Trip of a Lifetime! Be part of it...

[ptgb]

Starting in June ptgb, JoJo, and Yeah, Just Dale are embarking on the bucket list trip of a lifetime! In celebration of JoJo and I's 20th anniversary (I will be retired and poor for our 25th), we will be going out west for a month. Vacation is scheduled and the bank account is ready.

Will be starting in Buena Vista, Colorado and heading to Billings to spend a couple days at Inzane with you guys and then onward. Want to have hundreds of waypoints for sights in the Zumo and crap ton of must ride roads.

Here are the states we are planning to be in at some point of the trip...

Colorado (already saw a lot of that)
Wyoming (already saw a lot of that)
Montana (western)
Idaho
Washington
Oregon
California (Northern - furthest south - San Francisco)
Nevada
Arizona
New Mexico
Utah

Not afraid to ride a good amount of miles every day (or every other).

What I am asking for is just a short list of you're own "must see", "i saw", "must eat" or "must ride" including National Parks (we are getting the pass). I will be spending the next month getting them all in the GPS. Can't guarantee we will go to or see everything, but we are going to try our best.

Thanks for your input.

[The emperor has no clothes]

  Sounds like a great ride. I'll throw in some of my favorites tonight after work.

[John Schmidt]

Be sure to hit Glacier Nat'l. Park and stay at a couple of the more popular spots in the park.

[Crackerborn]

Zion first and foremost, followed by the Pacific Coast Highway. In the western states there are many roads that need to be explored as well as national and state parks. Bryce Canyon was one of my favorite places but carry plenty of water to spend any time there. Four Corners is a great photo but not really very scenic or worth a side trip IMHO.

[longrider]

I hope you receive lots of info.  There is so much too see in the west. My wife and I have covered many roads that can leave you speechless and tired.   A couple I feel you should consider. Warning...you will use the sides of the tires.    (1) Lolo pass west of Missoula mt.    (2) Take the dinner cruise across Lake tahoe, then head south on 88 to Jackson Ca.  then 49 south to Angels Camp, hwy4 east to 395, then south to 108 and then back west.  You'll be close to yosemite here as well

Enjoy your ride!

warren

[0leman]

If you got the time, agree on Glacier NP, Yellowstone, Bear tooth hwy.  Spend time in southern Utah.  In Oregon, Crater Lake and the coast Hwy.  Spend some time looking at the Redwoods along the coast (northern CA).  Yosemite NP.   Those are the fun places.   But be warned there are a lot of others who are doing the same thing.   If you are camping, popular places you may need reservations, same could go for motels. 

FYI, Crater Lake got couple more feet of snow this last week.  Denver also go snow this morning.  Winter doesn't want to leave this part of the country.

[..]

ZION, ZION, ZION. Spend a day there at the minimum.

I just posted the following on a DDT thread

Hite Overlook.
http://www.amwest-travel.com/utah-lake-powell-hite.html

Mokey Dugway overlook. DO  NOT APPROACH FROM THE SOUTHERN END unless you want to do some uphill crappy dirt road with switchbacks.
http://bluffutah.org/mokey-dugway-muley-point/

Hanksville UT, the store in a rock.

There's a fairly decent dirt road on the south side of the Park that will take you to look up at the Bryce Canyon hoo-doos. I can't find it on Google Earth but a local should be able to give you directions.

There's a god view from here as well.
Mesa Rd west of Virigin UT on Hwy 9. DO NOT cross the keep out sign. You will get men in uniform appearing.
https://boxcanyonblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/sherlock-johnson-solves-mystery-of.html

Kolob Terrace Rd on the north side of Hwy 9 in Virgin itself. Dead ends.

ZION, ZION, ZION. Spend a day there at the minimum.

[oxfordhog]

Cowboy Dinner Tree in Silver Lake, Oregon.  Check out their website.

[davit]

I'm not going to give you any specific places to see or roads to ride but just a couple of hard learned rules to travel by:

If you camp avoid KOA's as they are invariably located within spitting distance of freeways.  There's nothing like waking up from a night terror only to realize it was induced by real life 18-wheelers from Hell.


