Riding from vancouver BC, Canada August 1st to august 6th, sort of a short holiday...

the route/plan

Vancouver to RENO (via Washington/Oregon/California) 2days

RENO - Vancouver (via Nevada/Idaho/Washington) 4 days


QUESTION is...

From RENO to Idaho we want to ride the 50 up to Austin then head north and cross to Idaho after going through Elko (225 i think)

the 3-4 options going up to Elko from Austin are the 305,306,278 or 93

What are these 4 roads like? the 93 is somewhat of a detour and not very prett i was told... we were thinking the 305 up to Carlin up to Elkoand up toidaho...

Any input would be appreciated...

keep in mind we only got 4 days to get back to Vancouver...

 

no helping hand?

 

305 from Austin to Battle Mountain is a decent road but not much to look at,278 from Eureka to Carlin is also pretty decent.
If you decide to take93 into IdahoShoshone Falls is a must see.

When in Reno a side trip to Virginia City is a must,take 395 south to 341 and then it'll tie into 50 just east of Carson City.
Enjoy your trip!!

 

`"When in Reno a side trip to Virginia City"

yeah a friend of mine told us to do that too. i guess we will now and tyvm for info!

 

Definitely do the side trip to Virginia City. You can do it on the way out of Reno if you want - follow the route dmlong mentioned, then on your way out of Virginia Citty get on "Six Mile Canyon" road. It will end at US 50 between Dayton and Silver Spring. Turn left to head to Fallon and points east.

Something else I'd recommend is taking the "southern route" to Austin. It's only maybe 30 minutes longer. You'll go through Fallon and Middlegate on US 50, but a few miles east of Middlegate you'll see a turnoff for 722. Go ahead and take that - it will rejoin US 50 just west of Austin. Having rode both routes, I find 722 prettier and more fun.

I've done 305 between Battle Mountain and Austin. Nice road, wide open spaces. More or less a straight shot though. I haven't done any of the other ones so I can't compare.

 

ty so much for all the info!

on a side note...

A few of our friends have been warning us about the heat around there beginning of august, and now that i read a bunch of stories today about 127 in Death valley today!!! i m really freaking worried...

wouldnt want to get stranded in the middle of no where in 127+ heat! yikes!

We plan on riding 6 hours a day, would evening or late night be dangerous (wild life, road, etc...)?

Again txs for the help!

/peace

 

I wouldn't go anywhere near Death Valley in August. It's already reaching temps like that now. 108 in Reno yesterday.
Try to get your riding in early and stay hydrated, you'll be alright.
Depending where you are, yes, wildlife can be an issue. Riding in remote areas at night can be hazardous, but I've had close call in broad daylight.

 

Sweet info txs mate! i guess early rise for the Reno > Idaho ride...

 

Nortern Nevada/Reno is like a whole different country.
Most of us here in southern Nevada/Las Vegas have no clue on what to answer you

 

I try to avoid dusk myself, no matter what part of the west I'm in, due to large critters.

I did a round-trip between Fallon and Vegas, travelled during the day both ways. I had a camelbak (slightly over 2 liters) and constantly drank from that.... I get 150 miles out of a tank of gas so I tried to go through an entire camelbak of water every 150 miles (so I could fill up at the gas stations). Believe it or not, that was actually hard to do!! But it kept me hydrated.

Hydration is especially important if you're just wearing a T-shirt or whatever. Leathers might be uncomfortably hot in stop and go traffic, but out on the highway, even in the hot part of the day, they keep the sun and VERY DRY WIND off your skin. Your choice (i've ridden around the desert in full gear, and in jeans and T-shirt and been fine either way) just realize you will dry out faster than you realize. Which pretty much goes back to keep drinking. Water.