Eight unforgettable city-to-city motorcycle rides across the U.S. that every rider should have on their motorcycle bucket list.
Most people know America from its cities. A few know it from its landscapes. Riders know both.. and everything in between.
On a motorcycle, you experience everything that links one place to the next: the desert stretching out past the last suburb, the mountain range that rises out of nowhere, the coastline that appears around a corner and takes your breath away, and the small towns you’d never have a reason to stop in (until you do, and they turn out to be the best part of the day!).
As riders, we know it’s never just about the destination. It’s about feeling every mile of the journey along the way.
America reveals itself differently from the seat of a motorcycle. And what it reveals is extraordinary.
These eight city-to-city journeys are some of our favorite rides in the country. Each one connects two cities worth visiting, and each one is defined by the road that runs between them.
Los Angeles to Las Vegas
The Desert Classic
This is the one that comes to mind first for a reason.
L.A. to Las Vegas is the quintessential American road trip, and on a motorcycle, it becomes something else entirely. You leave the sprawl of the city behind, and within an hour the landscape opens up into something vast, dry, and strangely beautiful. The Mojave stretches out in every direction, with Joshua trees dotting the landscape and distant mountain ranges sitting on the horizon.
Vegas glittering at the end of the desert only adds to it. Few arrivals hit quite like rolling into the Strip after an epic journey, with the energy of the city crashing into the silence of everything that came before it.
At around 280 miles, you can do it comfortably in an afternoon. Or take your time through the Mojave and make it something to remember. Either way, it’s the kind of ride everyone should do at least once in their lifetime.
Nashville to Asheville
Two Great Cities, One Epic Road
Two of the most interesting cities in America, connected by some of the best riding in the South.
You leave the live music, honky-tonks, and high energy of Nashville and head east into the Tennessee hills. The roads start easy and open, then gradually build as the landscape rises around you. Green ridgelines appear and river valleys open up below. By the time you’re pushing into the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains, you’re deep in some of the most beautiful terrain east of the Mississippi.
Asheville is the reward on the other end. It may not have the brand name of others on this list, but it has a thriving arts scene, a food culture that punches well above its weight, and a mountain energy that will almost certainly make you want to stay longer than you initially planned.
Give it a weekend if you can. Take the scenic roads through the Smokies, stop somewhere you didn’t plan to, and resist the urge to rush any of it. This one rewards the rider who slows down.
P.S. — Before you leave Nashville, get yourself a plate of Southern BBQ. Jack’s Bar-B-Que, Peg Leg Porker, and Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint are all legendary local favs, and any one of them is worth the stop.
Austin to Santa Fe
The Great American Contrast
Few rides in America put two more distinctive cities at either end of the map. One runs on live music, late nights, and a youthful creative energy. The other sits 5,000 feet up in the desert of New Mexico, ancient and unhurried, with adobe architecture, Georgia O’Keeffe country, and a quality of light that painters have been chasing for a century.
The Texas Hill Country out of Austin is some of the most memorable riding in the state, complete with rolling limestone hills, open ranchland, and small towns like Fredericksburg that are worth pulling over for. Then West Texas takes over, and everything changes. The sky doubles in size and the towns get further apart.
Several spots along the way are worth a short detour, including Marfa, the tiny high desert art town that feels stuck in time, with landscape surrounding it that’s pure American Southwest.
From there, New Mexico opens up and the road climbs toward Santa Fe through terrain that doesn’t look like anywhere you’ve been. By the time you arrive, you’ve crossed three or four distinct versions of America in a single ride.
Boston to Bar Harbor
New England Riding at Its Finest
New England coastal riding is its own category, and this is the best expression of it.
From Boston, head north along the coast of Maine through Portsmouth, Portland, Kennebunkport, Camden, with each town more charming than the last. Expect to see old harbors, white church steeples, and endlessly breathtaking East Coast scenery.
It wouldn’t be a trip to New England without stopping for a lobster roll, one of the most iconic regional bites in the country. Red’s Eats in Wiscasset is arguably the most famous lobster shack in all of Maine, but you’ll find no shortage of opportunities to try one along the way.
