Planning on going to the west coast next year from N J , Would like to go thru the north to WASHINGTON down thru CALIFORNIA and home thru the south . or south then north , Planning about a 30 day trip. My wife and I on my 08 uc towing a small cargo trailer . The big question is what month to do this ? We do not want to freeze in the north , or bake in the south . Looking for real world experience on some one who has done it ... THANKS
Well I don't have real world experience but here is my take. I'd head south around the second week of June that way you beat the humidity that can build in the southern states, head west. The heat in the desert areas isn't that bad yet. The weather along the west coast is tempered by the cold waters of the Japanese current in the Pacific. Get to Washington hook a right, by then late spring storms should be waning and nice cool weather should be the order of the day on the way home. This is just my humbled opinion.
The last road trip I took just for enjoyment like that was in mid May. I started in Virginia, went south into North Carolina, then South Carolina, and Georgia. Then headed west and worked my way around the US. I had already been to Florida all the way to the end so it wasn't necessary for me to wonder down there again. I did find some of the western most states like Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and California to have been a bit on the warm side. Not unbearably hot though.
Do bring some bottled water to keep from getting dehydrated. I didn't do that on one trip and paid dearly for it.
On the other hand, if it's to take care of business, I don't care what time of year I go, including going north into the frozen snow covered tundra on my bike.
ETA: Bring a camera and even get pictures of a State Sign with your bike as well as any other attractions there might be. Something like this:
or like this one in Florida:
Last edited by Bonnie Storm; 11-05-2018 at 06:29 PM.
You're going to hit all kinds of weather if you go 30 days on the road, coast to coast, no matter what time of year you go.
I did the lower 48 (minus North Dakota - funny story there for another time) in 2014. Started in Columbus, Georgia on May 5(? first Friday of May) and zig-zagged through the south, southwest, up the coast, and back through the midwest, then the northeast.
It was 106 degrees in Oklahoma and 22 degrees with 4' of snow on the ground at Lolo Pass through Idaho and Montana.
In July 2017, I rode from Key West to Coldfoot, Alaska, inside the Arctic Circle and back to Georgia in 21 days. It was cold in the Canadian Rockies, 40 degrees going over Beartooth Pass, and 100+ going through Tennessee.
It's gonna be cold at elevation and hot in the southwest pretty much whenever you go. In the spring you'll risk tornadoes in the midwest, in the summer wildfires in the west, hurricanes in the Gulf states in the late summer, blizzards in the northeast or Rockies early or late in the year ...
So carry enough layers to layer up or down as the weather demands. Make sure you have great rain gear. If it's your thing, make sure your electric gear is up to snuff. Carry water, stop often, and stay off the interstates. You might think about a Spot GPS with tracking, or even a Garmin with a sat phone, just so the folks you leave behind know where you are.
And have a blast. Pardon me for getting mushy, but this is a great, big, fan-****ing-tastic country with beauty that surpasses any other place in the world, with some of the best people on the planet.
Last edited by JHL-ShinySideUp; 11-05-2018 at 07:11 PM.
The two most scenic routes through the Cascades in Washington, Hwy 20 &410; don’t open until mid-May to mid-June; depending on how much snow we get over the winter or if we have a cold spring. June can be nice or winterish all across the north. Late July early August is the most reliable weather wise, but can be hot. Personally I’d rather be hot than cold.
In an ideal world . . . . don't go through the Southwest after June 1st or before October 31st. Try and be in the Northwest between late June and early September.
Frankly? I'd skip the desert Southwest and simply stay north of New Mexico and Arizona as well as West Texas. Mid June to mid August almost everywhere else.
Then again . . . I've been caught in a snow storm, in Yellowstone, in the middle of August . . . . so what do I know?
We went from Georgia to the west coast in 2009. We went during the time Sturgis was getting ready to start and while it was going on. My thought was there would be a lot of bikes on the road in case of a breakdown. My stator went out the first day in Missouri, luckily we were 2 exits from Blue Springs Harley. The next morning we were there when they opened and the got me back on the road, they had a big crowd for breakfast too. Atlanta to Portland Oregon, down the west coast to San Fran, then east to Vegas, Grand Canyon, Pikes Peak and the Million Dollar Highway. Great trip!
I've been doing cross-country rides every summer since 2004. Typically any time between June and September. To be quite honest, the weather is hard to predict with any certainty. But generally speaking, there isn't a time where you'll find ideal conditions across the country at the same time of year.
I'd say the best shot at decent weather for your planned trip would be to leave in late May to mid-June and do the southern route first.
11-05-2018 | 06:01 PM
what time of year to do coast to coast ???
