Heading to the west coast next June - ideas/route discussion

[MacDoc]

Okay I'm hooked.

Our last day on the coast on Highway 1

Just back from a road trip around the National Parks between Grand Canyon in the south to Yellowstone and Mt. Ranier in the northern part of the loop.

I covered some of it off here
http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforu...f-to-the-west-and-the-national-parks-are-open

Now while it's fresh I want to get some ideas in place.
Looking at 3 weeks of travel and prefer to concentrate on the West coast and Continental Divide area as far south as Yosemite and up to Banff and Jasper.

I don't want to really spend time in the National Parks but rather just ride the roads in the area like Yosemite and Yellowstone.....it's $75 for a annual pass and at $25 a park is a good investment.

Thinking of slab to Yosemite coming in from the east but need some ideas what to cover off before I get there.

Then hit the coast road around San Luis Obispo for a couple hundred miles until I get tired of it or the fog sets in then zig zag up the mountain chains to Canada avoiding the population centres.

Then blitz home across the prairies in Canada. Looks to be about 12,000 KM in 3 weeks which seems doable if I put in some longer days across the boring bits.

This is a very rough route to get an idea of distances involved - won't reduce below this for a link

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=...pe&mrsp=6&sz=8&via=1,2,6,7,10,11,12,13,15&z=8

 

[Lightcycle]

Three weeks is very doable. One of our earliest rides was close to the route above (TO to San Fran and back) and it took us 18 days with two days rest. A couple of long days in the Grand Prairies, but we took time to stop and smell the roses as well.

We hit a couple more National Parks just to make the annual pass worthwhile: Bryce, Capitol Reef, Death Valley and Zion. Utah SR-12 between Bryce and Capitol Reef is easily the best road in the state.

A minor suggestion: Unless you're hell-bent on riding the flatness of the Canadian Prairies, maybe dip into the Dakotas. Great scenic and twisty riding around the Black Hills.

 

[Blkbny]

Highway 93 between Jasper and Banff is a great ride, don't miss it while you're so close.

 

[STARSHIP]

Have you considered shipping the bikes Phoenix and then shipping back from Calgary?

 

[NightShadow]

If you are going to be passing Calgary then don't miss the Kananaskis trail - It is south of Calgary and leads right back up to the Trans Canada Hwy. Starts south off the 22 at Longview. (Kananaskis trail - Hwy 40 - Fab road) If you go from Baniff to Jasper make sure that you take the 93 north (just north of Lake Louise ) and not the 93 south. This road is worth it's weight in gold. Once in Jasper make sure u fuel up as I took the 16 across to 5 - Is only one fuel station and it is not always open. Going south on 5 it is a fab ride to Kamloops. South of that is just an Ok ride. Once u are down to Mt Rainer - the 410 is flat and not that great. Once u head off on the 123 it is a great road with fab scenery. Also the 12 is a very boring road - Off the 123 take Stevens Canyon Rd which turns into Paradise road East. These are way better and a ton of fun with lots of twists and turns going through the mountains. You could cut south on the 7 to 12 and eliminate at least half the boring ride. Going south route looks good. You are going to the Arches - don't go back up to the 70 - When u come out of the Arches turn left towards town and about a 1/2 mile is the 128 - This is another Fab road with the river and mountains on both sides - very twisty and tons of fun. Also when u get to Grand Junction in CO - Make sure you do the National Monument - 25 mile loop - More then worth its weight in gold. Further south is the 141 - 145 to Cortez then head to Durango and head north on the 550 to 50 - over to 92 then up to 133 and north to 82 - South east on 82 to 24 - then 91 back to 70.

 

[Lightcycle]

Have you considered shipping the bikes Phoenix and then shipping back from Calgary?

BMW Toronto has arranged a trailer for bikes to and from Colorado a couple of times before during the riding season. Not sure if they're still doing this and whether it matches up with your timelines, but it would be worthwhile to call them up and inquire.

It'd probably save you 2-3 days worth of slab, gas and motel/campsite fees.

 

[MacDoc]

Yeah - I'm considering that in Australia to get to Brisbane which is 1600 KM of mostly boredom - I'd do it one way not both.

Got a contact for BMW?
Time is not so critical for me as for others but still it's 3 days plus costs

 

[Lightcycle]

Got a contact for BMW?

This was for 2012. Not sure if they did one for 2013 or are going to do one for next year:

http://www.bmwtorontomotorrad.ca/blog/2011/11/28/group-trips-2012

Contact info in the link.

