My tour across America 2021

[blacklightning]

As the title says, I am in the starting stages of planning my cross country tour across America for 2021. Things got in the way, and everyone backed out on me for 2020 (good thing for the virus), but 2021 will be my year. I have never been west of the Mississippi river, so that is where I am mostly interested in visiting. Please help me out with any of your must see places in any and all of the states that are west of the Mississippi river. I am mainly interested in nature, natural wonders, and places that I can see from the roads. I do not want to hit very many major highways or interstates if I can help it. I am thinking that the smaller roads will help me enjoy the ride more. I am not objecting to taking interstates if needed to just get from one good location to another if needed. Love waterfalls and river scenes, but do not want to do much hiking. I will not object to maybe up to a 1 mile hike off the beaten path for a spectacular view, but mostly not into hiking. I know this is random, and kind of strange, but help me if you can. I am planning on doing this in about a 6-7 week time period, so help on the time of year to do it would also be helpful. I would like to start out traveling southwest and then go up the west coast highway. Then after going up north, I will head back towards the East. BTW, my starting point is the Raleigh, NC area. Helpful hints on places to stay would be great as well. I love nature, but I don't like sleeping in it. I will be looking for clean
lodging, but I am not trying to buy the place (wife is very picky, I just want a room in a safe area with no pest).
Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.
I have wanted to do this for a long time, but always put it off, or the timing wasn't right. Well, now my family is secure, I am self employed, so I can start to cut back on work for that time of year, and I am in good health. My best friend, and nephew, who was only 11 months younger than me helped bring that to light. He passed 3 weeks ago of pancreatic and lung cancer. He had just retired 2 years ago and was only 52 years old. Had a great wife and 2 wonderful kids (ages 12 & 17). Although he was diagnosed last April, he decided to live life to the fullest, while not giving up hope. He actually said that 2019 was the best year of his life. Says that if he had not had to go through what he went through, he would possibly not gotten the outlook on life and his relationship with God the way it was. He fought to the end, and only suffered about the last 2 weeks, but in the end, he said he wouldn't give it up for anything.
Thanks in advance for the information.

[a99miata]

tombstone AZ......monument valley UT....four corners NM,AZ,CO,UT....lincoln county NM... taos NM....anything in Montana & Idaho....

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I'm very sorry to learn of your loss ... sending :pray:..... going cross country is on my bucket list, having company doing it would be a plus ..... keep me in mind if my tagging along could work for you ...... Mike :ohyea:

[Pennyrick]

PM sent.

Pennyrick

[JP58]

The black hills of SD are spectacular. Ride up thru Needles Park. Buffalo and many other animal roam along the roadway. Also see Mount Rushmore. The Deadwood Hotel and casino has reasonable price lodging and a free parking ramp. Was brand new about 5-6 years ago. Another is PCH in California. I drove it in a new Mustang a couple years ago. We drove from San Simeon to Carmel on the Sea. Very costal and high up in some areas. It was an awesome drive. Will do it on the Spyder someday soon. I'm Planning to go all the way to Oregon.

[blacklightning]

I'm very sorry to learn of your loss ... sending :pray:..... going cross country is on my bucket list, having company doing it would be a plus ..... keep me in mind if my tagging along could work for you ...... Mike :ohyea:
Definitely would love to have company. I have a crew here that I love to ride with, but the regulars are not in the best of health for a multi week ride. We do 4-6 day sprints together, and enjoy each others company. But some of them have health issues that will not allow more than a 2 week stay. We definitely need to talk. Look forward to having that conversation.

[ARtraveler]

You cannot go wrong with any of the National Parks or Momuments. I am particularly fond of Badlands National Park and the Black Hills area of SD.

West to Devils Tower Wyoming. Yellowstone National Park...both Upper and Lower Geyser Basins--two distinct areas. Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Teton NP.

And you cannot go wrong with Utah either. Zion NP, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Bryce Canyon and all the other NP's that I have not yet visited.

Have not been any further West to other NP's.

All of the above is good stuff. If you have your senior pass...admission is free.

