The best way to experience a scenic road trip is on a motorcycle. Motorcycles offer the freedom to explore at your own pace and can be more comfortable than riding in a car.
When on a motorcycle, the passenger should be close enough to feel the driver’s body language and mirror it during turns. This will help both of you stay safe and in sync during the ride.
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The Great Divide
The Great Divide is a dream route for many adventure motorcyclists. This spectacular route, first mapped by the bicycle group Adventure Cycling, runs from Antelope Wells, New Mexico, through Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, and Banff, Canada. The ride spans some 2700 miles and closely follows the Continental Divide, crossing it over 30 times. Along the way, you’ll find high alpine terrain with a variety of road conditions, including pavement, good gravel roads, four-wheel drive trails, and singletrack, and the scenery is stunning. You’ll also see wildlife like bears, deer, antelope, and moose, as well as historic mining towns and abandoned wagon routes.
You can blaze the trail yourself or join a guided tour with companies that offer motorcycle rentals, hotel accommodations, and detailed tour route information. The best time to visit the Great Divide is between May and October, when the weather is warm, dry, and clear.
Another fun and scenic ride is The Green Rural Loop from Massena to Cape Vincent, New York. This picturesque route hugs the St. Lawrence River and gives you a view of the whole pageant of water activity: large freighters chugging to and from the Great Lakes and small pleasure craft darting about helter-skelter. In between, you’ll see a landscape that inspired the stories of Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving. You’ll also discover quaint seaside restaurants and ritzy harbors. And that’s not to mention the countless old service stations, both restored and abandoned, that line the route.
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Route 66
If you love vintage roadside kitsch, kitschy tourist attractions, mid-century architecture, American history, and chatting with friendly locals, Route 66 (also known as the Mother Road) is the trip for you. This iconic highway is dotted with diners, motels, historic sites & museums, and stunning vistas. And while some of the road has been gobbled up by interstates, there are still plenty of opportunities to drive through small towns with old gas stations and see a few of those famous Muffler Men along the way.
The best time to take a Route 66 road trip is between late spring and early fall. This is when you’ll get the most comfortable weather, avoid many of the crowds that hit Route 66 during the summer, and be able to stop at most of the attractions and restaurants along the way. However, if you prefer a more isolated and apocalyptic feel, then I’d recommend planning your trip in the winter.
Most people who take a Route 66 road trip either drive their own vehicle or opt for a guided tour. For those looking for a guided tour, G Adventures offers several itineraries exploring parts of Route 66 while visiting destinations like Los Angeles, the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas. You can also rent a motorcycle for a self-guided trip with Eagle Rider, which has locations in Chicago and Los Angeles and offers one-way rentals for a fee.
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The Pacific Coast
A road trip along the Pacific Coast is an experience that’s hard to beat. With stunning scenery and plenty of stops for sightseeing, this world-class route is a must for antique motorcycle enthusiasts. Crashing waves, craggy headlands, sandy beaches, and rocky tide pools await visitors as they wind through this breathtaking coastline. Quiet coastal communities geared toward tourists are paired with simple and sturdy fishing villages that still pull their living from the sea.
Hearst Castle is a must-see stop for any Pacific Coast Highway adventurer, as are the nearby Piedras Blancas Light Station and Elephant Seal Rookery (thousands of elephant seals can sometimes be seen gathering on the shoreline). Stop by Devonte Lookout for some of the best views on the route, or make your way to Fort Bragg to view–but don’t touch–the colorful variety of sea glass washed up on Glass Beach.
This road trip is best done during the summer or fall when the weather is typically warm and least rainy. However, if you choose to travel this route during the winter, the cooler temperatures can make for a more enjoyable ride with fewer crowds. It’s important to plan ahead on this trip, and we recommend allowing three days for the drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Having extra time also allows you to visit other popular stops on the route, such as Calico Ghost Town or Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch.
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The Great River Road
This incredible road trip hugs the Mississippi River and traverses 10 states from northern Minnesota to Louisiana. It’s an incredibly diverse ride that offers everything from bluff-top views and historic landmarks to a lot of history, food, and culture. It’s also a great choice for anyone who has never ridden a motorcycle since it features many wide-open roads with pleasant curves.
The route starts in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and travels westward through prairie country until you hit the town of Prairie du Chien, where nine sites are on the National Register of Historic Places. From there, you can head south to St. Louis to see the iconic Gateway Arch or continue to follow the Great River Road down into the Bayou State.
As you make your way down into Louisiana, you can stop in the city of Baton Rouge, where you can tour numerous museums and visit the USS Kidd. Then, head further south to New Orleans to marvel at the city’s beautiful architecture and listen to live music on Bourbon Street. To top it all off, chow down on some tasty Creole cuisine. If you want to experience this incredible road trip without having to buy your own motorcycle, there are a number of guided motorcycle tours that offer one-way rentals, hotel accommodations, and detailed tour route information.
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The Rockies
The Rocky Mountains are a mountain range that forms the Cordilleran backbone of North America, with peaks as high as 4,400 meters (14,440 ft). The Rockies have numerous national parks and wilderness areas, and it is a popular destination for camping, hiking, climbing, mountain biking, skiing, and snowboarding. The rocky peaks are also home to many species of birds, plants, and animals, including black bears, grizzly bears, mountain goats, antelopes, bighorn sheep, and mountain lions.
If you are interested in exploring the Rockies on your motorcycle, there are a variety of great scenic routes to choose from. One option is the 68-mile-long Beartooth Pass, which traverses the Rocky Mountains of Montana and Wyoming and offers stunning mountain views and challenging curves. Another option is the Scenic Byway of the Rockies, which runs through the towns of Red Lodge and Yellowstone.
Regardless of which route you choose, the Rockies are a must-see for any motorcyclist. But remember that the altitude in this region is quite high, so be sure to acclimate before embarking on your trip. And don’t forget to bring your camera – the views are spectacular. In addition to the beautiful mountain scenery, there is a lot of history to explore in this part of the country. The region was inhabited by members of various Native American tribes, including the Cheyenne, Shoshone, and Crow Nation.
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The West Coast
The West Coast has a lot to offer for antique motorcycle road trip lovers. It is home to some of the most famous ocean coastal drives and stretches of twisty road that have been drawing in riders for decades.
The Three Capes Loop in Oregon offers mile after mile of beautiful scenery as you wind your way in and out of small beach towns and dairy country. The Pacific Coast Highway in California is also a must-see ride as you explore the state’s incredible diversity of scenery, from temperate deserts to majestic mountain peaks and everything in between.
In Montana, there is a wonderful scenic route called the Cherohala Skyway, a motorcycle rider’s dream. This quiet and isolated road offers views as far as the eye can see, with very little evidence of civilization in sight. This is one of the best routes for a motorcycle rider who wants to feel truly disconnected from the rest of the world.
The Colorado Scenic Byways are also fantastic for antique motorcycle road trips. These routes are packed with great twisties and many historic mining towns with a cool old-western feel. The town of Telluride, in particular, is a must-see as it has high-end restaurants and hotels with a unique mix of old and new.