south---signs may say east—it’s confusing, but you should be heading for the mountains. Watch for the one lane turn off to I-15 South on your right. Take Interstate 15 south past Provo to State Highway 6 that goes southeast to Price, then to Green River, where you connect to Interstate 70 and head east (left) to State Highway 191 where you go south to Moab. It is a pleasant, easy drive once you reach Price. There is a particularly refreshing restaurant/antique shop on the main drag in Helper (just before Price where the canyon opens up)-- great soup and sandwich. You cannot miss it. There is also a fine railroad and mining museum in Helper. Don’t draw attention in Wellington! You can shuttle from Salt Lake by van with BIG HORN EXPRESS. Lake Powell Air Service offers shuttle to and from SLC for a minimum of 4 people in small prop driven aircraft (Cesna Skywagon). Call them at (435) 259-7421.

VIA GRAND JUNCTION (GJ), COLORADO is more expensive than SLC, but preferable. Flying into Grand Junction allows flexibility with car rentals and the drive to Moab is quite a bit shorter and much more scenic. Thrifty Rental Car in Grand Junction offers one-way rentals to Moab (800) 373-0277 or Moab (435) 259-7317. Thrifty is located inside the Moab Valley Inn. You will have to fight to get a rental car dropped off without a fee, but it can be done. Driving time is less than 2 hours to or from Grand Junction. If driving during daylight in non-winter months take scenic route 128. 128 has patches of shade along the river so it gets icy in winter. American Spirit Shuttle will shuttle you between Grand Junction and Moab. Call Bonnie at (970) 523-7662. Dreamride provides shuttles between Moab and Grand Junction for our Elite clients for $400 each way to GJ (total price, whether there is one or up to six passengers and bikes), but this can only only happen when the van is not in use and your trip is booked as private. The best way to get to GJ is by connecting a Delta flight to Salt Lake City with a Southwest Airlines flight to GJ. Click on AMTRAK TIPS if you are thinking of riding the train from Oakland to Grand Junction. NOTE: United Airlines has a subcontractor flying from Denver to Grand Junction. It is not as optimum as the SLC connection and we have had clients fly into Denver to deal with a GJ flight cancelation. The airline will compensate with a hotel room and a bus ride, but this is really not what you are bargaining for, is it? If you use the Denver United connection, proceed with caution, and if they cancel, insist on a rental car as compensation!!

VIA GREEN RIVER, UTAH OR GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO--AMTRAC: Our favorite way to travel to Moab is by AMTRAK to Grand Junction. The train trip from Oakland, California or Chicago, Illinois (or points in between) is a treat and a great way to enjoy the countryside. The train also stops just north of Moab in Green River, Utah, about a 45 minute drive from Moab. Rental cars are iffy and shuttle services unreliable in Green River. If you take the train to Green River, have Dreamride arrange a shuttle as part of your package for $125 each way per person ($300 minimum each way). Click on AMTRAK TIPS for personal advice on using AMTRAK. You will not really need a vehicle while you are in Moab, if you stay in Dreamride's chosen downtown accommodations. Our lodgings are walking distance from restaurants and downtown services. GJ is a great place to get some legs under you, get a rental car, and head to Moab. Green River is best if you book a private Elite package and reserve a shuttle through us.

IF YOU ARE DRIVING TO MOAB ON INTERSTATE 70 FROM POINTS EAST OF GRAND JUNCTION: Drive a schedule that allows you to get to Moab in the light of day. Taking exit 202 (Scenic Byway 128--marked with the beehive) off of Interstate 70 west of Grand Junction will put you on one of the most beautiful roads in the country. The exit is marked for Cisco, Utah. Taking exit 212, which is also marked for Cisco, works as well, but puts you on a more primative road. If you pass exit 212 and keep driving for another few miles, you will turn off the freeway at the second Cisco exit (202). It is marked for Cisco like the first exit, but also noted with a beehive marker indicating a scenic byway (State Highway 128). Go left over the freeway and watch for the right hand turn in a mile or two that will take you to Moab. If you tavel through Cisco, understand that it is a ghost town with no services, no residents, just a funky general store, so don't go there, unless you want to see a funky ghost town in the middle of nowhere next to a boat ramp. Cisco was a gunfighter town in the days of the old west. This is where people who were not social enough to hang out in Moab gathered to kill one another for sport. By the way, Hiway 128 can be very dangerous during winter months due to ice in the shadows on the road. In winter, take Highway 191 South just past Thomson. Crescent Junction, where Hiway 191 heads south to Moab from Interstate 70, no longer has a gas station, so the only gas you will find is in Grand Junction, Mack (just a few miles past Fruita), and then not for another approximate 55 miles in Thomson which is around 35 miles from Moab. Fuel up and take lots of water, just in case.

