Favorite ride close to home

[remus]

what are your favorite rides close to home? and why
I have several but my all time favorite is Mt. Lemon. Round trip is about 60 mi. The speed limit is about 30 mi/hr. the ride is all uphill with some great scenery. There is a good restaurant at the top of the mountain. There are enough twists and turns to make you grin from ear to ear,.

My second favorite is Kitt peak. almost the same roads and Mt Lemon but with an observatory and museum at the top. It would take a little longer to ride as it is about 35 mi outside of tucson.
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and finally just discovered the red rock scenic byway. Which starts just south of flagstaff, The road is twisty with a few hairpin turns as well as very scenic. To get there is about a days ride

[pegasus1300]

Nebo Scenic Loop Nephi to Payson Ut. Very high, very twisty, ups and downs narrow mountain road, good vistas and good eats on either end. You can ride it North to South or South to North. It is a National Scenic Byway.

[canamjhb]

I have done Mt Lemon many times. The last couple times we had very poor service and food at the Sawmill Restaurant. Won't go back there. But, the Cookie Cabin is a different story..... Yummmmm. Kitt Peak is also a good ride. Both Lemon and Kitt are day rides for the group I ride with out of Apache Junction. Close to home I really enjoy the Beeline Highway from home to Payson. It's about 70 miles one way and many good eateries. Another road I like a lot is from Superior to Winkleman and on up to Globe. Then from Globe back through Superior and home. Great riding in this area of Arizona and our season is just starting!!!!! Jim

[remus]

canamjhb Try the Iron door Mt Lemmon. It's the restaurant at the ski resort. Last time I was there they were so busy we couldn't get a seat. The food is good and the service is excellent.

[acdcking12]

Wish I had some cool places to go out here in Overland Park, Kansas

[ARtraveler]

We moved into motorcyclists paradise. We are strategically situated on the Ozark Mountain Plateau. I have great scenic rides in all directions within five miles of my home. We usually pick a different ride each day of the week. Twisties, elevation, forests, etc. never get old to us. We have put 20K miles on these roads since moving here and are still loving it.

To top it off, we can ride mostly every day of the year now. I have been to most states in the country, including AK and HI, and believe this is some of the best anywhere.

[ryu1867]

Two "must-do" rides on Vancouver Island, BC.

Gold River Hwy (#28) from Campbell River to Gold River - about an hour of lakes, forests, mountains and loads of twisties. Add 30mins for a side trip to Myra Falls. A great breakfast-and-back run.
Pacific Rim Hwy (#4) from Qualicum Beach to Tofino - day trip with lots more of the same and some beautiful sandy beaches!

Neither of these are "loop" trips, you have to backtrack, but that's part of the enjoyment. It doesn't get much better than this!

[Bob L]

It depends what you call close to home? If I have an hour to spare, my go to is Rt 32A on the east side of the Quabbin Reservoir in Mass --- and riding around the Brookfields (small villages, secondary roads, little traffic, great scenery), but if it is a day ride... anywhere in Vermont! The Green Mountains are great to ride in, and traffic is limited.

[MONK]

My favorite 1/2 day ride (which I tend to do most weekends, depending on weather) is: N. Wilkesboro, NC (home) up US18 to Sparta, NC, east a few miles to Cherry Hill then down the BRP to Boone (just outside and to the east of) then back to the house on US421. 421 is only a means to an end as it's mostly straight, it's a 4 lane and it's boring. Sometimes, I'll take the route backwards just to change things up.

If I only have 90 minutes or so (or if I'm trying to catch a 2nd ride of the day), I'll run down to Lenoir, across US64 to Taylorsville then back up to the house. More sweeping curves than anything but it's pretty country.

If I have the time to ride all day, I might ride over to Winston-Salem (Clemmons, to be precise), catch I40 to Statesville, pick up US64 and run that west to US321. I'll take that north to Blowing Rock then pick up the BRP and run that up to Cherry Hill then over to Sparta and back down 18 to the house. That's every bit 5+ hours but well worth it.

One of the nice things about living in the foothills of the App mountains is when it's hot out, I can ride 10 minutes north and get into the mountains where it's almost always 8-10* cooler. The downside to that is that I can't run the Parkway in winter. They don't maintain it and at those elevations, it gets plenty of snow/ice.

[Ex-Rocket]

I live in the Northeast portion of the state of Arkansas and the land is mostly flat except for an area that is called Crowley's Ridge. Granted its not a mountain but a ridge of land that is elevated a little. It is somewhat curvy but not real twisty. Its nothing like the Dragon or Rattlesnake in eastern Tennessee/ North Carolina or anything close to the Ozarks in northwestern Arkansas but its my own little favorite spot. No telling how many times I have rode it over the years. I enjoy it so that's all that matters to me.

