Best Motorcycle Rides in the US

Contributed post

According to statista.com, as of 2016, California had the largest amount registered motorcycles in the nation, with more than 842,000. Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York rounded out the top five. While those states are great places to ride, where can you find some of the top motorcycle trips in the USA? Whether you’re looking for a short adventure or a long journey, these offers some of the best of the best.

The Black Hills, South Dakota

The Black Hills are one of the most famous places to ride in the U.S., and this region is also internationally renowned for hosting the Sturgis Rally, which dates all the way back to 1938.  During the rally, every town within 100 miles of Sturgis, located in the northeastern corner of the “Hills,” including famous places like Deadwood, Custer and Hill City, as well as one of the country’s largest and most scenic state parks: Custer State Park.

The Needles Highway, in the state park, is a 67-mile-route filled with switchbacks and tight curves, as well as three tunnels designed to frame Mount Rushmore, making it one of the best. You can also enjoy a break and a refreshing dip at picturesque Sylvan Lake along the way.

The Turquoise Trail, New Mexico

The Land of Enchantment is aptly nicknamed, with many fantastic rides, though the Turquoise Trail is arguably one of the best. If you’re a motorcycle enthusiast who is thinking about or just purchased one of the homes for sale in Albuquerque, NM, you’re in luck as the route begins right here. A historic National Scenic Byway, it traverses through woodland areas and a number of towns offering magnificent views of the mountains and wildlife, leading it to be often ranked as the state’s most scenic motorcycle drive.

Beartooth Highway, Montana and Wyoming

Heart-pounding Beartooth Highway, peaking at Beartooth Pass, begins in the town of Red Lodge, Montana, and stretches for 68 miles through the Rocky Mountains and into Wyoming, for a thrilling adventure with steep switchbacks and spectacular mountain vistas. The highest elevation highway in the northern Rockies, it’s considered one of the nation’s top motorcycle rides by many. The byway crests at nearly 11,000 feet in elevation where jaw-dropping views of the Beartooth and Absaroka Mountains, forested valleys, cascading falls and a wealth of wildlife can often be spotted too, including bighorn sheep, moose, mountain goats and bobcats.

 

Pacific Coast Highway, California

With so many motorcycle owners in the Golden State, you know there are going to be some great rides, and California’s Highway One is legendary, especially the 123-mile stretch that hugs that coast from Monterey to Big Sur. Known as one of the world’s most scenic drives, you’ll pass dramatic mountains that plunge down to the crashing waves of the Pacific on one side, and soaring redwoods on the other. Be sure to stop at Pfeiffer State Park near Big Sur to see a waterfall that cascades down a cliff onto the sand, and a rare purple sand beach. When in Los Angeles rent a motorcycle here.