Favorite Motorcycle Roads and Routes
NOTE - As of December 2004, this is a VERY PRELIMINARY list. I'll be fleshing it out as time permits. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list, but just a list of roads and rides that I have particularly enjoyed, and if you're going that way, you might, too.
Listed by STATE, with my home state (Idaho) first, followed by others I have visited by motorcycle, in alphabetical sequence.
IDAHO
Cambridge to Halfway (Oregon) – State Highway 71 is the only paved route into
Hell’s Canyon, supposedly the deepest canyon in the USA. The scenery along this
route is mostly mountainous desert, with evergreen stands on the shady side of
mountains. There are some nice sheer rock cliffs, the river itself is quite
scenic, the dams are impressive… and if you’re watching, you might see a bighorn
sheep or three. There are some EXCELLENT public campgrounds along the Snake
River in the canyon (Copperfield is our favorite), reasonably priced, with warm
showers and nice grassy spots for tents. (Provisions are somewhat scarce –
there’s a little store a few miles up the road toward Halfway, but that’s about
it.)
Horseshoe Bend to McCall – Anybody who has just passed through Idaho on the
southern Interstate has NOT seen the state. The southern end of Idaho, bordering
Utah and Nevada, is high-desert prairie for the most part. Sagebrush and
foxtails, with a few pump-irrigated fields scattered in the more fertile areas.
But go a few miles north of Boise, and it’s forest and meadow most of the way to
the Canadian border. Highway 55 is a favorite route. (Beware of heading north on
a Friday afternoon or south on a Sunday afternoon in the summer – you’ll be in
slow-RV Hell.) It starts getting pretty nice, scenery-wise, just north of
Horseshoe Bend. It parallels the Payette River most of the time – some serious
white-water. If you’ve got the time, you can head on up to New Meadows, and then
return to the Boise area via U.S. 95, through Council, Midvale, and Weiser.
New Meadows to Grangeville – U.S. 95 is the ONLY continuous north-south highway
in the state, and it’s a nice one, if you’re on a motorcycle. Just north of New
Meadows, you’ll see a sign indicating the 45th Parallel – halfway between the
Equator and the North Pole. Riggins is a sportsman’s haven – depending on the
time of year, it’s crawling with hunters, or steelhead fishermen, or rafters.
The Salmon River is scenic, as your ride alongside almost to White Bird. At
White Bird, I suggest you get off the highway, and ride up the OLD Whitebird
Hill. (Ride through downtown and keep going straight – you can’t miss it.) It’s
a series of tight switchbacks that winds up the side of the big mountain. Just
off to one side is a historic spot where Chief Joseph and his band of Native
Americans kicked some Cavalry butt. (One of the few Indian victories, I s’pose,
when you look at the big picture.) Once you get to the top of the hill, you ride
across the Camas Prairie and into Grangeville.
Orofino to Lewiston – U.S. 12 is one NICE highway! This is the lower stretch, at
least in Idaho. It parallels the Clearwater River. Lewis and Clark were the
first white guys to see this part of the world, and write about it.
Orofino to Lolo Pass – the “upper” stretch of U.S. 12. Follows the Clearwater
River to Lowell, then runs alongside the Lochsa River. Both are famous
whitewater (rafting/kayaking) rivers. You’ll see the occasional suspension/foot
bridge going over the rivers. The road is a PERFECT motorcycle road, in my
opinion. Wide enough and well-maintained, with some serious twisties all along
the way. (If you like the Interstates, this may not be your cup of tea, but I’ll
take this stuff any day.) Rivers and forests everywhere you look. There are
campgrounds and rest areas all along the way, and the occasional lodge or other
bit of civilization, but mostly it’s gotta be a lot like it was when Lewis and
Clark passed through, 200 years ago. A couple of “bewares” – there is wildlife
in the area. Once I was fixing to hole up at a campground – the ranger told me,
“If you camp here, you might as well take a slab of bacon and rub it all over
yourself, and then keep it in your tent, because there are bears in the area.” I
stayed in a little cabin instead. And – a guy I know was seriously injured when
he came around a bend on his Road King, and was surprised by a sudden gust of
wind coming up the canyon. He went down and did some serious damage to himself.
