Six Best Motorcycle Road Trips TL;DR
- The six best motorcycle roads in America: Pacific Coast Highway (CA), Tail of the Dragon (TN/NC), Blue Ridge Parkway (VA/NC), Going-to-the-Sun Road (MT), Beartooth Highway (MT/WY), and Route 66.
- Tail of the Dragon is the most technical, with 318 curves in just 11 miles, so ride it within your skill level and go on a weekday to skip the crowds.
- Going-to-the-Sun Road and Beartooth Highway are high-alpine routes that stay snowed in for much of the year, so summer is really your only window.
- The Big Sur stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway is stunning but prone to landslide-related closures, so check current road conditions before you plan around it.
- Route 66 hasn’t been an official US highway since 1985, but long stretches are still rideable as a historic byway from Chicago to Santa Monica.
- Shipping your bike can be a viable option to riding the whole way.
Some rides are about the destination. These are about the road itself. Every biker has a list of routes they need to ride before they hang up the helmet for good; roads where the curves, the climbs, and the views are the whole point of the trip. Whether you’re chasing switchbacks through the mountains or a straight shot through small-town Americana, here are six of the best motorcycle road trips in the country, and a few tips for riding them well.
1. Pacific Coast Highway (California)
Highway 1 runs 656 miles along California’s coastline, and the stretch through Big Sur is the section every rider dreams about: cliffside curves, redwood forests, and ocean views that don’t let up for miles. It’s a slower ride than most on this list, and that’s the point. Just know before you go that Big Sur’s cliffside sections are prone to landslides and periodic closures, so check current road conditions before you commit to a route.
2. Tail of the Dragon (Tennessee/North Carolina)
Eleven miles, 318 curves, zero straightaways. The Tail of the Dragon on US 129 at Deals Gap is the most technical ride on this list and one of the most famous motorcycle roads in the country, cutting through the Cherokee National Forest along the Tennessee/North Carolina border. It rewards a rider who respects it and punishes one who doesn’t, so this is a road to ride within your skill level, not past it. I drove it in a family minivan and puked, so be careful. Go on a weekday if you can. Weekends draw a crowd.
3. Blue Ridge Parkway (Virginia/North Carolina)
At 469 miles, the Blue Ridge Parkway is the long, easy exhale after the Dragon’s tight curves. It connects Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains with sweeping turns, well-kept pavement, and scenic overlooks around every bend. There’s no commercial traffic allowed, which makes it one of the more relaxed rides on this list, and it’s stunning any time of year, especially when the leaves turn in fall.
4. Going-to-the-Sun Road (Montana)
Fifty miles through Glacier National Park, climbing over the Continental Divide with some of the most dramatic alpine scenery in the country. It’s a shorter ride than others here, but it’s not a fast one. Snow keeps the full road closed well into the year, so it’s typically only rideable in summer, and it’s worth checking the park’s current status before you plan around it.
5. Beartooth Highway (Montana/Wyoming)
Charles Kuralt once called this “the most scenic highway in America,” and riders who’ve climbed its switchbacks to nearly 11,000 feet tend to agree. The Beartooth is a high-alpine pass connecting Red Lodge, Montana, to Yellowstone’s northeast entrance, with hairpin turns and views that make you forget how much your arms are burning from the grade. Like Going-to-the-Sun Road, it’s a seasonal ride. Snow closes the summit for much of the year.
6. Route 66 (Multiple States)
The Mother Road runs (or ran) 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica, and while it hasn’t been an official US highway since 1985, long stretches of it are still there to ride, preserved as a National Scenic Byway and marked with “Historic Route 66” signage through eight states. This is less about hairpin turns and more about the ride itself: diners, motels, and roadside attractions that haven’t changed much since the road was commissioned back in 1926. It’s the closest thing motorcycling has to a pilgrimage.
Ready to ride, without riding there and back
Not every trip needs to be round-trip. If you’re flying out to start one of these rides or you’d rather spend your vacation days on the road instead of getting to it, uShip’s marketplace can help you ship your motorcycle to your starting point and get matched with feedback-rated carriers ready to haul it there and back.
