Riding a KLR across the US and back this summer...

Hey dude;
I'd definitely put Arches, Canyonlands, Moab, San Rafael Swell, and Lake Powell on your must see list. These are all in Utah and are all extremely bad ass. Additionally, I would see Jackson Hole and Redwood trees around santa cruz...Pretty bad ass highway that follows the US/Mexico border down by san diego as well that is well worth the ride. HAve a good one!

D

Thanks for all the suggestions! Between the suggestions here, at klr650.net, on reddit and facebook, my list has grown to monstrous proportions:

THE BIG LIST OF SHIT TO SEE
Grand Canyon
Yellowstone
Grand Tetons National Park
Fly Geyser, Nevada
Barringer Crater, east of Flagstaff, AZ
Salton Sea/Slab City/Salvation Mountain – Calpatria, CA
Lake Chasm, OR
Painted Hills – Mitchell, OR
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palouse_Falls
Cloud's Rest, Yosimite, CA
Niagra Falls, Canada
Route 66
Carhenge - Alliance, NE
Largest, heaviest ball of sisal twine IN THE WORLD - Cawker City, KS
Outhouse museum - Gregory, SD
Grand Circle (Brice Canyon, Red Rocks) - UT
Canyons of the Escalante - UT
In California, ride the Highway 1 from around San Luis Opismo to Morrow Bay or a little more north at San Simeon (can also go see Hearst's Castle if you want) and go north up to San Francisco (going by the 17 mile drive in Carmel).
Rhyolite Ghost Town - NV
Area 51
Death Valley National Park
Deals Gap, NC
Redwood National Park
Badlands National Park
Glenwood Springs, Garden of the Gods, Flatiron, Gunnison, Steamboat - CO
John Day River/Deschutes River, Painted Hills - OR
17 Mile Drive - Pebble Beach, CA, catch a race at Laguna Seca while there
Sea to Sky highway, from Vancouver to Whistler, west coast Canada
Flume Gorge, Franconia State Park - New Hampshire
Mt Washington - New Hampshire (contingent on research indicating I'm not likely to die on the way up)
Kangamangus Hwy through the White Mountains - New Hampshire
Bar Harbor/Calander Islands - Maine
Cadillac Ranch - Amarillo, TX
Red Rock Canyon - Sedona, NV
Foamhenge, VA
Great Sand Dunes National Park - CO
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park - CO
UFO Watchtowers(?) - CO
"The Snake" US421 - NC, TN, KY, VA
"The Dragon" US129 - TN, NC
The Outer Banks of North Carolina
Nantahala National Forest - NC
Mud Pots - Niland, CA
The Cascades - BC, WA, OR, CA
Going-to-the-Sun Road - Montana
Beartooth Highway - Montana
Try to swing through northern Wisconsin, Wabeno to be specific, around the first or second weekend in June to catch the Ride 4 Research dual sport ride put on by the Wisconsin Dual Sport riders. Fantastic trail, copious amounts of delicious food and wonderful people abound. You would be hard pressed to find a better time on 2 wheels.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Park_to_Park_Highway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_National_Forest
Route 100 - VT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlsbad_Caverns_National_Park
Michigan Upper Peninsula
Valle Vidal - NM
Alpine Loop - CO
Arches/Canyonlands National Parks - Moab, UT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbres_and_Toltec_Scenic_Railroad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Battlefield
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_Fire_State_Park
Ride from Prescott, AZ to Crown King, AZ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ridge_Parkway
Crater Lake, Oregon (free cabin location: https://maps.google.ca/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=43.226479,-121.795115&spn=0.003061,0.004823&t=h&z=18)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizard_Island
Cape Perpetua, Oregon
Martin's Ferry Road (169) and Bald Hills Road. I rode these in 2004 also on a KLR. The west half of Bald Hills is paved and climbs quite high above the red woods, the east half is gravel and winds back down into sasquatch territory. Martin's Ferry Road is single lane (freshly paved, at the time) winding along the Klamath River with virtually no traffic. It's a dead end though at the creepy little community of Johnsons, meaning you'll have to go all the way back, which is a good thing. (https://maps.google.ca/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=41.216306,-123.764849&spn=0.050554,0.077162&z=14)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_Landing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly_Geyser
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Bear_Dunes
http://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/g9har/hey_rtravel_im_motorcycling_across_the_us_on_a/c1m59a2
Galco's Soda Pop Stop - Los Angeles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devils_Tower_National_Monument
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_National_and_State_Historical_Parks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Flattery
http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/Hiking-Havasu-Falls-Grand.html?id=11115
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tombstone,_Arizona
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallowa_Lake
The Hwy from Asotin Washington to Enterprise Oregon (Hwy 3) is a great ride.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goblin_Valley_State_Park
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tioga_Pass
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_National_Park_(U.S.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icefields_Parkway
Cascades National forest has great camping.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming_Highway_296
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_Valley
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_National_Park
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Lemmon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Rafael_Swell
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Powell