[Lew L]

My condolences on the loss of a dear friend, may he rest in peace.

AR sure hit most of those great places and I'll just add one --------- Glacier National Park. Like the others, it's a treasure not to be missed if you're with in a days travel of it. If you're going to a few nationa parks, get the lifetime pass ( $100 )

Have fun planning this one.

Lew L

[arachnyd]

Going to the Sun Road
Banff-Icefields Parkway-Jasper
North Cascades
Redwood National Park
Arches and 4 other great National Parks in Utah
White Sands National Monument
Yellowstone is a must see, but it get sooo crowded. Off season is best.

The America the Beautiful Pass gets you and your passengers into all National Parks and your vehicle for free.
https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm

what a great time you will have !!!!!

ba

[cptjam]

All of the above, plus Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, Route 66, and all the National Parks out here.

[JFD]

OK, you asked for it! One of our trips was because my wife said, “I want to see ALL of the Cliff Dwellings and I think we pretty much did see them all. My wife and I will always take a detour to see a waterfall or a cave. I haven’t got the waterfalls listed because I think it’s about a thousand now and I just am not going to find THAT list. We have been to all but 4 or the following places. I listed those 4 because if you are in the area you should see them and we will get to them eventually. I’m sure I’ve missed lots of places we’ve been to but these are the ones that stand out. Obviously, you can’t do all of these. So, I tried to pick what to leave off your list if you have to and I can’t do it. Herewith the list in no particular order:
South Dakota: Badlands and Black Hills, Custer State Park has the most buffalo and of course you must visit Mount Rushmore. Jewel Cave and Wind Cave. You must stop at Wall drug for some ice water, I think it’s a state law. Oh, and take a picture of you wife on the Jackalope, we always do. There meals are pretty good too.
Wyoming: Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Devils Tower.
Montana: Glacier National Park
Idaho: Coeur d'Alene
Washington: The Olympic Peninsula, Drive around the whole thing.
Oregon: Crater Lake
California: Joshua Tree, Redwood National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yosemite.
Nevada: Death Valley and Lake Mead.
Utah: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capital Reef, Glen Canyon, Hovenweep, Natural Bridge, Rainbow Bridge, Zion and the Goosenecks.
Arizona: Canyon De Chelly, Casa Grande, Grand Canyon, Montezuma Castle, Petrified Forest, Monument Valley (think John Wayne).
New Mexico: Aztec Ruins, Carlsbad Caverns, Gila Cliff Dwellings, Petroglyphs,
Colorado: Mesa Verde, Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Spend the day and ride the Silverton to Durango steam train.
Texas: San Antonio Missions and of course spend the evening doing the River Walk and picking a place to eat dinner.
Kansas: Tall Grass Prairie.
Missouri: The Arch of course, then tons of wineries west of St Louis, the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales are at Grants Farm outside St. Louis, follow the Mississippi down to the Bonne Terre Lead Mine, Meramec Cavern, Onondaga and Cathedral Cave. Just go to Branson. I know, it’s a tourist attraction, but stay a couple of nights and see a bunch of show, you won’t regret it.
Arkansas: Hot Springs of course, but for my money Northwest Arkansas has some of the most beautiful riding, with the twistiest roads, rivers, hills and valleys anywhere I’ve been. If you stop at a state park or order one ahead of time, they’ll give you a map specifically for motorcyclist with routes to take, things to see along the route, the miles and how many curves you’ll have. Really. We got to the cave, the gal said, “you just rode in on a motorcycle, here’s a map”. So I counted the curves from Blanchard Springs Cave to our cousin’s house and after 21 miles I stopped counting at 121 and still had a ways to go.
Kentucky: Not West of the Mississippi, but Mammoth Cave!
So much to see, so little time!
John

[ollicat]

all of the above, Death Valley if you are prepared. The west coast highways of Oregon and Crater Lake. Also, get you National Park unlimited pass.