Bar Harbor sits on Mount Desert Island at the edge of Acadia National Park, and it’s one of those destinations that earns every bit of its reputation. The carriage roads inside the park are worth a full day on its own, winding through forest along the coastline, with views that feel too beautiful to be real.
Portland to Seattle (via the coast)
Through the Heart of the Pacific Northwest
The direct route is three hours or so. Take the coast, and it becomes one of the best days of riding you’ll ever experience.
Head northwest from Portland to Astoria, then follow the iconic Highway 101 north along the Oregon and Washington coastline. You’ll see misty headlands, old-growth forest pressing close to the road, and coastal views that open and close as the highway winds through it all. Then the Long Beach Peninsula, the Columbia River crossing, and the slow, scenic approach into Seattle.
It’s the shortest run on this list, but arguably offers the best bang for your buck. It’s the Pacific Northwest at its absolute best.
Miami to Key West
The Highway Over Water
The Overseas Highway stretches 113 miles from the Florida mainland to Key West, crossing dozens of bridges and carrying you over open water for much of the way.
On a clear day, there’s nothing but ocean on your left, ocean on your right, and nothing ahead but the road. It’s a visual that your mind can’t even fully comprehend until you’re out there in the middle of it, and there’s nothing quite like it.
The Seven Mile Bridge is the centerpiece. It’s a long, straight run suspended between two shades of turquoise, with the Gulf on one side and the Atlantic on the other. Stop at the pulloff on the far side and take a minute to look back at where you came from.
Key West is a fitting destination. Laid-back, colorful, unlike anywhere else in the country. On the way down, pull off at Bahia Honda State Park, one of the most stunning stretches of beach in all of Florida, with turquoise water on both sides and views that stop you in your tracks.
Once you arrive, grab a table at Blue Heaven, an open-air courtyard in the historic Bahama Village with live music, free-roaming chickens, and a key lime pie worth the trip on its own. Soak in the atmosphere, watch the sunset, and take your time getting back.
Denver to Moab
Otherworldly Desert Landscapes
Moab is one of America’s most unique places. Surrounded by Arches National Park and Canyonlands, the town sits in the middle of some of the most dramatic landscape on earth, with rust-colored canyon walls and ancient rock formations.
Getting there from Denver is an adventure in itself. You leave the city, climb through the Rockies, and crest the mountains before the long descent into canyon country begins. You notice the landscape shift dramatically with red rock rising out of nowhere, wide plateaus dropping into deep canyon cuts, and colors that don’t look like anywhere else on earth.
Once you’re there, it’s worth making the 30-mile ride out to Dead Horse Point State Park. Perched 2,000 feet above the Colorado River, it’s one of the most photographed vistas in the American Southwest. It’s a detour you won’t regret.
For the final stretch, take Highway 128 along the Colorado River into Moab. The road follows the water towering through canyon walls, and it’s the perfect way to cap off the journey.
San Francisco to Los Angeles (via Highway 1)
Pacific Views, All the Way Down
This one needs no introduction. Highway 1 hugs the California coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and it’s one of the most iconic rides on planet earth.
You feel the ocean air, the pull of the curves, and the way the road narrows through Big Sur. Every now and then, the view shifts. Redwoods give way to cliffs, cliffs give way to wide sandy coves, and the Pacific crashed against the rocks below. And you’ve got a front-row seat to it all.
This one is worth giving the road the time it deserves. The stretch between Monterey and Morro Bay is unforgettable. Stop in Carmel and San Luis Obispo on the way through. And definitely pull over for a bit at Nepenthe in Big Sur, an iconic cliffside restaurant perched 800 feet above the Pacific that’s been there since 1949.
Once you hit the road, you’ll understand why riders talk about this road the way they do.
Your Next Ride Is Waiting
These eight journeys cover serious mileage across desert, coast, forest, and mountains. They each offer a unique version of America, and there’s no better way to experience any of it than from the seat of a motorcycle.
Not riding yet? There’s no better time to start. Get started to kick off your riding journey, or check out our Rider’s Bucket List for more epic routes worth adding to the list.
See you out there.