Riding a motorcycle is an easy way to go sight-seeing. Fortunately, America is one of the most motorcycle-friendly places in the world. There are so many beautiful cities to visit that you’re unlikely to hit them all in a lifetime. Here are a few cities you should add to your bike riding bucket list.
Rapid City, South Dakota
Experienced bikers know all about the Sturgis Rally held annually in South Dakota since 1938. There’s a reason it’s held here, but you don’t have to be one of the 500,000+ rally attendees to enjoy this town or its nearby rides. Put on your quality Bridgestone tires and head out along Needles Highway, which offers views of Mount Rushmore. When you’re ready for a break, take a refreshing swim in Sylvan Lake.
Be sure to stop in beautiful Rapid City. From there, you can visit Rushmore or the Badlands National Park, enjoy some of the finest fishing in the country, and take a kayaking or adventure tour to see local wildlife.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
If you’ve never driven the National Scenic byway that links this city with Alburquerque — otherwise known as the Turquoise Trail — you haven’t lived. Every biker knows about the Pacific Highway and the Appalachian Trail, a truly special ride indeed.
The trail itself runs for 50 miles along Highway 14, and it features some of the most breathtaking views you’ll ever see. You can stop and appreciate America’s history in the mining towns of Golden and Cerrillos along the way, but we recommend parking at Santa Fe for a few days.
More than 20 percent of all the Native Americans in the United States live in this area. It’s the perfect place to learn about the people who were here before Europeans arrived. While here, enjoy some of the world’s best margaritas on the Margarita Trail.
Hammond, Louisiana
Louisiana is an overlooked motorcyclists’ paradise. It’s warm enough to visit at any time of year, and it’s full of motorcycle trails along the coast, the Cajun country, and through plantations from yesteryear.
Take a ride along the Gulf Coast and see amazing architecture, the humid (and historic) swamp lands, and the wilderness that still defines this amazing area of the United States. While there, you’ll see wildlife refuges, marshlands, and coastal prairies unlike anything else.
Along the way, make Hammond your stop. Enjoy the Cajun seafood in Hammond, LA, and don’t forget to stop by Kliebert’s Turtle & Alligator Farm to be amazed by an up-close wildlife experience.
Deadhorse, Alabama
If you want to take the trip of a lifetime, Alaska is the place to be. This remote state offers one of the finest motorcycling trips you’ll ever take. As you follow Route 11 from Fairbanks all the way until it dead ends in Deadhorse, you’ll see the wildest and most remote landscapes anywhere in the world.
To take this trip, you’ll need to be an experienced rider. The road is long, bumpy, and twisty, and even in the depths of summer, you might have snow. If you choose to go through Gates of the Arctic and Denali National Parks, you can make this trip nearly 2,000 miles.
You can’t go any farther north and still be in North America. Along the way to Deadhorse, you’ll see arctic fox, polar and grizzly bears, caribou, and an array of amazing waterfowl. You might even get a fantastic display of the Northern Lights.
These are just four motorcycle trips that are a bit off the beaten path, but whatever your destination is, you can make your own adventure. Where will you go on your next trip?