Hi Everyone

In the middle of December I'll have to to go San Francisco for a conference for work. Since I'm from Europe, I'm planning to take one or two weeks extra afterwards as holiday. I was thinking I could perhaps rent a motorcycle and do a tour. I have always been intrigued by the long desolate roads through the deserts between the mountain ranges like in Nevada and Utah. I would love to do some roads in the style of Route 50, or Death Valley or Monument Valley or some smaller, lesser known roads.

Of course, the big problem, like I said before, it will be winter. And I realize that Nevada and Utah are quite elevated. So what is the state of the road there in winter? And how is the temperature? Cold is not necessarily such a problem for me. I can take some cold and I can dress warm enough, and if I rent something with a good wind shield and heated handles ... (not what I have usually :P) But it should not be too extreme of course, I would like to enjoy it still.
But most importantly, how about snow or (black) ice on the road? I only ride a year so far and don't know if I feel sure enough yet to ride long distances on snow and ice, on a rental, far in the dessert, on a different continent ...

So any information on this?

And if you would advise against it, is there anything you would suggest as alternative which is somewhat similar, but better in summer? Is southern Arizona less snowy/icy? But is it not just flat deserts. Anything else?

Thanks very much

Rent a car. There's too much cold (well below freezing), too much snow (unpredictable, but a definite hazard--and at high elevations it accumulates during the winter), and too much ice (mainly roadside snow banks melting, then freezing at night).

Not many opportunities for two-week bike tours in mid-december. Think elevation, not location. The central highlands and coastal routes in Mexico are wonderful, so maybe start thinking about that direction. Coastal California is nice when it's not raining or fogged-in, but there's not actually two week's worth to explore.

Or: you might get lucky with the weather, despite predictions for a wet, stormy season this year.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Thanks. That's a bit what I was afraid of. I was indeed also thinking of perhaps doing the Californian coast, it looks really nice. But not something I have the feeling I really have to do in the US. We have some things somewhat similar in Europe....

But thanks for the info

I have done Death Valley in December and no snow but as others have said the weather won't be with you. We struggled in parts of Utah in May with closed roads due to snow.

I agree with Mark - Rent a car. All the great places worth visiting in the Western US are at too high an elevation to do by motorcycle. If it isn't snowing, there will be black ice. The California coast is awesome, but sees a fair bit of rain in the winter and you can see most of it in a few days. I love Yosemite in the winter and even though the valley floor is only 3000 ft and often dry, storms can blow up quickly and strand you in there. Also a bit pricy to stay unless you are camping. Not much to see in southern Arizona or New Mexico, and the northern parts will have snow. And as mentioned before, this is an El Nino year - much higher precipitation expected. I don't have much faith in long term weather forecasts, but as there have been winter storms rolling through regularly (like weekly) since October, I think they may have it right this time. It's snowing outside my window at the moment...

Ok, thanks. I guess I'll have to rethink my plans of what to do after the conference. Perhaps some hiking/trekking or some cross-country skiing...

Good time of year for rental-car-supported hiking in the Four Corners and nearby desert areas. Camping can get brutally cold, but scenery just improves with some light snow cover. Cross country skiing as an option at higher elevations like Bryce.

It's much too cold here to safely plan a trip through. I'd be worried about snow storms etc popping up. You can occasionally ride here during the winter but it's a lucky day when it happens.