16 Day Harley Davidson Western Highlights Self-Guided Motorcycle Tour USA
Self-Guided Motorcycle Tour USA
As the name of the tour reveals, this adventure presents you the highlights of the Western United States. Riding in style, your Harley Davidson will take you through the 4 states of California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. Being the most diverse of all, this tour offers vibrant cities like Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the solitude of the Mojave Desert, the unforgettable impression of a sunset at Grand Canyon, a hike into Bryce Canyon, the mystic appearance of the iconic Monument Valley, and many more attractions.
Key information
- Bike: rental bike
- Terrain: paved roads
- Mileage: 4179 kilometers / 2605 miles
- Daily rides: between 205 - 505 kilometers / 125 - 315 miles
- Meals: some breakfasts are included
Highlights
- Ride on the great Route 66
- Starts and ends in Los Angeles
- Explore the amazing Grand Canyon
- Discover San Francisco and Las Vegas
- Harley Davidson or BMW motorcycle rental
- 15 nights accommodation
- Liability insurance
Skill level
- Intermediate
Accommodation
You will be staying at three to four-star accommodations in prime locations throughout the tour. The hotels are biker friendly with motorcycle parking on site, and also have restaurants on site or within walking distance.
Program
Day 1: Arrival day
Welcome to Los Angeles! After arriving at the airport, you take the complimentary shuttle to the arrival hotel in Los Angeles. Guided tour participants will find the California Sunriders welcome desk in the hotel lobby from 16:00 to 18:00. Self-guided tour customers check in at the front desk for their pre-reserved room.
Day 2: From Los Angeles to Palm Springs (306 kilometers / 190 miles)
This morning, you meet in the front of the hotel where a private transfer to the rental location is waiting for you. After you receive your motorcycle, you head south and out of Los Angeles to San Juan Capistrano. You choose the route to be Ortega Highway, one of the best and curviest roads through the Cleveland National Forest.
After a great American style lunch in an isolated town at Lake Elsinore, you continue riding through the valley to the mountains of the Mount San Jacinto State Wilderness. At Lake Hemet, you hook up with the Pines to Palms Highway and the continuously twisty and windy road takes you down to the oasis of the desert, Palm Springs.
After refreshing your dusty throat with an ice cold beverage, you jump into the hotel pool and enjoy the evening across the road along Palm Springs’ Indian Canyon Drive.
Day 3: From Palm Springs to Laughlin (385 kilometers / 240 miles)
You say goodbye to Palm Springs and head north, passing through one of the oldest and largest wind power farms in the United States. Soon, you arrive in Twentynine Palms where you can stop briefly to go shopping for a picnic lunch you’ll have in the natural splendor of Joshua Tree National Park. After lunch, you continue north into the Mojave Desert and continue the ride on a section of Historic Route 66.
You stop to cool off in Amboy and then make your way to the gambling town at the Colorado River, Laughlin. You will be staying at one of its many casino hotels, enjoy a swim in the pool, or try your luck at a game of Blackjack or Roulette.
Day 4: From Laughlin to Grand Canyon (395 kilometers / 245 miles)
Today, you start out the day with a visit to the historic gold mining district of Oatman, Arizona and its wild donkeys wandering the streets. Then, it’s onto the curvy and twisty Oatman Road over Sitgreaves’ pass to Kingman, where you can include an optional stop to do some shopping at the local Harley-Davidson dealer if time allows.
Back on Historic Route 66, you’ll hang out at Hackberry General Store on your way to lunch in the famous Route 66 town of Seligman. After lunch, you’ll have some time to do get your hands on some Route 66 souvenirs offered in town.
Afterward, you get on the Interstate for a short section and climb up the Kaibab plateau passing the town of Williams. Here, you take a brief rest stop before you ride to your hotel in Tusayan, gateway to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon. If you arrive early enough, you can take a ride into the park to see the colors change rapidly during the most amazing sunset over the canyon.
Day 5: From Grand Canyon to Monument Valley (336 kilometers / 210 miles)
This morning, you’ll have the opportunity to experience one of the most thrilling things to do at Grand Canyon, by taking a helicopter ride before you start riding for the day. You leave Tusayan and take your time riding along the south rim of the canyon, stopping frequently at lookout points to take pictures, and savor the mesmerizing vistas.
After leaving the park, you will stop at the Cameron Trading post for lunch and some more Navajo Indian artifact shopping. Back on the bikes, you’re up for a ride through the Navajo Nation, to one of the most beautiful locations in the Southwest, Monument Valley Tribal Park. Made famous by the numerous Hollywood movies filmed here over the last seventy-plus years, it somehow looks familiar. If you look closely, you can almost see John Wayne riding his horse amongst the monuments.