DENVER TO MOAB: Flying, driving or taking a train or bus are your options, but assume a car rental at some point. The drive in summer can be very enjoyable. Winter snows, high altitude ice and ski resort traffic can pose problems during colder months into early Spring, but Interstate 70 is the most expensive scenic superhighway in the world--a great drive any time of year (with luck in winter). It will take you from six to eight hours, if you drive straight through from Denver to Moab. Frisco (just past Dillon on the interstate) is a great stop for food just a couple of hours into the drive. We recommend the Butterhorn Cafe for a great breakfast as you enter the heart of the Rockies. It is located at 408 Main Street in downtown Frisco, which is about a mile off of the freeway. There is paved bike path along the freeway from Frisco to Vail and other sections are underway as of this writing. Another paved bike path travels through Glenwood Canyon and is downhill from east to west. It can be done in an hour or two. Just drop off any bikes and riders at the top of the canyon, drive down to Glenwood Springs and wait for them. Meet at the hot springs water park. Any of the visitor centers or tourist information centers along Interstate 70 will be glad to help you find the trailhead. Just remember that if you are into Glenwood Canyon, you have gone too far, but you can still pull out at a rest area to catch the bike path a bit further down the canyon. After spectacular Glenwood Canyon, Glenwood Springs has a huge pool and water slides fed by hot springs, and a couple of nice restaurants are within range. For a good breakfast pull off at the water park and go left at the stoplight. There is a very good restaurant (white building) in less than a block on your right. The best restaurant on the entire drive is the Sopris which is a few miles south of Glenwood on Hiway 82 toward Aspen. It is on the left side of the road. Eat outdoors and feast on a view of the mountains as you dine. When you get to Grand Junction there is a good Chinese Restaurant, the Shanghai Gardens. As you approach Grand Junction Airport take the Horizon exit off of the freeway and go left. Well, that is breakfast, lunch and dinner. When driving to Moab from Grand Junction be sure to take scenic Hiway 128 (see instructions immediately above), but only if there is light. This narrow scenic highway along the Colorado River can be dangerous at night or during winter months when ice is on the road. A special note on Denver travel is that Great Lakes Airlines fly from Denver directly to Moab, which will make international flights directly from hubs in Europe possible. Your ticket can say, "Paris to Moab." See above for phone contacts and cautions.

LAS VEGAS may be a good option for some. If you are doing an extended trip of up to two weeks, it will not disturb your time with us. If you rush from Vegas in a rental car, you are not going to feel right for a day. You can get great deals on flights and rentals through Vegas. Expect a minimum of one very full day or two relaxed days of driving to Moab, if you want to just get here. Three days is best. It can certainly be done in one,but in between Las Vegas and Moab, well, . . . you might get bogged down . . . in a good way. Expect to spend time gawking. It would be stupid not to stop as much as possible to soak it all in. This drive, guided or self-guided goes right through the some of the best hiking and photography locations,places like Capital Reef, Bryce, and Zion National Parks, and the amazing and less known Utah State Parks along the way. Click on the photo for a sample slideshow of photography opportunities. Don't call to ask how to get there.

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Shipping Your Bike

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Some hotels in town allow shipment directly to your room. If they do not, or if you wish to have us receive, store and/or work on your bike, we only accept bicycles shipped in flight cases. See below for associated fees.

SERFAS HARDSHELL CASES
If your destination is Moab, it is usually less expensive to rent one of our "FOR MOAB"-BUILT BIKES than to ship or carry your own, but if you are bringing your bike or taking one of our customs, Rent-to-Buy or showroom bikes back with you, a case is a must. We stock Serfas bike flight cases for our custom bike orders, available to our vacation clients for $300, shipped for free in the 48 states. Renting a case is $50 per week, $75 for two cases per week, not including shipping fees. Case rentals are only available to Dreamride vacation clients. Each case has casters, lockable twist lock latches and is extremely durable. For flights you can check the case as luggage for a fee, but this is becoming more and more expensive and difficult, so we recommend using FEDEX or UPS. The Serfas case is sized to take advantage of lower shipping rates, NOT COSTLY FREIGHT RATES. With care and thoughful packing, you can fit a complete downhill bikes in this case, along helmet, clothing or tools (watch for weight limits--and remember that Dreamride will not unpack and assemble any bike in a case or box that arrives with any personal items aside from the bike). Some disassembly is required and, for mountain bikes, we generally take the fork off for shipment. Take your time to pack the case the first time. Click on the dreamcatcherlogo for case or bike purchase information. Be sure to order any bike or accessory at least one month prior to your trip. To see a freeride bike before and after being placed in the shipping case (fork off shipment), click on BIKE SHIPMENT.

