8 More Rides to do Before You Die - from Forum Member Suggestions
You spoke, we listened. What follows are the rides you all suggested as the best around, and one more of our own favorites. It's not even August, you can get out and ride some of these before the end of summer!
1. Sequoia National Park, California
Perfect pavement, humongous trees, Mountain views, and twenty miles of twisties; Sequoia National Park is perfect for cruising on a Harley. Go north from the town of Three Rivers on California Highway 198 and you'll be treated to sights you'll never forget. As you wind your way through the park you'll experience no shortage of changes in elevation or tight turns. Want more? Continue on through nearby Squaw Valley to the east, or Kings Canyon National Park to the west.
2. Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, New Mexico
New Mexico's Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway is so-named because in encircles the 13,161 foot Wheeler Peak, the highest point in the state. As you can imagine, being a circle you end where you begin, and that is usually Taos, NM. To get there, head out of town to the north west on US-64 and Highway 522, take a brief detour and you'll pass over the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, one of the highest spans in the country. On your way around the peak you'll traverse the 9,000 foot Bobcat Pass and run down through the Moreno Valley on a nearly 13 mile descent. Stop at Eagle Nest Lake State Park to take in the sights and breathe in the lake air.
3. Tail of the Dragon
"318 curves in 11 miles." I wonder if anyone has that tattoo. No list of great rides would be complete without mentioning The Tail of the Dragon at Deal's Gap. And since this is a list, we're mentioning it. Now that that's out of the way, what are your experiences with US Highway 129? Is it worth the trip? Was it as crowded as some people claim? Too crowded to be any fun? What time of year did you go?
4. Beartooth Pass Montana/Wyoming
US Route 212 straddles the Rockies between Montana and Wyoming, so you can imagine how great it must be. Beartooth Pass tops out at 11,000 feet and the views on the way up, from the top (nothing like a lake nestled between mountaintops), and on the way down are hard to beat. You'll also have many opportunities to stop and enjoy the view, including a designated observation point. One wonderful thing about this strip of tarmac is you'll likely have your run of it.
I was on this road for at least four hours for a job, and I saw at most four groups of bikers during that time, and this was in June. It was warm enough to be enjoyable yet the snow was still melting off of nearby peaks, making the views even more picturesque and swelling the rivers below. Eat buffalo burgers, if you eat meat, in Red Lodge on the Montana side or cruise through Yellowstone on the Wyoming side. Either way you'll feel like you are in an old western movie.
5. Chief Joseph Scenic Byway
Did you like Beartooth Pass? Good, because next up is nearby Chief Joseph Scenic Byway in Wyoming. Remember the buffalo you ate in Red Lodge? You can wave to its brothers as you navigate the twists, turns, and elevation changes on US Route 296. Some riders rate this 46 mile route right up there with Beartooth and since it's just next door there's no reason not to check both out, if you are in Wyoming. Almost the entire length runs through national forest and sticks close to the path the Nez Perce took on their historic 1877 flight from the U.S. Calvary.
6. The Twisted Sisters
Also known as the Three Sisters, this 100 mile loop through Texas hill country is easily one of the most fun, and most challenging, rides in the state. Formed by Ranch Roads 335, 336 and 337, west of San Antonio, in one 16 mile stretch alone there are 60 curves. The steep drop-offs with few guardrails are guaranteed to get your attention. You'll see canyons, rocky rises, deer, and wild horses, but not a lot of gas stations, so fill up before you set off.
7. Flatland
So, what if you don't live near a mountain? The stretch of Interstate from mid-Illinois to the right turn before East St. Louis is asphalt Ambien, although the official name is the slightly less soothing "I-55". Yes, I wasted one of these slides on a joke, but seriously, have you ever been on this strip of purgatory? I have. Hours upon hours of straightness punctuated by absolutely nothing. No curves. No hills. Zip, zilch, nada. There is a reason they put rumble strips and flashing lights right before the only corner for hundreds of miles. Oh, and there are bugs too. Lots of them.
8. Copperhead Road, North Carolina
Let's head back to hill country. Is a road better because it’s in a movie? What if it's in a classic Steve Earle song? US 276, NC 215 and US 64 form the 77 mile long Copperhead Loop in Pisgah Forest, NC. Winding its way alongside the Davidson River, this route passes Looking Glass Falls as it climbs toward the famed Blue Ridge Parkway. Numerous pull-offs with picnic tables are available along its length and it's reportedly far less traveled than the Dragon’s Tail. Why not ride the Copperhead Road while listening to Copperhead Road on the Harley-Davidson Boom! Box infotainment system? Does it get better than that?
For more places to ride and events to ride to, see 11 Rides to Do Before You Die.
For help with service of your bike, check out the how to section of HDforums.com
