My bro-in-law and I will be making a trip from the NC coast to the CA coast. May 24 thru June 15 (23 days). He has given me a list of “must dos” and left all of the other planning to me. Some places I have ridden before, some only what I have read or heard. I am interested in hearing valuable advice and opinions from others who have knowledge of some of the areas. It would be sad to get back home and realize that I was so close to a great riding road/scenery, etc. and missed. Our plan is to ride straight to Arizona via I-20 and I-10. Coming straight home from the Santa Fe area via I-40. No camping, reasonable hotels, we are hoping our hotels can average $100 per night. So let the thought and opinions fly, they will be appreciated. I am on a 2011 Roadglide and he on 2010 Heritage Softail Classic. Basic areas we want to ride: 1)Arizona area, 191, Show Low, Globe, Payson,Jerome, Sedona, Flagstaff, Meteor Crater, Williams, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and new bridge.
2) Not big on riding Vegas so on to the California coast at San Louis Obispo. Bakersfield, San Louis Obispo up the PCH to Golden Gate bridge. Tahoe area, Yosemite, Kings Canyon/Sequoia Nat. Park. Past Vegas to Mesquite, NV.
3) Southern Utah: Zion, Bryce, Torrey and back to Kanab. North Rim the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Million dollar highway (MAYBE). Work our way back down to the Santa Fe area to I-40. Below are some links to some definite areas and some not yet written in stone. Thanks! P.S. google map links show up better in my head than reading road name and numbers (lol).

http://*******/maps/tBY2P
http://*******/maps/p16eb
http://*******/maps/p16eb
http://*******/maps/wXtVi
http://*******/maps/nwIJp (staying two nights in Williams,AZ)
http://*******/maps/lV5JQ
http://*******/maps/41Xpp
http://*******/maps/KGkpw

 

Google links would not post???? Sorry

 

While I would not head that far south at that time, just be willing to take it as it comes.

You have a leave date and a return date, good. A final goal of the CA coast is also good. Take your maps and highlight all your picks, plus whatever you read here that sounds good.

Then wherever you hit the "west" and start your ride, meaning back roads, be open to change. You really can't see or do them all except at 70 mph. Go over your map each night and set a mini goal for the next day. Maybe you make it and maybe not. Be open to change due to weather or whim. If some old geezer that rode a panhead back in the day tells you about a back road that takes you to a hot spring in the hills, take it.

Some Ducati rider tells you about the twistiest piece of blacktop in all of Utah, check it out.

Please consider getting off the interstate long before AZ. If at the million dollar highway, Rt. 50 is scenic, pretty fast and will take you a long ways home. Beats the hell out of interstate.

Can this be done in 23 days? Yeah. But cutting the mileage and picking out less stops and avoiding a schedule will lead to serendipity, which is where the heart of motorcycle touring is. Otherwise it's just a road trip best done in a station wagon.

Words to ride by: Cut both the mileage and luggage if half.

 

When you go to Tahoe "Do not miss" going along Lincoln Hwy "Donner Pass". It runs on the south side along I-80. Its on the west side of Donner Lake. I think I could have spent all day there just taking in the scenery. Its not a long road so get off the bike and just look around a little. There are plenty of places to pull off.

 

From Vegas, there is no easy way west other than I 15 to Barstow, to Bakersfield over Tehachapi. From Bakersfield, head west on CA 58 to San Luis Obispo. From there, head straight up the best section of PCH 1, to Montery. From there, I would cut back across CA on CA152, through Los Banos and up to Merced. Merced is the best way to get into Yosemite on CA 140 which hooks up to CA 120. See the Valley ( Yosemite, that is) and then continue over Tuolumne Pass, down to Lee Vining and US395. From there, I would start my cut across Neveda. You eventually want to get up to US 50 (note to carcruzer1955, you were referring to the "old" US 40, across Donner Pass).

Once you get across "the loneliest hiway" US50, right at the Nevada Utah border, cut south and head to Beaver UT on UT21. From Beaver, head to Panguitch UT which is the gateway to Bryce Canyon. Doing Zion will require some backtracking but you should have time. From Bryce, stay on UT12 to Torrey (I just did this trip from Ely NV, to Bryce to Torrey, to Moab last summer). UT 12 is another one of those "Million Dollar Hiways). It really is worth it. A lot of the Nevada, Utah area are long stretches where the scenery does not change quickly. Not so on UT12, the ride from Bryce to Torrey is great. From Moab stay south to Monument Valley and home.

 

Thanks guys, please keep the info coming. I already see several bits of good info. Thanks!

 

Back again. I took the same exact route that Dblass wrote about in 1978. It is awesome riding. However, it is a lot of riding and not so much seeing to do from NC in just three weeks.

Unless there is a compelling reason to reach the Pacific, you would be better served doing more of a detail tour of just Colorado and Utah. Since May/June will be hot in the desert, a high mountain tour of Colorado fits in well. Did you know there are 22 paved passes in Colorado that are over 10,000 foot? They form sort of a double figure eight with very little back tracking and make for a beautiful tour. Throw in eastern Utah with Arches, Canyonlands and Monument Valley and you have a good three week tour. If you have an interest in ruins, Hovenweep, SE of Blanding is off the beaten path. Another lesser known spot is Goblin Valley SP. West of rt. 24 between Hanksville and I-70.

Anyway, if you want information about a high mountain pass tour of Colorado, PM me. You would not have time to do it if the CA. coast is your goal.

 

Thanks everyone so far... Love to see some info from Golden Gate Bridge to South lake Tahoe to Yosemite to Sequoia Nat. Park..... THANKS!

 

From San Francisco to Tahoe, there are only two routes, I 80 and US 50. I80 is all freeway. Up in the Sierras, as freeways go, is still scenic and since the freeway is divided (each direction is 2 lanes and take different tracks) you really don't get the "big slab" feeling. Also, starting at 25 miles from the summit, you can take the "old road", US40. This two lane road weaves around the freeway and it is where the locals live. Donner Summit on the old road is iconic and offers a great view of Donner Lake and the Truckee Valley. Once in Truckee, you can take CA 89 due south to go on the west side of Tahoe or take CA267 to North Shore and the east side of Tahoe. The west side is twisty but offers better views and much less development. The east side is fast and less twisty but it is more developed.

From Tahoe, there is only one way down to Yosemite unless you go back to the Central Valley. US395 goes from Reno/CarsonCity south down the east side of the Sierras. From Tahoe, you get to US395 by 1) go east on US 50 to Carson City or 2) take the Kingsbury grade to Minden/Garnerville or 3) go down the west side of Tahoe on US89 and stay on it south of South Lake Tahoe and follow US89 till it end at US395 around Topaz Lake NV. It it long ang very twisty in spots but offers some great scenery. The other routes are faster but no so great and 395 in NV is all developed.

I have never been a fan of US50 from Sacramento to So. Lake Tahoe and you really don't see that much and you will likely miss Tahoe since it hits the lake at the south end. You would have to loop it and end where you started. US 50 also is not so fast (2 lanes in many spots.

From 395, head south to Lee Vining. It is the east portal to Yosemite and CA120. It is a good 45 miles and 1 1/2 hours to get to the Valley. Make sure you have accommodations long before you go to Yosemite Valley. One last recommendation, south of Bridgeport CA but before you get to Lee Vining, take the side trip to Bodie CA. This is a real ghost town in the middle of nowhere. It is now a CA state park and worth the ten mile of dirt road (no worries, I took my full loaded Road King on without issue). Well worth the two hour detour.

 

Thanks, Dblass....Good info!