[Navydad]

Rt. 555 the Triple Nickel and the other fine routes in SE Ohio.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I live in the Northeast portion of the state of Arkansas and the land is mostly flat except for an area that is called Crowley's Ridge. Granted its not a mountain but a ridge of land that is elevated a little. It is somewhat curvy but not real twisty. Its nothing like the Dragon or Rattlesnake in eastern Tennessee/ North Carolina or anything close to the Ozarks in northwestern Arkansas but its my own little favorite spot. No telling how many times I have rode it over the years. I enjoy it so that's all that matters to me.

I you anywhere near Branson Mo. and Peel's ferry Ark. ..... fantastic riding in the Mark Twain forest ..... Mike

[dpetrick]

Not a lot of curvy roads here in NW Iowa. But lots of county blacktop roads with very little traffic to ride. Riding along some of the small rivers is also nice. Pretty flat around here.

[VStarRider]

100 mile loop (with lots of additional optional routes to connect to if I am feeling spunky) from my place in eastern suburbs of Rochester NY, south into the Bristol hills, along Canandaigua
Lake, to Naples, some county routes back to Honeoye, then back home. Takes about two hours and includes lots of curves, hills, lakes, and little traffic except getting out of and back into town.

[Ex-Rocket]

I you anywhere near Branson Mo. and Peel's ferry Ark. ..... fantastic riding in the Mark Twain forest ..... Mike

Hope the other side of the state.

[MNF3]

Pretty flat here in south central MN. Luckily the Mississippi River is only 3 hours away. Beautiful drives on both sides of the river.

[JKMSPYDER]

I live in the southwestern tip of NC. Within 45 minutes of me is the famous Dragon, the Cherohala Skyway, and “moonshine” Hwy 28. We are known for fantastic motorcycle roads in western NC, north GA, and eastern TN.

[ThreeWheels]

Anywhere in North West Connecticut/Dutchess County NY


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[GOZFST]

Vanocker Canyon is 19 miles, that leads to Nemo Rd can go back to Rapid City and home or to Deadwood and on to Spearfish Canyon.

[Bfromla]

Not much round here few are labeled scenic ”wild flower” roads quite seasonal & regardless because your eyes best stay on the road for the roadkill or potholes Decent stops to eat scattered just about everywhere so no problem with out of town lunch runs particularly like the optional return routes. Unfortunately so does the state whenever comes to detours almost enough to confide a GPS will most likely come to a connecting highway leading back to something familiar, if not just try follow a “loaded” logging truck





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[Lew L]

The ryde a group of us just took:
South on #395 to Jacks valley road,past Genoa( oldest settlement in Nevada) to #88 towards Kirkwood Ski resort, south again to Markleville, Ca. To Monitor Pass at over 8,000 ft ( The Dragon of the west), to Topaz Lake for lunch and home. 4 hours if you done have lunch, but we always do.
A second favorite is simply around Lake Tahoe ( but ONLY on a week day )

Lew L

[bigbadbrucie]

Living in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada, a nice ride, only about 80 miles is from Chilliwack across the Fraser River to Agassiz, down Hwy 7 over Sasquatch Mountain to the Dewdney Pub for lunch. The Dewdney pub is the ONLY PUB THAT YOU SIT OUTDOORS and part of your view is overlooking an old cow barn complete with an ‘old manure pile’. After lunch, carry on to Mission, BC, again cross the Fraser River towards Abbotsford, go over Sumas Mountain, carry on up to #3 Road and then on to home. Stopping at the Pub for lunch, it’s approximately a 3 hour trip. Beautiful ride through the Fraser Valley!

[triplethreat]

I usually keep a coin handy when I'm getting ready to take a ride. From my driveway......Deals Gap, 18 miles... Cherohala skyway, 30 miles... Both the new and old sections of the Foothills Parkway...30 miles....Rt. 68 south from Tellico Plains...30 miles. And one that's a bit further away, but certainly close enough to enjoy....N.C. Rt. 28 down to Franklin N.C. and on to Highlands. The Devil Triangle ain't too bad either.

[NEXUS]

Living in Central Virginia.
I'm about 45 minutes from the Blue Ridge Pkwy and I drive a lot up there, but my favorite ride
is a long loop starting at home, very early, driving up to Front Royal, Virginia coming down the
Shenandoah National Parkway. I do this all year long as long as the weather's not bad and it's not
shut down for any other reason but this is a about 10 hour loop.


I can never get enough of the mountains.


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[NoahMercy]

I can go about fourteen miles north and head over US Hwy 14 and then south to 16 and back home, making a loop on the Bighorn Mountains that includes two scenic byways and two passes around 10,000 feet, along with a great waterfall, canyons, switchbacks, 150 mile views, some 10% grades, elk, moose, deer, pronghorn, turkey, bighorn sheep, desert, prairie, forests, mesas, buttes, and very little traffic most of the year.