Planning a trip down the West Coast at the end of June and wondered what the best routes were for scenic runs and twisty's. Experienced rider and would like to stop at a couple high profile bike shops and dealerships along the way? Any places that should not be missed while heading down, and would appreciate knowing the biker friendly stops along the route for meals, motels and or camping.

Plan on heading down from Vancouver Canada to San Diego. Return trip will likely be across to Phoenix and up through Prescott and Bonneville before heading back through Montana to Calgary. Thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions.

G.

 

I don't know much about north of San Francisco, but highway one is a beautiful ride, especially from Monterey to San Simeon. Plan to hit the toad early in the am if you prefer to avoid tons of traffic and campers, but that is up to you. I would take Hwy 1 all the way down to The LA/Ventura Cty line and hit Neptunes Net. Then shoot up Mulholland Hwy to the Rock Store. This is best done on the weekends, preferably sunday as the Rock Store is closed on weekdays. From there you can shdoot down Las virgenes/Malibu Cnayon the PCH and roll through Malibu, where the money meets the sea. Head down to Marina Del Rey and Bartel's Harley on Lincoln Blvd. I'm no good on heading south to get to San Diego, but i am sure someone will chime in here.

 

Check out the following links for some ideas

LA county
http://www.mightywarlock.com/tourofthetwisties.html

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/pacif...-twisties.html

Orange county
http://www.pashnit.com/maps4/OrtegaHighwayMaps.htm

http://www.hellskitchen-ca.com/

http://www.cookscorners.com/


Do you plan to meet up and ride with others in different areas along your trip?

 

Not sure who or how many I'm riding with yet as a few buds are trying to get the same time away from their jobs/families. Doubt I'll be riding solo and will look to hook up with the locals when opportunities present themselves. Looking to make this an awesome trip.

 

cool.. should be a good trip.

Hope some of them links help you out with roads and stops to hit while in our area.

Also, when in prescott AZ area, I just rode thru Jerome and Sedona in April for the first time. Awesome!!
And did some nice desert riding between the 93 and 89 using the 10, 96, and 97.
A buddy in AZ recommended this route to me, said it's some of the best riding in AZ. We enjoyed it.

 

There's a LOT of scenery between Prescott and Bonneville, what type of stuff do you want to see and how much time do you have? Are you doing the Grand Canyon (either north or south rim) thing? How about the national parks ... Zion, Bryce, etc.?

Here's my recommendation for coming out of Sedona/Prescott. Ride from Sedona to Flagstaff on Highway 89 (avoid I-17 in favor of the better road). Enjoy Flagstaff then head north again on Highway 89 toward Utah. Just north of Flagstaff you'll find the Wupatki National Monument. The Wupatki Pueblos are pretty interesting, especially when you consider how hard life must have been living around there.

Back onto 89 North. By the way, if you don't want to stay in Flagstaff then consider Cameron, AZ (54 miles north of Flagstaff). I just stayed at the Cameron Trading Post and Motel. The rooms were clean, the prices were reasonable ($80 a night) and the location was fairly good if you're heading either into or out of the Grand Canyon.

You'll now be right in the middle of the Navajo Nation (you'll be riding through the reservation). If you like native American jewelry then there's lots of little spots along the road.

Stay on 89 right through to Page, AZ (on Lake Powell) and into Utah. It will also take you north through Utah, and that's where the road gets a lot better (in my opinion). From 89 at Carmel Junction you can go Zion National Park or stay north on 89 into some really spectacular country. As you go north consider taking a skip over Utah 14 from 89 into Cedar City (on I-15) and the north to Beaver where you can jump back over to 89. The ride over 14 is spectacular as you climb to over 10,000 feet, and nearby Bryan Head (winter ski and summer mountain bike and ATV) is over 11,000 feet.

If you do decide to hit Zion National Park then here's one of the sites ...



And another ...



Here's a shot of the scenery off Highway 89 near Marysville, UT.



If you ever decide to do the trip in the fall here's what you'll see around Cedar City ...



If you stay north on 89 you'll come to Big Rock Candy Mountain (pic below) ... and yes ... it is the one in the song.



This shot is near Moab, UT (eastern side of state) ...




This one is part of the Nebo Loop near Nephi, UT ...





Lots more to see in Utah, so if interested in more sites let me know.