BIKES AS LUGGAGE ON FLIGHTS
Airlines have varying policies on bike cases. Some will consider the case as luggage, if it is a certain size (differs with each airline). Some will charge as much as $175 to accept a bike as luggage. International flights are up to $500. If you are riding a well designed full suspension bike, breaking the bike down is fairly simple, though tedious. This will allow you to put the parst of the bike into TWO well-taped and padded boxes. This is a way to avoid having to pay bike flight shipment fees. Just say that what you have in the boxes is "sports equipment" or "bike parts." If you place a wheelchair sticker on the box, or call it "sporting equipment," or break the bike down so that the box is smaller than the average bike box, or place only part of it in the shipping case (put the wheels in a separate box or suitcase), airlines will not charge extra for shipment as long as you can state that it is parts, not a complete bike and you are not carrying more items than allowed. Tell them it is a "bicycle" and the deal is off!

As you see in the picture, Sherwood Gibson has shipped his VENTANA EL SALTAMONTES in the relatively small box you see here. Sherwood forgot to put one very special bolt into the box, so he ended up riding one of our bikes anyway. Be thorough in packing and checking. Place small items in sealed baggies. Let nothing move in the box. Use newspaper. Putting the bike into two large suitcases works like a charm at the airport. Good luck! Just don't jokingly tell them it is a bomb or you will be spending a very long time at airport security, being tortured by Homeland Security. Don't leave the meds behind.

SHIPPING THE BIKES VIA GROUND CARRIERS
If you need to ship your bike to us, allow at least a week for the bike to get here. Shipment to Dreamride and storage of your bike is only allowed if you have booked a package with us. We take no responsibility for the bike if it gets lost on its way to us.

ASSEMBLY, TUNING AND STORAGE FEES
IF YOU ARE SHIPPING DIRECT TO DREAMRIDE: Dreamride will not accept bikes shipped in cardboard boxes. Receiving and storage fees in Moab are $10 plus $5 a day after two days, whether or not we open the case. If you ship your bike in a hardshell flight case, and want it prepared for riding, Dreamride will unpack, assemble and tune your bike for $95. We do not accept dirty bikes. If your bike is sent muddy or just plain funky dirty, we don't work on it. Hose the sucker down and wipe it off, and clean the drivetrain before you pack it. After your rides with us, we will repack your bike for $95. We will NOT accept bike cases loaded down with gear other than the bike and will not ship a bike out with anything other than the bike inside the case. Shipment and insurance fees, any fees for extra packaging or needed repairs or additional maintenance are not included. If you have your bike packed at a bike shop, make sure they know what they are doing. We have seen a few bikes packed by inexperienced bike shop employees and arrive damaged from shifting in the box, metal to metal, and owners were unable to recoup insurance moneys due to poor packing. Damages resulting from poor packing are impossible to recover. Pack it carefully, and take pictures of the bike in the case prior to shipment for insurance purposes. SEND YOUR BIKE VIA UPS OR FEDEX TO DREAMRIDE, 124 WEST 200 SOUTH, MOAB, UT 84532.

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Cover Your Assets

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VACATION CANCELATION INSURANCE: If you are worried about loss of funds due to cancelation, for 6 to !0% of the price of your package you can have cancelation insurance. You can purchase travel insurance from your local travel agent or register on-line by searching in your favorite engine for "travel cancelation insurance." Visa provides excellent trip cancellation insurance as part of its credit card services, as does AAA. Information is available through your Visa Bank Card. The contact number is probably listed on your monthly bill. AAA and Visa have been our personal travel insurance choices for many years. Sometimes car insurance covers things you would never imagine. Read your policy. You may be covered for personal injury within specified miles from your car.

Click on RESERVATIONS AND CANCELLATION POLICIES for information on when and how to book, payment, and refunds.

Call 1 (888) MOAB UTAH in the states.
If you are calling from foreign shores the number is 435-259-6419.
FAX number is 435-259-8196.
or write to:

Dreamride
P.O. Box 1137
Moab, UT 84532

For email contact information click on:
CURRENT DREAMRIDE EMAIL ADDRESS

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