THE SMALL LIST OF SHIT TO AVOID
Kansas




Last year I backpacked SE Asia for 7 months, so I'm pretty well versed on the art of traveling. I don't expect to see everything and I certainly won't kill myself trying to, but I'll pick and choose what's worth seeing depending on the variables at the time. Buzzard, you're absolutely right about going with the flow - if there's one thing I learned while backpacking, it's that sticking with a hard itinerary is self-defeating on a number of levels. It can be tricky to balance flexibility with trying to see as much as possible at first, but you eventually find your groove and it becomes much easier. I expect this trip to be no different.... but wow! There are a TON of beautiful things to see in the US! I've been around the US once before as a kid, but other than that two week trip (which I barely remember), I haven't seen anything of the US outside of the southeast. I'm really looking forward to this trip now...

As for the suggestion to go clockwise - that's definitely the better way to go. I lived in Kuwait and Iraq for a year each, and if I can help it, I never want to experience that kind of heat (especially without air conditioning) again...

Thanks again!

141/dolores canyon colo. is a must do!

also make sure you take the smalled paved road to the bottom of the black canyon of the gunnison. one of the steepest roads in the state & one of the coolest one most do not know about.

is the lost coast/shelter cover/matole road on there?

Hey, Blah Monster, I would add my vote for doing this clockwise, going west across the south before it gets too hot, and east through the north after it has had a chance to warm up and dry out.

I'm not going to add anything to your list, because your plate already looks too full to finish at a single sit. My advice? Keep it loose enough to improvise comfortably, and bear in mind you can always fit another trip or two into your life for all the things you miss on this one.

Happy trails.

MP

I have to agree... Plan a route and the things you must see... if you have time then you can explore a little more. I would try to make a base camp for two or three days in a geographical area and then do day trips to sightsee.

When you check out carhendge give me a shout... I live in Western Nebraska.

I had some time and organized the Big Bucket list by state. I'd bet this entire list would take 4 months to complete...if'n you plan on really seeing the sites.

The Big Bucket List of Places to see

AZ-Grand Canyon
AZ-Route 66
AZ-Barringer Crater, east of Flagstaff, AZ
AZ- Tuson, – Mount Lemmon in Santa Catalina Mountains
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Lemmon
AZ-Grand Canyon National Park
AZ-Mesa Verde National Park
AZ-Ride from Prescott, AZ to Crown King, AZ
AZ-Grand Canyon
http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-....html?id=11115
AZ- Hwy 180 from Grand Canyon to Flagstaff
AZ-Tombstone, Arizona
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tombstone,_Arizona

NV-Fly Geyser, Nevada
NV-Death Valley National Park
NV-Rhyolite Ghost Town
NV-Red Rock Canyon - Sedona, NV
NV-Valley of Fire State Park (50 miles North of Las Vegas)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_Fire_State_Park
NV-Fly Geyser
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly_Geyser
NV-Hoover Dam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam
NV-Hover Dam – new bridge across the Colorado River