 

[kiley]

Hey Mac
Here is my route for next summer.

http://goo.gl/maps/qq7gb

I am going to alter this to spend more time on the west coast.
Prolly 5 nights.
I was thinking 3 weeks also.
Prolly in July.
But thanks for the BMW link Gene cause this adds a interesting twist J

 

[oomis]

A minor suggestion: Unless you're hell-bent on riding the flatness of the Canadian Prairies, maybe dip into the Dakotas. Great scenic and twisty riding around the Black Hills.

This.

Riding across Canada is a bit of a rite of passage, but if it's not really important to you stay in the states. Gas, motels and food is (about 30% or more based on my numbers the last time) cheaper and the roads are better. The Icefields parkway is cool, but I'd pass up on the Canadian Rockies to ride the American Rockies any time.

Prepare for blistering heat - an evaporative vest is a very, very good idea. And plan on a tire change as well at some point as well- those flat, hot, straight, high speed bits through the middle really do a number on your tires. Even if you think you won't need it (maybe you won't) plan for it anyway just in case.

In Colorado plan to visit Mt. Evans and Pike's Peak. Both are paved all the way up now, even when PP was dirt at the top it was an easy ride, and the view can't be beat.

If you can make Moab a place where you stay a couple of days, do it. I love that town, and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting something beautiful.

Speaking of heat - if you plan on camping, it's not uncommon for the heat to remain in the evening for quite a while. I had a difficult time sleeping until early am, when the heat would finally subside for a couple of hours.

You're no rookie at long distance travel, but be prepared. The route that you have listed goes through a whole lot of nothing. I was stuck with a mechanical issue between Moab and Denver, and AAA took 6 hours to get the only guy for hundreds of miles with a trailer to help us.

I wouldn't get too hung up on Yellowstone. I was there the year before last, and the riding through the NP sucked. There was construction, and really there are no detour routes available. Getting stuck behind a minivan or camper for a long stretch of time really blows. If you're in it for the roads, there are plenty of other options around. If you need to see ol' faithful, then just be prepared to deal with hordes (I mean hordes) of tourists. Those RVs .... so many RVs.... gah.

 

[MacDoc]

Yes a number of good tips and connections.
I'm just back from 8,000 km by car starting at the Gran Canyon...we did not do Colorado outside of the Grand Canyon so that's on the bucket list to ride.
Yellowstone could be skipped
I don't get stuck behind campers If the parks are too busy I will simply avoid them since this years tour is fresh.

With a fresh tire I should be good for the duration - that's about right for a Burgman rear but will keep an eye out.
I trump you with an 11 hour wait in the wilds of Pennsylvania Will watch tires closely.
The Burgman 650 is uber reliable otherwise....no chain etc to be concerned ....battery is new..more worried about me than the bike.

This was epic....http://www.max.grenkowitz.net/?topic=840
Much wilder and rougher than almost anywhere in the states.

I'm hoping leaving first week in June to do the more southern patch will keep the heat down and I do tend to leave early and have no issue travelling slab at dark as long as not in deer country and even then with a couple of trucks as critter sweepers it's okay.
Did jump the carcass of a deer fresh killed on the rice burner we were touring in last week.

With long daylight in June tho 3 riding stretches up to 1,000 km or so total will be fine. Guy in Aus did a couple of 1200 days and I have a better seat.
Tunes, food and water up front and a fun GPS for random acts of Winding Roads ( TomTom app ) should be fun.

But weighing the fly and tow costs.
No camping - motels are cheap and plentiful in slab areas and lets me travel much lighter.

 

[MacDoc]

So it's $800 for Buffalo to Denver shipping.
Add in flights....gonna get pricey i think.
2400 km - 2-3 days by slab in June
say $200 in motels. 20 km per litre fuel ...say 240 km per fillup - 10 fillups $1 a litre - $150
Have to eat anyways so that's neutral and I munch on the road.
Because I can work anywhere with an internet connection gonna rule out shipping for now.

Sketched out 24 days leaving Friday tho Nexus makes that easier at the border getting back Sunday.

 

[Ugur Dinch]

If I went to California again, which I hope to do this summer once again, I'd spend more time in Colorado, Montana and Idaho.