Day 6: From Monument Valley to Bryce Canyon (480 kilometers / 300 miles)
You start out early today on one of the longest days of the tour. A photo stop of the Mexican Hat Monument gives you a short break before you choose a road that seems to end right at the foothills of a massive cliff formation. However, the road winds its way up and into the Vermillion Cliffs, over a thousand feet to the top of the Colorado Plateau from where you seek a hidden vista point to overlook the Valley of the Gods.
From there you continue onward through some of the most spectacular scenery the Southwest has to offer. You glide through Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to your rest stop in Hanksville. It’s buffalo burger time!
After lunch, you ride through Capitol Reef National Park, and then up and over Boulder Mountain in Dixie National Forest. This particular stretch seems to be made in motorcycle heaven and you can’t really decide which one is better, the perfect road or the amazing scenery. One last stop and a quick coffee settle the day before you reach your hotel at Bryce Canyon National Park.
Day 7: From Bryce Canyon to Las Vegas (400 kilometers / 250 miles)
After breakfast this morning, you ride into the park for a look around and an optional short hike down into Bryce Canyon. Before you start your approach to Las Vegas, you are presented with another tidbit southern Utah has to offer. You cruise your bike through Red Canyon State Park, along with a sparkling river through picturesque valleys to your next destination, Zion National Park.
You ride through Zion this time with a different view of the amazing scenery, as the curvy road leads you further and further to the bottom of the park. You pull over at several vista points in order to take photos before you get lunch just outside the park boundary at a fantastic lodge.
After you’ve loaded on great food, you continue on through southern Utah until you drop down through the Virgin River George into the desert leading to Las Vegas. You reach Las Vegas early evening and park your bike for some exciting Las Vegas nightlife.
Guided tour participants, if you’re only doing the first week of the tour you’ve arrived at your last stop, and you will have a farewell dinner to celebrate and say goodbye to your new friends and riding companions.
Day 8: Rest day in Las Vegas
For those that are doing the full tour with California Sunriders, today is a day to explore the great city of Las Vegas and all the entertainment it has to offer. Take a day off the bike and enjoy yourself. If you are leaving the tour, this is when you will drop off your motorcycle and catch your flight home unless you’re extending your trip after the tour.
If you are just joining the second half of the tour, catch a shuttle or a taxi from the airport to the hotel where your tour guide will greet you at 14:00. After that, you will pick up your motorcycle. Let’s meet for dinner tonight so your tour guide can give you important information on how you operate the tour and what to expect. Now it’s time to enjoy Las Vegas, but don’t stay out too late because tomorrow you will start riding!
Day 9: From Las Vegas to Mammoth (505 kilometers / 315 miles)
The longest day of the trip awaits you today. In the morning, you say goodbye to Las Vegas and head out on the open road. After leaving the mecca of gambling, you head through the mountains west of town and into the spectacular scenery of Death Valley National Park. As you ride into Death Valley, you soon understand how it got its name as one of the hottest places on the planet, and also one of the lowest points in the western hemisphere.
Arriving at Death Valley, you can only imagine how the people must have felt when they got here on their way to California during the time of the Gold Rush. You stop in the park for an early lunch at Furnace Creek and then continue on through the unique beauty of the park. After leaving Death Valley, you ride north up California’s Owens Valley on the west side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range to your hotel in the ski resort town of Mammoth Lakes.
Day 10: From Mammoth to Yosemite (240 kilometers / 150 miles)
Compared to yesterday, today’s mileage is rather short as you need plenty of time to explore the national park. You continue north to Lee Vining, where you enter the United States most visited national park, Yosemite. Weather and road condition permitting you ride over 10,000 feet high Tioga pass into the heart of the park, where you will spend most of the day.
At the top of the pass, the tour guide will do a brief rider meeting, show everyone where your hotel is, and let you explore the park on your own. Ride through the central valley or up to Glacier Point for a view that will stay forever in your memory. Enjoy your day and you will meet at the hotel in El Portal for dinner and a good night’s rest.
Day 11: From Yosemite to San Francisco (320 kilometers / 200 miles)
After breakfast, you will start riding through the canyons into the central valley of California. You will head north from Mariposa on state Route 49, an extremely beautiful and curvy road out of the hills and onto the valley below. Enjoy this cruise as much as you can, because unfortunately after that, there is no way around the interstate to Oakland and across San Rafael Bridge into Sausalito for a late lunch stop.
You ride up through Golden Gate National Recreation area for a rewarding view of the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge. Now, the moment has come and you ride across the famous Golden Gate Bridge with the Mama’s & Papa’s song “California Dreaming” playing along in your head. Your first class hotel is conveniently located at well-known Fisherman’s Wharf. Here, you can find a wide variety of shopping, restaurants, and sightseeing opportunities.
