Hey guys,

I have a ton of vacation time coming this summer so, long story short, I'm riding from Nova Scotia to Vancouver BC, planning to take about two weeks.

Just doing some preliminary planning and wanted some opinions on routes I should definitely hit along the way.

Tentative route plan takes me through Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Northern New York into Niagara Falls, North of Lake Superior, Back down through Minnesota, South Dakota, Beartooth Pass/Yellowstone, Lolo Pass into Washington, and then Home to BC.

There are a few things I want to make sure I hit, but a lot of question marks in between, so here are my main questions for guys who have ridden this or live in the States I've mentioned:

1. What States/parts of States should I plan to "skip"? I realize every state has decent riding, but let's be honest, I need to log some serious miles on 2 or 3 of these days and I want to know honestly what's worth passing by, I'm not retired and I don't need to see everything.

2. What off-Interstate routes are can't-miss? I'm thinking roughly parallel routes with a little more character, all Interstates look the same so I don't want to log 4000 Miles of Interstate. Good example a guy gave was NY Route 20, it parallels I-90, sounds like an interesting tip and I'm hoping for more like that!

3. What else is worth going out of my way to see?

Here's a rough outline the States I'll hit on the way:

Maine
New Hampshire
Vermont
New York
Minnesota
South Dakota
Wyoming
Montana
Idaho
Washington

If you live in these States I wanna hear what you have to say about the riding there!

Thanks guys, planning this is almost as fun as riding it!

 

You missed the best state with that route. Wisconsin. Home of Harley Davidson, great 2 lanes, friendly people, tons of biker bars. There are lots of threads on good rides there. I'll post some, if you change your route.
Good luck.

 

Thanks Ron. It's tricky because it's way out of my way to hit it, and I need to decide between riding Wisconsin or Ontario, and I've heard the north side of Lake Superior is awesome riding. Tough choice! I'd have to double back towards Milwaukee and Chicago by the time I clear the lake on the west side. But I'd consider it if it's definitely worthwhile.

 

Coming out of NB into Maine, I'd suggest taking Rte 9 to the Bangor area, then Route 2 all the way to NH. In Gorham, NH turn onto Rte 16 (So) to No Conway to Rte 112 (Kancamagus Hwy) till it connects Rte 302 into VT. Continue west to Rte 100 & follow that south to Rte 8, almost in MA. Stay on 8 to Pittsfield, MA where you can pick up Rte 20 west through NY all the way to Buffalo. I've never taken 20 all the way across NY, but I have ridden all the other roads taking a round a bout ride back to FL. Last time I was there, Rte 9 in ME & the western part of 112 in NH was a bit rough. 100 in VT was full of tiny towns & very "New England".

 

You ought to consider the Mackinaw Bridge it's quite a sight

 

The 2 best roads I see on your agenda are the Beartooth and Rte 12 over Lolo pass, your in a valley along the Lochsa River just Beautiful! You can ride the Beartooth right into the North entrance of Yellowstone! Just south of Yellowstone is Jackson Wy.,you can ride by the Tetons on the way to Jackson (Million Dollar Cowboy Bar and steakhouse is there). Another option in that area is to stay in Cody Wy., the ride into Yellowstone from Cody is a very nice ride (East Ent.), also Chief Joesph Scenic Highway is north of Cody on the way to the Beartooth! I don't know if you have the time but Rocky Mt. NP. Co. and Trail Ridge Rd (highest continuous rd. in U.S.) are awesome! Don't miss the Yellow Grand Canyon in Yellowstone with 2 waterfalls! Mt Rushmore in S.D. east out of Keystone on rte 244 is worth a look its near Sturgis.

 

When in Washington State, I highly recommend The Wind River Hiway between Carson,Wa. and Randle,Wa. This road runs along the east side of Mt.St.Helens and is just fantastic to ride. Tons of scenery, lots of curves, lots of good road conditions. Plus you can get pretty close to Mt.St. Helens and it's tourist info. In general, Washington State has lots of good biker roads. Another one is Hiway 20 that runs along the north end of the state. Stop in for lunch and beer at Winthrop Wa. Great biker destination.

 

US 12 across Idaho. Must see/ride. Ride it both ways...

 

In northern MN, the ride down the N shore of Lake Superior to Duluth is worthwhile, Gooseberry Falls is a good stop and with a short hike you can see a great site. The lift bridge at Canal Park is cool if you get to see a Lakes Freighter pass under it. Also the Skyline Drive along the bluff overlooking the Duluth harbor and Superior. Other than that, there's really not much spectacular between there and the Black Hills.

Once you get up the hill from Duluth you're on the western edge of the eastern hardwood forest region and begin the transition to the Great Plains. At that point it's relatively flat (around 900-1000') with the occasional elevation changes gradually climbing as you go west. When you get to the Black Hills you'll be around 3200' at Rapid City and 5500' in the Hills. Duluth to RC would be a day to pound out some miles. If you decide to take 212 across MN and SD, don't miss the gas stop in Faith SD, there's nothing between there and a few miles outside of Sturgis.

 

Thanks for the advice guys, it's all been really helpful.

Hey Rizzo, Would you say it's more worthwhile to head south through Wisconsin and skip Northern Lake Superior? Better riding that way?

Thanks!