[Highwayman2013]

Utah is great. All the National Parks. Colorado too. The Southwest is good if you watch the weather(heat). Montana. Looking for great roads... Butler Maps. Do the Southwest in the mid to late spring before it gets too hot then swing north to catch the cooler places. Vegas heats up in June. Sometimes I like to head out with just a general direction and wing it.

[Tulefog]

So sorry for your loss
My vote is in on the east side of the Sierra Nevada range in California take Lee Vining Road 120 and Tioga Pass to Yosemite National Park.
Beautiful ride but check ahead to make sure the highway is open.

[RICZ]

Contact me at zittenfields@Q.com for blow-by-blow suggestions for the Pacific coast and features in the NW corner of the US.

[Big F]

Make sure you include the Badlands and Black Hills in western South Dakota!!!! It is a must ride.. tks
BIG F

[RICZ]

Make sure you include the Badlands and Black Hills in western South Dakota!!!! It is a must ride.. tks
BIG F
The Badlands and the Columbia River Gorge are a couple of the best examples of the results of climate changes.

[Woodaddict]

we just made a 6-7 week journey into double THAT!!!

want to ride on the highest paved road in USA? goto Mt Evans in Colorado, also Pikes Peak nearby

[Lew L]

we just made a 6-7 week journey into double THAT!!!

want to ride on the highest paved road in USA? goto Mt Evans in Colorado, also Pikes Peak nearby

That's our trip this summer!!

[Northofthesix]

Come back across the northern tier... Going to the Sun highway in Glacier Park, Yellowstone and the Beartooth Highway, Black Hills for sure... if you go through Colorado the Pike's Peak ride is spectacular, but there are lots of options, none of which will disappoint. Another alternate routing if you are in the northern plains is to cross into Canada around Duluth and ride the North Shore of Lake Superior... beautiful hilly country with gorgeous views of the lake around almost every corner.... okay now I am going to drive myself crazy with sitting in my house on this quarantine with my Goblin in the garage calling me to ride!!

[blacklightning]

Thank you all so much for your responses. I had no idea that I would get so much great information so soon. I will be going back to read over each one of them later this week (possibly tonight). One question that I have is about a time to leave. I was thinking about leaving in late spring and hoping that it will not be too hot in the southern areas. While at the same time, I would like to know that the trip across the northern areas would not have me snowed in for the return trip.
Again, thanks again for all the information.

[Bfromla]

:agree:All above & Mid -late September I like to try & attend BBB in NW Arkansas
:firstplace::doorag:
https://bikesbluesandbbq.org/rally-info/
Lots to see & natural falls in OK is close by too. :clap::yes::clap::bowdown:
https://www.travelok.com/state-parks/5293
and plenty of beautiful OZARK roads to wander around on leading to more beautiful sites. Don’t forget swing by & visit SpyderPops in Percy AR at some point along your travels, some nice views around there to, personally not familiar with them all just yet. Further E around Clinton AR is Natural bridge, also quite nice. Small hiking ventures to explore & good to stretch legs for circulation.

[cohoff]

Breathtaking ride on US Hwy 93 N from Salmon ID to Lolo Hot Springs MT and continue on US Hwy 12 W from Lolo Hot Springs for a stunning ride to Kooskia ID.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/EBSdE4hZUY9mG6V99

[easysuper]

My wife and I did a Coast to Coast Ryde last year on our RTLs, 66 days and 11,000 miles would be more than glad to share some of our experience and high and low points of our trip with you. If interested, PM me and I will give you my contact info. We did Hwy 20 from Newport Oregon to Boston, the longest continuous Hwy in the lower 48, it was an Homage to my Dad who did it in 1938 on his Harley. We returned on a route that covered part of Canada, Tunnel of Trees, Route 66, Million Dollar Hwy, and some great To return to places. This was a bucket list ride that one would never forget .
179971179972179973179974

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Look at the maps and plot some routes, then use Google Street View to do a virtual ride down portions of the roads. That way you'll get a good idea of what you are going to see. If scenery is your first priority then include a mix of mountains, desserts, rocks, and so forth. There are a lot of mountain miles in the West, but in some areas after you've ridden the first 50 or 100 miles you've also seen the next 300! Same for the dessert. One of my prettiest rides was on I-84 west of Pocatello, ID right at sunset. Rocky low lying terrain next to the road in the midst of a huge dessert and the Snake River on the right. I never knew rocks and dessert could be so beautiful!