Day 12: Rest day in San Francisco mileage varies
You spend the day in the beautiful and diverse city of San Francisco, nicknamed “The Paris of the West”. Take today to go out and explore this incredible city, perhaps go for a walk down to Fisherman’s Wharf, take a cruise out to see America’s most notorious prison Alcatraz Island, and then maybe have lunch in Chinatown.
There are many museums and world class shops located in downtown, whatever you do, don’t forget a ride in one of the cable cars that are still making their way up and down the steep hills of San Francisco. No matter what you decide to do, enjoy this amazing city and all it has to offer, but don’t overdo it because you will get back on the road tomorrow.
Day 13: From San Francisco to Monterey (205 kilometers / 125 miles)
This morning, you head out of town and stop briefly at the top of Twin Peaks, another lookout point that offers a fantastic view overlooking San Francisco from the south. Now, it’s time to hit Pacific Coast Highway 1 to begin your upcoming thrilling journey down the California coast.
You head down Pacific Coast Highway stopping occasionally to take pictures and enjoy the views. You take a break for lunch at a little sandwich bar just before Santa Cruz, overlooking the ocean. If you look closely, you might even see whales just off the coast. Then, it’s back on the road winding your way to Monterey.
You should arrive early enough to take some time to explore Cannery Row or the Monterey Bay Aquarium which is known as one of the best aquariums in the world. Your first class hotel lies in Monterey, one charming little town that most people can’t get enough of.
Day 14: From Monterey to Pismo Beach (250 kilometers / 155 miles)
You start the day by riding a short distance to Carmel where Clint Eastwood once was the mayor of Carmel for some time. He still owns a lot of property out there and if you’re lucky, you never know! You’ll take some time for a coffee and stroll up and down Ocean Ave, looking at some of the several art galleries and do some window shopping at the cute but expensive little shops.
After spending a few thousand imaginary dollars, it’s time to get back on the road. What lies ahead is some of the best and most magnificent scenery the Pacific Coast has to offer, going through Andrew Molera and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Parks and Los Padres National Forest. After such an awe-inspiring day, it’s just more than fair that you check in at a beach-front hotel right at the water. A nice dinner at the best local seafood restaurant concludes another great day of riding.
Day 15: From Pismo Beach to Los Angeles (360 kilometers / 225 miles)
The last day of riding takes you down Pacific Coast Highway in the morning until you cut inland to experience a breathtaking back road that will lead you to another little gem, hidden deep in the brush of the Los Padres National Forest. You’re very close to another sun-drenched city and you stop for lunch right on the pier in Santa Barbara.
After you’ve recharged, you continue down the coast through Malibu and into the greater Los Angeles area. If you have time, you can stop at Santa Monica pier for a brief visit, and then go and reluctantly return your motorcycles which have carried us over 2,500 miles for the past 14 days. Guided tour participants will receive a farewell dinner ceremony tonight.
Day 16: Departure
Today is the day to pack your bags, filled with the experiences and memories of a great tour of the West, and head home. Have a safe journey home and California Sunriders hope to see you back for another motorcycling sunride through the United States, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, or Europe. Bon voyage, auf wiedersehen, adios, arrivederci, and see ya!
Notes
- The tour requires a valid motorcycle license.
- Experience with a heavy-weight motorcycle is highly recommended.
- Proper riding gear is required.
- This is a self-guided tour. Some bike models may not be available for the requested dates. Please advise 2nd and 3rd choice of requested bike model.
Intermediate
- Can ride for 3-4 hours
- Average riding experience
- Little assistance required
- Comfortable with extreme curves and leans
- Average experience with unsurfaced roads
- Steep ascents and descents
Location
The tour will start and end in Los Angeles and will take you through the 4 states of California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. You will also explore several popular destinations such as Joshua Tree National Park, Route 66, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Death Valley, Pacific Coast Highway, San Francisco, Big Sur, and Los Angeles.
Food
Some hotels offer complimentary breakfast and evening reception.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
Things to do (optional)
- Aquarium visit in Monterey
- Cable car rides
- City sightseeing
- Helicopter flight at Grand Canyon
- Hiking
- Hoover Dam in Las Vegas
- Museum visit
- Napa Valley wine tasting
- San Fransisco sunset cruise
- Shopping
- Spa treatments (bookable at some hotels on tour)
What's included
- 15 nights accommodation
- Basic liability insurance
- Harley Davidson or BMW (on request) motorcycle rental
- Helmets (limited)
- Road book with suggested routes and tour information
- Sales tax
- Some breakfasts
- Unlimited miles
What's not included
- Drinks
- Entrance fees
- Fuel
- Insurance
- Meals
How to get there
Arrival by taxi
Please take a taxi and arrive at the rental location as described in your travel documents from California Sunriders.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 60 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through Tripaneer.com. All major credit cards supported.