Avoid National Parks during the tourist season as time spent amongst tour busses filled with camera-toters is not quality time.

Always make time to detour to off the beaten path natural hot springs.

Chose local diners, meet real people.  Locals have awesome insight as to real super duper cool things to see or do you would otherwise never find.

[..]

North rim of grand Canyon has so many fewer tourists than the south rim.

[..]

NM Turquoise Trail thru Madrid. The small town used in the movie Wild Hogs.
http://www.turquoisetrail.org/

Sandia Peak cable car.
http://www.sandiapeak.com/

[F-six]

Good for you, I hope you have a wonderful trip!

In 2010 I made my trip of a lifetime, bought a Valkyrie Interstate and went from Miami to San Francisco and back again. After that I shipped my Valkyrie home. I still have it, don't want to sell it, too many good memories.

Now for a good tip: I suppose you visit Zion and Bryce coming from the west and you want to go north again to Utah. So from Zion you take the 9, then 89 and highway 12 to Bryce. After you visit stay on highway 12, it's beautiful.
https://utah.com/scenic-drive/highway-12-byway

Follow highway 12 until you reach highway 24. I made a right to Greenville and had a blast, but I suppose the other way is just as beautiful. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/utah-highway-24-scenic-byway-loa-to-hanksville




 

[The emperor has no clothes]

I keep coming up with 4 trillion places and things to see. Instead I will just list the must see in my opinion.
Washington - Olympic Peninsula
Oregon - Hiway 101
NorCal - Yosemite, Ave of the Giants, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe
Utah - Arches, Zion, Bryce
Nevada - Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam
Arizona - Grand Canyon, Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon, Jerome, Prescott

[RP#62]

Be careful, I took a trip out west in 2006 and I never came back.

-RP

[..]

I forgot Cedar Breaks.

https://www.nps.gov/cebr/index.htm

Oh and the Colorado National Monument.

https://www.nps.gov/colm/index.htm

Dead Horse Point UT
https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/dead-horse/

[..]

Go to the Hualapi reservation for the glass sky walk.

http://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/grand_canyon/hualapai_reservation.html

I was there way before the sky walk was even a  thought and stood barrierless and fenceless with my tip toes on the edge of the Grand Canyon with the Colorado River 4,000 feet below me.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I know you said not south of S.F. But something I thought was pretty cool and worth the time was Skyline Blvd. with a stop at Alice's Restaurant for lunch.

[J.Mencalice]

Consider those areas designated as National Monuments.  They are usually smaller, less crowded than the bigger parks, less rowdy than the most popular, and some are closer to smaller towns that offer a more homey welcome than the tourist traps that usually surround the National Parks.
Camping on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands is usually free (or really cheap), with virtually no amenities if that is what you are looking for in the out of doors; primitive campsites with no running water or outhouses, but the night skies are stupendous in the great open spaces.

[..]

Mesa Verde. Great ride up and a worthwhile look around.

[Misfit]

Avenue of the Giants is well worth the trip.
20 south out of Winthrope WA is an awesome Rd.
If you are passing by my place anytime except Inzane time you are welcome to lay over here. 

[The emperor has no clothes]

Just a word of warning when visiting Yosemite . Many of the visitors are from other countries and not as attentive drivers as they should be. Parking in the main village area is limited. I had a driver come across 3 lanes in front of me to get a spot. Only time I've ever left a skid mark with the front tire. Be extra observant in the parking areas. While riding the park you are ok.

[J.Mencalice]

Mesa Verde. Great ride up and a worthwhile look around.

Try these on for size.

http://www.pbs.org/show/heart-world-colorados-national-parks/

These are three shows of our extraordinary places.  Kathy Mattea narrates.  Enjoy.

And one more today...
https://vimeo.com/186483277

[sheets]

Food for thought when traveling the coast of Oregon & Calif. . . . the prevailing winds typically are out of the north blowing in a southerly direction. If you make a tactical effort to traverse this are from north to south you will have the prevailing breeze/wind at your back. If you manage to pass through the north coast on a beautiful day, a southward heading will put you twelve feet closer to the ocean view and ease of access to pull off on shoulders or vista points to take in the sights.