Explore the USA by Motorcycle

The United States of America is the original road trip country, and on a motorcycle it’s even better. Vast national parks, desert highways stretching to the horizon, mountain roads through genuine wilderness, and a culture built around the freedom of the open road — the USA delivers motorcycle touring on a scale that nothing in Europe can match. From the Pacific Coast Highway to the canyons of Utah, from Yellowstone’s geysers to the neon glow of Las Vegas, this is the country where the bucket list was invented.

The Great American West

The western United States is where the landscape becomes almost absurdly dramatic. Monument Valley — that unmistakable silhouette of sandstone buttes rising from the desert floor — is one of those places that looks exactly like the movies because the movies were filmed here. Watching the sunrise from the road at Forrest Gump Point, with the valley stretching out before you in the early morning light, is a moment that defines what motorcycle touring is all about.

The national parks of Utah are the jewels of any western tour. Arches National Park contains over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, from the massive red-hued Delicate Arch to the impossibly thin Landscape Arch. Canyonlands, carved by the Colorado River into a dramatic desert landscape of mesas and buttes, is vast and humbling. Mesa Verde preserves the extraordinary cliff dwellings of the Pueblo people, inhabited for over 600 years — ancient apartment buildings tucked into the rock face that are unlike anything you’ll see anywhere else on earth.

The Grand Canyon needs no introduction, but experiencing it from every angle — riding along the rim, taking a helicopter flight down into the canyon itself, and rafting the Colorado River at the bottom — turns one of the world’s most famous landmarks into a genuinely immersive adventure rather than just a viewpoint and a photograph.

And then there’s the riding in between. The Moki Dugway — a series of hairpins on a three-mile dirt road dropping from Cedar Mesa into the Valley of the Gods — delivers the kind of visceral riding experience that no tarmac road can match. The Valley of the Gods itself, a sandstone landscape carved into towers and pinnacles, is Monument Valley’s quieter, wilder sibling, with a dirt road running through it that has you stopping for photographs every few hundred metres.

Yellowstone, Wyoming, and the Wild West

The northern section of any western US tour brings a completely different character. Yellowstone National Park — the first national park in the world, established in 1872 — is a landscape of geysers, hot springs, and wildlife that feels like nowhere else on earth. Old Faithful erupts twenty times a day, every day, and watching it from a cold beer on the boardwalk is one of touring’s great simple pleasures. The park is over four times the size of London, so a full day barely scratches the surface.

The Chief Joseph Highway, one of the most iconic motorcycle roads in America, connects Yellowstone with the Wild West town of Cody — founded by Buffalo Bill himself. Stetsons and cowboy boots are still the dress code, there’s a nightly rodeo in season, and the main street offers the kind of rib joints and saloon bars that make you feel like you’ve ridden straight into a western film.

The Pacific Coast Highway

The final chapter of any great American tour is the Pacific Coast Highway — one of the most famous roads in the world. The stretch from Santa Barbara through Big Sur to San Francisco hugs the California coastline, with the Pacific crashing against cliffs far below and the road sweeping through a landscape of golden hills, redwood groves, and dramatic headlands. The ride across the Golden Gate Bridge, with Alcatraz in the bay below, is the perfect full stop — an iconic image that marks the end of an unforgettable journey.

Between the canyons and the coast sits Death Valley — the hottest, driest, lowest point in North America. Riding through its vast, bleached landscape, with the temperature gauge climbing and the desert stretching endlessly in every direction, is a sobering and exhilarating contrast to everything that comes before and after.

And then there’s Las Vegas. An island of neon in the desert, utterly surreal after days of national park wilderness, and exactly as excessive as you’d imagine. Two nights here provides the perfect counterpoint to the natural grandeur of the canyons — and a reminder that America does everything, from landscapes to entertainment, on a scale that’s hard to comprehend until you experience it.

What to Expect on the Road

American roads are built for distance. The highways are wide, well-maintained, and designed for comfortable, long-haul riding. The western states offer some of the emptiest roads in the developed world — you can ride for hours through desert and mountain terrain without seeing another vehicle. The national park roads are smooth and scenic, with speed limits that encourage you to take in the surroundings rather than rush through them.

The distances are significant by European standards. Daily mileages on a western US tour can be longer than many riders are accustomed to, but the roads flow easily and the constant variety of landscape keeps fatigue at bay. Fuel stops are reliable on the main routes, though some remote stretches in Utah, Wyoming, and Nevada require planning.

The climate varies dramatically depending on where you are. Desert regions can exceed 40°C in summer, while Yellowstone’s altitude brings cooler mountain weather. The Pacific coast is moderated by ocean breezes. Layering and sun protection are both essential across any western tour.

Beyond the Bike

American food culture is as varied as the landscape. Barbecue ribs in Wyoming, Mexican food in Utah, fresh seafood at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, and the buffet excess of Las Vegas all feature within a single tour. The craft beer scene across the western states is excellent, and the casual, generous hospitality of small-town America — where a stranger on a motorcycle is always a conversation starter — is one of the great pleasures of touring here.

The sense of history in the American West is unique. Native American heritage, the frontier era, the gold rush, and the national park movement all left their mark on a landscape that feels both ancient and young at the same time. The roadside culture — diners, motels, roadhouses — adds a layer of Americana that makes the touring experience distinctly and unmistakably American.

Best Time to Ride

The western US riding season runs from April to October, with May to September offering the best conditions. June to August provides the warmest weather and longest days, though desert regions can be extremely hot in July and August. May and September offer more comfortable temperatures with fewer tourists at the national parks. Yellowstone’s roads typically open in late April or May depending on snowfall, while the Pacific Coast Highway is rideable year-round.

Ride the USA with Motorrad Tours

Our western US tours take you from the Pacific Northwest through Yellowstone, the canyons of Utah, Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Death Valley, and along the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco — ticking off bucket-list experiences that most people only ever dream about. With experienced guides, carefully planned routes, and accommodation ranging from Wild West roadhouses to Las Vegas hotels, this is the Great American Road Trip on two wheels. Browse our upcoming USA departures below.