Don’t be spacin’ out when you’re riding.
Grangeville to Kooskia (pronounced KOOS-kee) – State Highway can be easily
overlooked, but it’s a nice stretch of road, winding down a big mountain, into
the Clearwater valley. If you’re headed for Lolo Pass or Missoula, this is a
good alternative to following the main highway on up to Lewiston.
CALIFORNIA
Bay Area to the Oregon border (and beyond) - State Highway 1 and U.S. 101 north,
from the Bay Area to the Oregon border. This stretch of highway will be on
ANYBODY’S favorites-list, who has been on it. Spectacular coastal scenery.
Grants Pass (Oregon) to Crescent City - U.S. 199. Plan extra time to stop along
the way and marvel at the groves of HUGE redwood trees!
COLORADO
MONTANA
Chief Joseph Pass to Anaconda - Take State Highway 43, from Chief Joseph Pass
(north of Salmon, Idaho) to Wisdom, then veering north. Turn left on the road to
Anaconda (Identified as Big Hole Road on my map, then changing to Mill Creek
Road). Outstanding “big sky” scenery with huge mountain ranges in the distance,
and forests, meadows, streams, etc., nearby.
Missoula to Kalispell – Follow U.S. 93. It goes past the National Bison Range
and the Flathead Indian Reservation; watch for them wandering in the road. (Just
a joke!) It also runs parallel to the awesome Mission Wilderness mountain range,
just to the east, and further north it winds along the edge of huge Flathead
Lake.
Kalispell to Clearwater – Get off U.S. 93 just north of Flathead Lake, and go
east on State Highway 82. Jog right on State Highway 35, then left on State
Highway 82, which will take you past some nice lakes (Swan Lake, Seeley Lake),
and plenty of meandering crystal-clear streams and rivers. With nice mountains
off in the nearby distance.
West Glacier to St. Mary – this is the famous “Going to the Sun Road,” through
the heart of Glacier National Park. Truly one of the world’s spectacular, rugged
scenic places. Amazing road, too, considering it was carved out of the side of
the mountain, back in the good old days of manual carving. It gets no better
than this – scenery-wise – anywhere. I imagine traffic can be really bad during
peak-season.
If you're in the "Going to the Sun" neighborhood, I'd
recommend that you plan 3 or 4 hours for a ride up Many Glacier Road. It
turns off U.S. 89 (east side of Glacier) at Babb, a few miles north of Going to
the Sun. Spectacular!
OREGON
UTAH
Orem to Heber – U.S. 189. This road winds through Provo Canyon, then the canyon
opens into highland meadows as you approach Heber. Watch out for the weekends; I
spent an unhappy hour or two coming DOWN the canyon, but mostly sitting in
traffic jams of SUVs, RVs, and vehicles pulling boats. The scenery is very nice.
Provo Canyon to Highland (The “Alpine Loop”) – If you like the twisty-turnies,
combined with spectacular, glacier-carved high mountain scenery and thick stands
of aspen trees, don’t miss this one. State Highway 92 is a NARROW and TWISTY
2-lane paved road, so don’t go spacin’ off staring at the breathtaking scenery,
or you might just go straight where the road turns… or rearrange an oncoming
camper’s front grille. This is a NICE road – one of my favorites anywhere.
(Almost worth the drive from Boise to Provo, on the Interstate… yecch!)
Kamas to the Wyoming border – another run with spectacular, high-mountain
scenery, aspen and evergreen trees, and clear mountain lakes. This one feels
like you’re on the top of the world, as you go over some of those craggy passes.
(Be prepared for either really good weather, or really bad weather.)
WASHINGTON