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West U.S.

Decades after its official demise in 1985, Route 66 remains in fragments, with the rest either paved over and renamed or reclaimed by nature....

America’s Mother Road: Chicago to L.A. on Route 66

Designated as a federal highway in 1926 and running from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 connected – and often ran right through –...

From Ojai to the Carrizo Plain: California Adventure Motorcycle Ride | Favorite Ride

When I want a taste of adventure in my own backyard, one of my favorite rides is around the Carrizo Plain National Monument, a...

South Dakota Motorcycle Ride: Exploring the Badlands and Black Hills

In River-Horse, William Least Heat-Moon’s book about his journey across the United States by boat, he mentions carrying a small sign with the Quaker...

Ural-ing Around Colorado Motorcycle Ride

Backed by lush orchestration, the opening credits of the 1969 John Wayne film, True Grit, reveal a beautiful farmstead nestled in a green valley...

Roamin’ in Wyoming Motorcycle Ride

Fort Laramie is the oldest town in Wyoming, having first been settled as Fort Williams in the 1830s and “bought” by the U.S. government...

Utah Motorcycle Ride to Great Basin National Park | Favorite Ride

Ten years ago, doctors removed my left kidney – and the golfball-sized tumor attached to it. To mark a decade of being cancer-free, I...

Best Motorcycle Roads in Marin County, California

California is known for excellent motorcycle roads. But even in such a target-rich environment, there are special areas that offer a mind-boggling blend of...

Southern Utah Motorcycle Ride | Favorite Ride

Some roads are famous for the scenery through which they traverse, and some are famous for the unique nature of the roads themselves. There...

Arizona Motorcycle Adventure: From Prescott to the Grand Canyon

The American West has special allure. Rugged landscapes, hardscrabble history, and a sense of endless possibilities draw people to the West like a magnet...

Traipsing Across Washington Motorcycle Ride | Favorite Ride

Matt Terry, a riding buddy from Florida, planned to travel out West with his family, and he always trailers his two Ducati Diavel Stradas...

The Lost Sierra: Northern California Motorcycle Ride

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in the October 2004 issue. The phone rings. It’s Werner Wachter calling from Austria. “You vill come to...

50 Best Motorcycle Roads in America

The December 2024 issue of Rider celebrated the magazine's 50th anniversary. Over the past half century, we have published thousands of travels stories, favorite...

Four-County California Motorcycle Ride on a Honda Transalp

The charming and eclectic coastal city of Ventura is the launch and landing pad for this diverse 340-mile loop that crosses parts of four...

EagleRider Exclusive: Yamaha 3-Day Mojave Desert Adventure

EagleRider, the world's largest motorcycle rental and tour company, in partnership with Yamaha, announces a new and exclusive 3-Day Mojave Desert Adventure tour this...

Ventura to Santa Barbara California Motorcycle Ride | Favorite Ride

Throughout its 50-year history, Rider’s editorial offices have been based in the vicinity of Ventura County, California, which is northwest of Los Angeles and...

Joshua Tree National Park Motorcycle Ride | Favorite Ride

“It’s the Joshua tree’s struggle that gives it its beauty,” writes Jeannette Walls in her 2005 memoir The Glass Castle. She further contends that...

Border to Border on the Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route

This story is about a ride that took place in 2013 on the original Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route, which was developed by the Oregon...

Arizona Route 66 Motorcycle Ride

Route 66, or the Mother Road, is indelibly stitched into the fabric of the American psyche. The iconic road once traced its way for...

Alaska Motorcycle Ride: Discovering America’s Last Frontier

It wasn’t that she was a princess. She had lived and taught on a reservation in northern Ontario where she gutted geese, chopped down...

A Scenic Casa Grande, Arizona Motorcycle Ride

Arizona is known for its five Cs – copper, cattle, cotton, citrus, and climate – all of which are represented on the state’s great...

Sonoma Motorcycle Rides, On My Own and With Family | Favorite Ride

This is a tale of two amazing rides. One threads its way through some of Northern California’s beautiful wine, lake, and hill country. The...

Riding From Gunnison, Colorado, to Hovenweep National Monument

C. Jane Taylor’s moto memoir Spirit Traffic was published in 2022. That summer, she and her husband embarked on a 97‑day cross‑country book tour...

Motoring from Denver to Moab | Favorite Ride

Moab, Utah, is an ideal destination for a motorcycle trip. Where else can you find sandstone arches, red‑walled canyons, snow‑capped mountains, scenic byways, two...

A Flagstaff to Albuquerque Motorcycle Ride on a Less Obvious Route

If you blindly follow your GPS, a Flagstaff to Albuquerque motorcycle ride is a 320‑mile drone on Interstate 40. That’s fine if Point A...

Riding in Beautiful Circles: A Southern Oregon Motorcycle Ride

There is just something about southern Oregon. It can be difficult to choose between the area’s rolling grasslands, towering evergreens, high mountain lakes, quaint...

National Parks, Alpine Passes, and The Bard: A Southern Utah Motorcycle Ride

While I waited for my steaming calzone to cool in the pizza restaurant in the tiny town of Orderville, Utah, and contemplated my impending...

Backcountry Discovery Routes Releases Steens Mountain and Alvord Desert, OR BDR-X

Earlier this year, Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) released the Oregon BDR, its 12th full route, and each one can be completed in about a week....

Seeing Three Utah National Parks on a Motorcycle | Favorite Ride

Utah’s national parks – Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion – are known as the Mighty 5. All feature impressive red rock...

Backcountry Discovery Routes: BMW and BDR Collaborate on New Oregon Route

Following the success of the first partnership between BMW Motorrad USA and Backcountry Discovery Routes in 2022 with the Wyoming BDR, the two groups...

West U.S.

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