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I have several months starting in May to take a cross-country trip, and as someone who doesn't know anything beyond the east coast, I'm asking for help and suggestions. The high level plan is to take my motorcycle from New Jersey, ride it to California (most likely taking the north path -- seeing Yellowstone, PNW, etc), chilling there for a few months, then riding back through the south. - What are the insanely beautiful roads I should take on the way? I've been on Blue Ridge Parkway before in a car and definitely want to do it on a bike, what else is there? - If I bring a hammock or a small tent, is it possible to camp out anywhere along the way (outside of campgrounds) or will cops give you poo poo? - The highlights for me will probably be the national parks and forests (I've been living in the city the last 10 years), but what stuff outside of nature is worth seeing? I might try to hit up Cedar Point since I love roller coasters, and definitely see some breweries along the way, but what other great American stuff is out there? I just started planning this so it's a bit open ended. Any suggestions or tips will be appreciated.
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Jan 18, 2018 02:42
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 12:59 |
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avoid interstates unless you're pressed for time. federal/state highways are more interesting camping is a good idea. there are campgrounds everywhere, and you should be able to camp off the beaten path as well in national parks with little risk of cops giving you poo poo so long as you dont look like an obvious vagrant
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Jan 20, 2018 00:33
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You can generally camp wherever you want in national forests and BLM land and it's unlikely you'll get harassed unless you're trying to camp in a place where camping is explicitly forbidden. National parks are the opposite - they usually want you to camp in designated campsites and the rangers will definitely enforce this. States are a mixed bag. A very broad guideline is that most land west of I-25 is public while most land east of I-25 is not.
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Jan 22, 2018 07:49
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In california, take the 1 instead of 101 whenever possible. See our weird trees (redwoods, giant sequoias, Joshua trees). If Disneyland is your thing, go for a couple of days. If you aren't taken with the Disney magic, it's probably not worth it, especially if you're a childless adult. Monterey Bay Aquarium is worth a day, too.
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Jan 27, 2018 08:41
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As Lavaca pointed out, you can camp anywhere in National Forests and Grasslands, unless posted otherwise (generally it's just trailheads are off limits and developed campsites have a fee). BLM land is typically free, but anywhere popular will have a fee. State Parks tend to be cheap (~$7-$16). National Parks have a fee, often for entrance, parking, and camping (so it adds up). Resources: - Campendium is the best site for finding free/cheap places to camp. It's got a searchable map, and the descriptions for finding hard to locate spots are extremely helpful. There's also Free Campsites and Ultimate Campgrounds. - The US Forest Service has info on campsites, many of which are free. The website is a huge pain to navigate, but it lists locations, fees, what services are available (toilets? water?), and how often it fills up (which is extremely helpful). There's a map here and there's a campground directory that someone else put together. - The National Park Service has a pretty good system. If your trip ends up passing through multiple parks you should calculate if it's worth getting a pass. The pass is $80; admission to Yellowstone+Tetons is $50, so if you're hitting those and another park it's probably worth it. - Roadside America has an intractable map for finding weird roadside attractions. Hardly any are worth going out of your way so see, but it's perfect for finding goofy things to break up the long boring sections of road. Recommendations - Kinzua Bridge State Park (Northwest PA) - A short stop, it's a railway bridge that, when built in 1882, was the highest and longest railway bridge in the world. It was knocked over by a tornado in 2003 and the remaining portion was turned into a skywalk. It's located near the Allegheny Forest, which is a great place to camp. Both the bridge and the forest are free. - House on the Rock (Southern WI) is a 3 hour walk through an eccentric man's mansion. A third of the tour is his house, which is like a poorly procedurally generated grotto; the rest is his collection of collections, which includes everything from dueling pistols, to animatronic orchestras, to dioramas of carnivals. If you're anywhere near it, it's a must see. - The Iron Mountain Road through the Black Hills of South Dakota is the best road I've ever driven (start at the south end). The road starts with a tunnel carved out of the rock with Mount Rushmore staring through the other end; it then gives you an overlook, a set of switchbacks, then the lanes split to take individual slaloms through the trees, another tunnel view of the mountain which dumps you into a corkscrew, leading into yet another slalom, a third tunnel, and two more corkscrews. The road ends right outside Mount Rushmore. - Badlands National Park is just east of the Black Hills. You can camp right outside the gate at the edge of the cliffs. While there it's pretty much standard to also visit the Wall Drug Store (they have a decent diner). - Between the Black Hills and Yellowstone is the Bighorn Mountains. It's a good distance between the two parks making it a great camp area. - Yellowstone is amazing, but camping there can be tough. Reservations fill up early and the first-come-first-served spots can fill up at around 6am during peak season. The free spots just outside the park pretty much get squatted on and are impossible. If you're backpacking it's not as bad, but you'll need bear gear (which you should get anyways) and some trails are off limits to individuals. Definitely check out the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (take the trail down to the waterfalls edge). Old Faithful is neat, but I found the other geysers to be just as impressive, if not more so. - Just south of Yellowstone are the Grand Tetons and Jackson. Unlike Yellowstone, camping just outside the park is plentiful and free: I'd suggest here. The drive-to points of interest in the Tetons take a full day, but I'd suggest spending a few more here as the hikes are incredible. - The Bonneville Salt Flats are BLM land and are open to the public. You can drive on it, which leads to an amazing scene once you're a few miles out; just be aware that the surface conditions aren't consistent and some areas can be slushy. - Also look into the Craters of the Moon, Mount Shasta, Lake Tahoe, Crater Lake, and Yosemite. RabbitMage posted:In california, take the 1 instead of 101 whenever possible. The Aquarium is amazing; it's also $50. TheLastManStanding fucked around with this message at 00:58 on Jan 28, 2018 |
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Jan 28, 2018 00:54
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Just some motorcycle specific stuff you are probably aware of but riding interstates will be safer but boring whereas rural highways will give way more cool sites but takes a lot longer so fatigue can set in and deer are a very serious threat. If you have lots of time and your bike can handle rough roads check out http://ridebdr.com/ If you want to camp in the wild plan plenty of time for finding and setting up a spot. Forestry roads used to be great but more and more are getting locked gates put up. On the California coast Hearst Castle is a must see for anyone interested in architecture or history.
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Feb 2, 2018 00:40
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Seconded for Hearst Castle. It's not even just for architecture folks, the stories of the wealth behind that place are ridiculous. Plus, you'll probably recognize a lot of it from being used in movies and music videos and the like. If you plan on the PNW, I really recommend riding down the Avenue of the Giants. 101 is almost uniformly gorgeous once you get past Willits, and going onto the Avenue takes you through forests and quiet old towns and past some amazing trees. Old Town Eureka after that is worthwhile, too. If you're in Arcata when there's a show at Humboldt State University, you should go. They actively put a lot of effort into finding a really diverse range of performers to play there.
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Feb 4, 2018 01:29
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 12:59 |
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That too. Eureka looks abysmal from 101, but detour to Old Town (like two blocks away) and it's stunning. Ogle the Carson Mansion. Arcata Marsh is also the best wastewater treatment facility you'll ever stroll through.
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Feb 4, 2018 08:56
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