If you're into history, or any other subject of interest, then use Google Maps to search for a particular type of point of interest, like museum. It'll pop up flags all around the route you have showing in the map view. Then plan your route around the points of interest. Lots of history in the west like the Nuclear Museum in Albuquerque, and the Experimental Breeder Reactor site near Arco, ID where nuclear power was used the first time ever to light a city. If you really want to see the west either spend 2 to 4 months on the road, or make two or more trips over two or more years.

Be methodical in your planning. It'll be easy to get overwhelmed by the vast variety of things to see and do west of the Mississippi.

[canamjhb]

It's good that you are planning well in advance. There are so many great rides and places to see that a person could spend years going from one jaw-dropping place to another. As you can see from my signature map, I have toured the western U.S. My touring has been from one to 7 weeks each year over the last 40 years. All the above suggestions are excellent. You just have to pick and choose what fits your schedule and desires. I am partial to water and boating so a couple of rides you might consider are from Anacortes, WA. From there, you can take the Ferry to Sidney, BC and do a little touring on Vancouver Island including Victoria (think England). From Victoria you can take another ferry (the Coho) to Port Angeles, WA and coutinue touring Washington State. Or, from Anacortes take the ferry to San Juan Island for a day tour of that very historic island. Be sure to save time for lunch at Roche Harbor resort. A bit spendy but worth every penny. If you don't do the Sidney trip, from Anacortes you can go south across the bridge to Whidbey Island where you can catch another ferry to Port Townsend and continue touring Washington. So many choices, so little time. Keep us posted..... Jim

[jerrydonna]

I want to thank the OP for asking this question. Now at 59 I have been blessed with a wife who travels well, as long as she doest have to take I10 from San Antonio to Tucson EVER AGAIN.
We have traveled from Va to Maine, KeyWest, and what most people on here are talking about. Points West, the last 3 years we have spent at least 10 weeks each year LOOPING the country. And reading above location has me feeling very sad about this years C19. If one went to google and planned trip with above listed location you would have a awesome trip but well over 7 weeks.
Apex Nc. is pretty close to us and our past travel routes. But I like to spend more time SEEING and less time getting to the points I wish to stay and visit. We do travel by motorhome but even last years loop was 6900 miles driving MOTORHOME plus our 3200 miles on spyder. We traveled as much as 1000 miles a DAY in motorhome to earn back as much time as possible back on the bike.
I would jump on I40 sent cruise control at speed limit and relax and enjoy the ride, other than few larger cities its really a good drive. Memphis is great city for couple days after that Albuquerque starts the really fun part. (Memphis to Albq. that 1000 miles stated above.) go on bing map start from home
https://www.bing.com/maps?osid=49edd9bf-409d-43bd-ad37-65075ce411fa&cp=44.971016~-110.441729&lvl=5&v=2&sV=2&form=S00027

look at route closely YOU will see many places GREEN along this route
We will be heading that way again in 2021 as well....

[jerrydonna]

I want to thank the OP for asking this question. Now at 59 I have been blessed with a wife who travels well, as long as she doest have to take I10 from San Antonio to Tucson EVER AGAIN.
We have traveled from Va to Maine, KeyWest, and what most people on here are talking about. Points West, the last 3 years we have spent at least 10 weeks each year LOOPING the country. And reading above location has me feeling very sad about this years C19. If one went to google and planned trip with above listed location you would have a awesome trip but well over 7 weeks.
Apex Nc. is pretty close to us and our past travel routes. But I like to spend more time SEEING and less time getting to the points I wish to stay and visit. We do travel by motorhome but even last years loop was 6900 miles driving MOTORHOME plus our 3200 miles on spyder. We traveled as much as 1000 miles a DAY in motorhome to earn back as much time as possible back on the bike.
I would jump on I40 sent cruise control at speed limit and relax and enjoy the ride, other than few larger cities its really a good drive. Memphis is great city for couple days after that Albuquerque starts the really fun part. (Memphis to Albq. that 1000 miles stated above.) go on bing map start from home
https://www.bing.com/maps?osid=49edd9bf-409d-43bd-ad37-65075ce411fa&cp=44.971016~-110.441729&lvl=5&v=2&sV=2&form=S00027

look at route closely YOU will see many places GREEN along this route
We will be heading that way again in 2021 as well....


