When Is the Best Time of Year to Ride a Motorcycle in Utah?
Utah’s dramatic seasons make for spectacular riding, and very different risks depending on the calendar. Timing your rides to the safest conditions, and respecting the hazards of each season, can keep a great ride from turning into a crash. Here is what to know.
In Utah, late spring through early fall generally offers the safest riding: warm temperatures, dry roads, and long daylight. Winter brings ice, salt, and low visibility, and even summer has its hazards. Whenever you ride, check conditions and gear up.
Riding by season
- Spring: great riding, but watch for sand and gravel left from winter, potholes, and rusty riding skills after months off.
- Summer: prime season, but heat, dehydration, heavy traffic, and sudden storms raise the risk.
- Fall: often ideal, with cool air and light traffic. Watch for early frost, wet leaves, and shorter daylight.
- Winter: the riskiest, with ice, snow, road salt, and reduced traction and visibility.
Hazards that shift with the seasons
The calendar changes more than the temperature. Daylight shrinks in fall and winter, putting more riders on the road at dusk. Road conditions swing from gravel-strewn spring roads to icy winter ones. And traffic volume peaks in summer, when more vehicles, and more distracted or vacationing drivers, share the road.
Staying safe whenever you ride
- Check the forecast and road conditions before every ride.
- Gear up for the temperature and the crash, not just the sunshine.
- Ease back in after a long break from riding.
- Stay visible and assume drivers do not see you.