Your Guide to the 8 Best Summer Motorcycle Road Trips

Nothing compares to feeling the wind against your back when you are riding a motorcycle on a beautiful day in an excellent location. When the weather warms up around the United States during the summer months, it can be the perfect time for taking your bike out of the garage and hitting the road for an adventure.

Before you do, though, make sure to take some precautionary measures. Unfortunately, a motorcycle accident Las Vegas is not an uncommon occurrence. You do not want something like this to happen before you can enjoy your first cruise of the season. After grabbing a helmet and protective clothing, consider checking out one of these top eight summer motorcycle road trips. 

1. Pacific Coast Highway

The best motorcycle rides include the best sights. If you want to see the steep and gorgeous cliffs of California, the Pacific Coast Highway may have exactly what you are looking for. With 120 miles of winding turns and stellar views, the drive from Carmel to Morro Bay will take your breath away. 

2. Peak to Peak Highway

Another twisty road, although half as short, is the Peak to Peak Highway in Colorado. Spanning for 60 miles, this road turns through mind-blowing Rocky Mountain vistas along the Continental Divide inside the Rocky Mountain National Park. Keep an eye out for elk and moose!

3. Blue Ridge Parkway

For a different kind of mountain view, the Blue Ridge Parkway offers motorcyclists another type of exciting road trip opportunity. On this journey, you will witness sobering Civil War battle sites and the arresting beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains in Virginia and North Carolina. You will also see some of the charming countrysides that this region of the U.S. is famous for.

4. Tail of the Dragon

Not too far to the west of the Blue Ridge Parkway is the Tail of the Dragon drive. Located in North Carolina and Tennessee, this super-curvy section of U.S. 129 is only 11 miles long, but it contains over 300 tight turns. As one of the most exhilarating rides to take on your bike, there is also the added reassurance that trucks are prohibited from using the road. 

5. Beartooth Highway

To catch high alpine meadows blooming in summer while nearby lakes reflect snow-capped summits, look no further than the dazzling Beartooth Highway between Montana and Wyoming. Open from June to September, this road zigzags across the Custer and Shoshone National Forests all the way to the northern gateway to Yellowstone National Park.

6. Going-to-the-Sun Road

For another part of Montana that is only accessible in the summertime, check out the thrilling Going-to-the-Sun Road, spanning from stunning climbs of Glacier National Park to Lake McDonald to Logan Pass. While you are there, be sure to stop and admire the mountain goats and bighorn sheep.

7. Coastal Route One

In the northeast U.S., there is another highway where you can smell the crustaceans in the wind as you ride your bike down Maine’s coastal section of U.S. Route 1. Stretching 167 miles from Brunswick to Mahias, this trip offers motorcyclists historic views of quaint seaside villages and old lighthouses. 

8. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Finally, one more incredible place to take your bike this summer is on a drive to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah. With 124 miles of unbelievable eroded scenery along Scenic Byway 12, this trip will take you through magical buttes, cliffs, canyons and mesas.

Without a doubt, there is no time like summertime to explore the country on your bike. By following the rules of the road and paying attention, you can reduce your risks of danger so that you can spend more time enjoying the ride on trips like these.