There’s nothing like the feeling of you, your bike, and the open road — motorcycle riding is exhilarating. You get an unfettered view of the road beneath your feet, the sky above your head, and the landscape zipping along beside you — all while gliding down the highway in your built-for-a-king captain’s chair. While you’ve got your bike, you’ve got your bag, and maybe your gal (or guy!) — the question is — where should you ride?
That’s what we’re going to share here today — the best motorcycle riding routes that this great country has to offer.
Route 66
Take a tour, or ride it alone — Route 66 is the historic highway that stretches from Chicago to Los Angeles. It may not be a smooth, non-stop cross-country ride, but riding down Route 66 offers some fantastic scenery with plenty of old-world USA destinations just off from the beaten path. If you don’t feel that you could comfortably make the 2,500 mile hike from the Windy City to the West Coast — you can certainly create your Route 66 itinerary, or join up with a tour that travels a small part of this fading-too-fast historic landmark.
Alaska
Alaska, despite being the least-populated state in the US, offers a unique, and beautiful, traveling destination for bikers. In many respects, Alaska is still an uncharted wilderness, with some civilization sprinkled into the mix — you’ll encounter small towns, a lot of wildlife, and a lot of open road. There are plenty of bike tours in Alaska, and if you’re not looking to spend a week getting to your destination — motorcycle rentals are available. If you want to take a motorcycle tour of Alaska on your own, be sure to check out Taylor Highway and the Top of the World Highway — they offer excellent scenery for all travelers.
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Commonly known as the ‘U.P.’, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula provides a unique traveling path for bikers who want to experience a wide range of scenery, open roads, and a lot of history. The U.P. is home to over 100 waterfalls, 1,000 acres of national forests, and is surrounded by Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior — that’s in addition to its 4,000 lakes. When riding through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, you’re never very far from a waterfall, a beach, or a body of water. Be sure to step off the beaten path from time to time, though — the small town experience in Michigan’s U.P. is something that you just won’t find traveling down M-28 or US-2.
These three locations — Route 66, Alaska, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula — are some of the best motorcycle riding routes that the USA has to offer. Even if you can’t make it to these excellent motorcycle-riding destinations, the next best place to ride your motorcycle is the nearest open road. Have fun, ride safe, and as the old saying goes, "keep the paint up, and the rubber down".
