I bought at 16 RGU this year to be able to take trips that my softails have just not allowed me to enjoy comfortably. I've had this goal for a couple years to do a Solo ride to the Grand Canyon. I've been on a couple trips before and most of the time we just winged it and found hotels along the way and it wasn't too big of a deal.

I like to plan to some extent but I don't like to be tied down to everything being planned out exactly and having to stick to a itinerary . I'm riding from Lincoln, NE which is about 1300 miles away just to get to the canyon. I was thinking right around the beginning of June. For those of you with more experience how much do you plan and how much do you just ride until you want to stop and find something along the way?

I'm assuming the national parks will be busy (as well hotels around them) and I was thinking about buying a small tent and just trying to find places along the way to stop and sleep and not spend so much $$ for a hotel every night. My goal is to ride to grand canyon national park then through Zion and then cut through Colorado back to Lincoln, NE. I would like to do a little bit of hiking along the way.

Is it just as hard to find campgrounds for approved camping as it is hotels? I think I just need some general guidance and advice. I want to take my time with this trip. I was thinking two weeks just to make sure I'm not rushing. I'm not sure what to expect from the area as far as difficulty finding places to stay as in are the hotels all going to be booked etc..

Any of you that have gone on solo trips find it as enjoyable as it sounds before you actually do it? It sounds amazing to get away but I also wonder if after a few days I'll be missing some company or wishing I would have had someone to ride with me. I've found in past trips that after a few days of being around the same people for 24 hours a day everyday I start wanting to go on solo ventures but I've never ridden this far from home either.

I've wondered if maybe taking a shorter solo trip to see if I enjoy it would be wiser.

Any words of wisdom would be helpful!!

 

Hi, I'm moving to Grand Island in the fall, currently living in Germany. I've done several MC trips out west solo. Don't make many plans other than the route I want to take, don't really much issues getting a room. Been all over CO, UT, NV, CA and AZ. If you are take two weeks, you will have lots of time to ride the awesome hiway of the west. One of my favs in UT is 95 from Blandimg to Torrey, then 12 from Torrey to Escalante. That would set you up for going to the Grand Canyon the next day.
Have a good time! I miss riding in the states, especially the openness of the west! Take some pics and post!

 

 

I have made a number of solo trips out west. Had a blast. Planning another this year. A friend says he wants to go, but we all know how that goes. When solo, the only person you have to satisfy is you. When you stop, you will strike up a conversation with anyone, not just your riding partner. You will meet some really nice people from all over the world.


I always plan out my trips and make reservations in the touristy areas for both camping and hotels. When I get there, I want a place to lay my head. I see a lot of places that are booked and some with vacancies. The NP areas are very popular. I already have camping reservations at Yellowstone and a campground outside Bryce Canyon this year and usually make them 6-8 months in advance. Waiting on the campground to open outside Glacier to make those reservations. They book up early.

 

I have an app on my phone, Park advisor i think, has all the campgrounds, Phone #'s, amenity's there, ect, take a look ,Just an idea for ya

 

The only advice I would give is in those tourists areas book weekends a day or two in advance.

skeetz tripin on FB

 

I did a solo road trip last year from CA to Milwaukee, WI (HD Museum) & back (Actually road into Lincoln NE, and stopped at Frontier HD). I started with a itinerary and stayed on track with it for the most part. But when I did deviate from it, no big deal, I just adjusted. My experience was that strangers would be interested in what I was up to, when they saw my bike loaded up with gear and that I was from CA (mostly east of the Mississippi). Great ice breaker and I met a lot of great people along the way.

I say go for it, and don't look back! Enjoy!

 

I do 3-4 long distance trips each year...some solo, some with a friend or two. (Being retired has its perks!) I have a trick that works quite well for motels. About the middle of the afternoon I call my wife at home and tell her where I am and about how much farther I want to ride. She gets on Trip Advisor and finds a motel in the area where I'm planning to stop for the day and makes the reservation for me. Once she finds a decent place she sends the reservation info to my phone. I check the phone a little bit later and head that-a-way. Obviously that won't help if it's tourist season and everything is booked solid, but otherwise it works for me. Plus ya gotta have someone to call who is at home or near a computer.

I'm not a camper anymore. I used to camp, but I'm closing in on 70 years old, and I've observed a geological phenomenon that has slowly taken place over the last 30-40 years. During that time the earth's crust has continued to cool and solidify, and is now much more hard and lumpy than it was when I was young. Nowadays my idea of "roughing it" is Motel 6.
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I love taking trips with absolutely no reservations except for the first one out pf the door.....once I get to the Hotel/motel, the next morning while having breakfast i set my route and make the nights reservation from the breakfast table, why??? Inevitably i will have talked to a few folks and they give me ideas where and where to ride, then i make my reservation.....have been doing it like that for 39 years....works great for me....maybe it will work well for you.
Do not ride more then 300 miles per day...enjoy the sights and sounds of your surroundings.