Words and Photos by: Sam Lewandowski (@saminthemountains_)

The small roadside information panel appeared at first like a mirage, tempting me with its promise of a sliver of shade. I had started out from camp early while the sun still hid behind the towering canyon walls, knowing the temperatures were forecasted to rise to the mid-90s by the early afternoon, which in the Utah desert might as well be the temperature of the surface of the sun. Even knowing I had a deadline, I still stopped to see pictographs that were thousands of years old and a giant chasm in the earth, dropping 2000’ down to the trickling San Rafael River. When the route crossed that same river 10 miles later, I took advantage of a deeper pool to fully submerge myself. But that was miles ago and the water had dried almost immediately. I stopped to sit in the shade and look at my progress towards camp. My map said I was close to camp and I told myself I could survive anything for a couple more miles. And then, less than a mile later, camp appeared complete with sun shades, camp chairs, and an al fresco shower situated between some boulders. Unlike most of my trips, this one was supported.

The summer before my trip, some friends had used Hermosa Tours for a five day trip on the Colorado Trail, so I started looking into other trips they offered. I’ve always been drawn to the San Rafael Swell, but it’s notoriously hostile and rugged, especially for someone moving at the pace of a bicycle. The terrain is so treacherous that the Old Spanish Trail skirted it completely and it was an effective hideout from outlaws such as Butch Cassidy. Hermosa Tours offered a six day, five night trip that traversed the San Rafael Swell starting near Green River, UT and exiting in Cathedral Valley, the lesser visited northern region of Capitol Reef National Park. Over the course of 180 miles, the route traveled through landscapes such as Jackass Bench (named for the wild burros that live there), Last Chance Ranch, and the edges of Devil’s Canyon Wilderness. It seemed like the perfect first supported bikepacking trip for me.

I signed up for the trip in the fall and then months passed. Suddenly it was 10 days out from the trip and the extended forecast was predicting an early season heat dome over all of central Utah. I had originally signed up for this trip because I wanted to use all my time off work biking instead of using some of it to cache water and figure out car shuttles. Now, I needed the support of a guided trip to even consider completing the route!

There’s an African proverb that says “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Well in this case we went both far and fast together. While the trip can accommodate up to 12 people and one guide, we were fortunate to only have 4 ladies, plus our guide and his sweet pup, Finley, on this trip. For the first three days we either rode in groups of two or solo for the one day when my friend wasn’t feeling great and rode in the van with our guide, but by the fourth day, we started riding together. The miles flew as we chatted and rode together, always keeping a strong enough pace to push each other slightly, but also slow enough to really get to know each other. With the heat, we consistently finished each day around 1 or 2 pm before the heat really hit, and then spent the rest of the day relaxing and chatting in the shade from the van, searching for unique rocks, or exploring each of our amazing campsites. 

I still love self-supported bikepacking, but there’s something special about actually relaxing a bit on your vacation. My trip with Hermosa Tours, and all the trips they host, are no-frills supported trips. The guide provides the route for the trip, shuttles us to the start of the route and back to our cars, transports camp and our gear to each campsite, and provides water and shared camp supplies like chairs, stoves and grills, and cooking utensils, but otherwise we were on our own to bike at our pace and cook our own meals. If you want something more luxurious there are similar tours that will cook your meals, set up your tent, and send a guide with you each day. Whatever level of support or comfort you choose, a supported bikepacking trip lets you expand your adventures beyond what you could do yourself. And maybe you’ll even meet some new biking friends along the way.