Add Cody Wy, cant miss Bear tooth, or 296 to cody. I would drive from Va to Cody than back home JUST FOR THAT

[tofriendscreek]

Hey, my friend, I’m saddened to hear of the loss of the loved one. You definitely ryde with a rowdy, spirited group group of Ladies and Gentlemen. In my Spyder life I’ve been blessed to romp around the Smokies with you guys, as well as travel over tens of thousands of miles around the USA and Canada. Last year was an 11K mile journey, roughly following Lewis and Clark’s trail to the Pacific, the Pacific Coast Highway, and Route 66, back east, with tons of side routes and my usual wanderings.
I learned a long time ago, I can’t see it all, for a number of reasons. As all the previous posters have suggested great ideas. In the end, plan a route which includes what you think you want to see, expect some surprises, and just go!
I am planning another epic journey west later this year of about 16K miles and who knows how many weeks. God and the virus will dictate whether it happens.
All the best to you.

[inspectsir]

Hwy 12 in UT and Moab. Plenty of Nat Parks. Almost anywhere out West.

[saralyn15]

So sorry for your loss!
I've noticed no one has really said anything about Iowa. Im in Iowa and the places I would suggest are the caves in north eastern Iowa. Okoboji is in the northwest part of the state and I love it up there.
Check out lake Michigan and Lake Superior if you get up to wisconsin/minnesota.
Nebraska...not much to see there.
Missouri: Lake of the ozarks
Arizona: Sedona 100%. By far my favorite place in the world that Ive been to!
California: San Deigo

Those are my inputs! Good luck and if you happen to get to Southwest Iowa, get ahold of me and I could ride along for a bit if you need the company! I also have a twelve year old and a ten year old, one of which may tag along!

[pegasus1300]

Thank you all so much for your responses. I had no idea that I would get so much great information so soon. I will be going back to read over each one of them later this week (possibly tonight). One question that I have is about a time to leave. I was thinking about leaving in late spring and hoping that it will not be too hot in the southern areas. While at the same time, I would like to know that the trip across the northern areas would not have me snowed in for the return trip.
Again, thanks again for all the information.

My experience is that it gets hot here sooner then later. You are safe after the middle of April to begin your trip out here to the Southwest. Maybe hit NM and AZ first then zig zag north to Colorado and Utah before you head for California. That way you wont hit the real hot weather in the lower southwest and by the time you finish down there (well you really can't but lets pretend) it will be a little warmer up north. All the passes in Utah will be open, and most of them in Colorado. On your way to California do Death Valley. You will be on the edge of the season there but you should be ok heatwise. I love San Diego so be sure to start your northward trek down there. There is never a bad time to ride in California. If you have the time go all the way north to Oregon and Washington. Coming east Coeur de Laine is amazing as is Lolo pass, Beartooth Pass(may not be open yet) Chief Joseph Highway, Cody Wy. is a must see (Buffalo Bill Wild West Museum), then 14 out of Greybull over the Granit Pass to Alt14. Then you can just go crazy trying to figure how you want to go. Too many roads, so little time. I have not said much about Utah. I live here and it would take me another Looooooooong post to tell you about here. When you get to Utah, depending on timing, I'll show you some little known roads to nowhere that are great. Have a great trip, practice your blogging skills to keep us posted. Lots of pictures both for yourself and us. We really are hungry to hear and see others adventures. Check out "Itchy Boots" on YouTube for Vblog ideas.

[bikerbillone]

Good comment Paul,Itchy Boots is real winner, love reading her blogs.