 

[MacDoc]

Yes I agree but will add Washington and Oregon to that list. S Cal I really have little interest in - Northwest Cal in Yosemite area and north up the mountain lines and also the Pacific Coast Highway north and south of San Fran has more interest. Will be weather dependent and whimsy as well. Intend to exercise TomTom Winding Roads to the max in some areas.

 

[MacDoc]

Sketched out 24 days leaving Friday tho Nexus makes that easier at the border getting back Sunday.
That's 24 days of which 5 is slab and 5k km so 19 days of casual riding.
That's 9500 km in the interesting areas at 500km a day when days run to 16 hours or more of daylight. These are actual sunrise sunset hours not twilight which in Banff and Jasper can last to midnight at the summer solstice.

Both long sections to get past the prairies are planned for weekends to minimize the traffic in the nice areas.

I usually get going early as I love the calm air in the morning and the light and look to long golden hours at the end of day for photos.

I'll take longish breaks during the day to work and read in some nice spot like this delightful find at the south entrance to Zion National Park -we spent a lovely hour enjoying good food, chatting and I was catching up on work.

TripAdvisor and some other sources lets me locate these gems pretty easily tho this was a stumble on.
Some of the smaller food stops in places like Moab were a total delight that we would never have found without the benefit of the internet.
Deals are better at lunch and then use the evening for places like this.

At just under 3,000m at Bryce National Park. We spent maybe two hours on a 32 KM loop just as the sun was setting. Chilly tho in November at that elevation.

US National Parks are fabulously well maintained and many of the roads give the range roads in Australia a run for the money in twists per KM. Part of this trip will be to take a longer time in some of the parks to enjoy the riding and the wildlife.

I wonder how they will react to a rider this close...

No more than a meter from the window and some of the herds crossing the roads in Yellowstone are in the dozens of size large animals and your ride can get trapped in the herd as it ambles along..they are NOT tame and people have been killed.

Hopefully the wolves seen here at the edge of the camera range don't add Burgman to their diet.
The big white one has a chunk of kill.

 

[MacDoc]

Giving some thought to going west via "over Superior" route and then drop into the US then back up and do BC first.
Thinking slabbing back WITH the wind might be smarter and I might want to stay longer in the Canadian zone.

 

[Moggs023]

Here's my California and back trip a few years ago:

http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog/muggeragem/1/tpod.html

 

[ahernandez74]

This.

Riding across Canada is a bit of a rite of passage, but if it's not really important to you stay in the states. Gas, motels and food is (about 30% or more based on my numbers the last time) cheaper and the roads are better. The Icefields parkway is cool, but I'd pass up on the Canadian Rockies to ride the American Rockies any time.

Prepare for blistering heat - an evaporative vest is a very, very good idea. And plan on a tire change as well at some point as well- those flat, hot, straight, high speed bits through the middle really do a number on your tires. Even if you think you won't need it (maybe you won't) plan for it anyway just in case.

In Colorado plan to visit Mt. Evans and Pike's Peak. Both are paved all the way up now, even when PP was dirt at the top it was an easy ride, and the view can't be beat.

If you can make Moab a place where you stay a couple of days, do it. I love that town, and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting something beautiful.

Speaking of heat - if you plan on camping, it's not uncommon for the heat to remain in the evening for quite a while. I had a difficult time sleeping until early am, when the heat would finally subside for a couple of hours.

You're no rookie at long distance travel, but be prepared. The route that you have listed goes through a whole lot of nothing. I was stuck with a mechanical issue between Moab and Denver, and AAA took 6 hours to get the only guy for hundreds of miles with a trailer to help us.

I wouldn't get too hung up on Yellowstone. I was there the year before last, and the riding through the NP sucked. There was construction, and really there are no detour routes available. Getting stuck behind a minivan or camper for a long stretch of time really blows. If you're in it for the roads, there are plenty of other options around. If you need to see ol' faithful, then just be prepared to deal with hordes (I mean hordes) of tourists. Those RVs .... so many RVs.... gah.

Well, Yellow stone is pretty beautiful. Especially now, it's not really going to be too busy.. you won't have any issue with traffic and crowding. I would honestly do it..

 

[matthew]

Giving some thought to going west via "over Superior" route and then drop into the US then back up and do BC first.
Thinking slabbing back WITH the wind might be smarter and I might want to stay longer in the Canadian zone.

North of superior is nice. West of superior isn't.

 

[komodo]

I did a 3 week west coast trip recently.
Look up the Bear tooth pass. It's worth the ride if you're in the area.