CA-17 Mile Drive - Pebble Beach, CA
CA-Sea to Sky highway, from Vancouver to Whistler, west coast Canada
CA-Salton Sea/Slab City/Salvation Mountain – Calpatria, CA
CA-Cloud's Rest, Yosimite, CA
CA-Redwood National Park
CA-Niagra Falls, Canada
CA-Mud Pots - Niland, CA
CA-Yosemite National Park
CA-General Grant National Park (now part of Kings Canyon)
CA-Sequoia National Park
CA-Galco's Soda Pop Stop - Los Angeles
CA-Sierra Nevada Mountains
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tioga_Pass
CA-Highway 1 from around San Luis Opismo to Morrow Bay.
CA-Hearst's Castle
CA-Yosemite NP
CA-Alabama Hills (remote but worth it)
CA-Death Valley
CA-Joshua Tree NP
CA-Mojave National Preserve (nothing there but worth seeing, needs spare gas)

NM-Lincoln National Forest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_National_Forest
NM-Carlsbad Caverns National Park
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlsba..._National_Park
NM-Chama, New Mexico (vast elk population in remote areas)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbres...cenic_Railroad
NM-Area 51
NM-Valle Vadal (Carson National Forest) 1 of largest population of Elk in USA.
NM-Royal Gorge bridge (amazing)
NM-Whitesands Missile Range

SD-Outhouse museum - Gregory, SD
SD-Badlands National Park
SD-Black Hills
SD-Mount Rushmore

CO-Alpine Loop – CO
CO-Telluride
CO-Estes Park (animals everywhere)
CO-Rocky Mountain National Park
CO-Glenwood Springs, Garden of the Gods, Flatiron, Gunnison, Steamboat Springs
CO-Great Sand Dunes National Park - CO
CO-Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park(go to bottom on narrow paved road)
CO-UFO Watchtowers

GA-Stone Mountain
GA-City of Savannah (Riverwalk Street, at night)
GA-Tybee Island
GA-Cumberland Island (have to take a boat to see horses)

NH-Flume Gorge, Franconia State Park - New Hampshire
NH-Mt Washington - New Hampshire
NH-Kangamangus Hwy through the White Mountains

NC-Blue Ridge Parkway (NC and TN)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ridge_Parkway
NC-"The Dragon/Deals Gap" US129 – (TN, NC)
NC-The Outer Banks of North Carolina
NC-Nantahala National Forest - NC

MT-Beartooth Highway – Montana
MT-Glacier National Park (Going to the Sun Hwy)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_National_Park_(U.S.)
MT-Upper Missouri Breaks (Hard to get to, dirt)
MT-Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuse
MT-Lemhi Pass (MT and Idaho)
MT-Bannock (western ghost town)

ID-Gibbons Pass (ID and Montana)
ID-Hwy 12 (east and west)
ID-Lolo Motoring Highway (122 miles off-road – very off-road)
ID-North Fork, North Fork of the Salmon Road (dirt) to the dead end (34 miles)
ID-Hells Canyon NRA
NW-The Cascades - BC, WA, OR, CA

OR-Crater Lake, Oregon
https://maps.google.ca/maps?ie=UTF8&...04823&t=h&z=18)
Wizard Island
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizard_Island
OR-Lake Chasm, OR
OR-Tillamook derigibal hanger on the Pacific
OR-Painted Hills – Mitchell, OR
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palouse_Falls
OR-John Day River/Deschutes River, Painted Hills
OR-Crater Lake National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park
OR-Joseph, Oregon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallowa_Lake
OR-Cape Perpetua, Oregon
OR-Six Rivers National Forest - Martin's Ferry Road (169) and Bald Hills Road.
(https://maps.google.ca/maps?ie=UTF8&...C0.077162&z=14)
OR-Fort Clatsop (Astoria, Oregon)

WA/OR-Lewis and Clark State Park on the Columbia River
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_a...storical_Parks
WA-The Hwy from Asotin Washington to Enterprise Oregon (Hwy 3) is a great ride.
WA-Mount Rainier National Park
WA-Mount Saint Helen
WA/OR-Columbia River Gorge
WA- Cape Disappointment and Lighthouse

UT-Arches/Canyonlands National Parks – Moab
UT-Cisco (ghost town) Hwy 128 –my favorite short road in the USA. (20 miles)
UT-Utah –Goblin Valley State Park
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goblin_Valley_State_Park
UT-San Rafaell Swell (unique curvey road)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Rafael_Swell
UT-Between Arizona and Utah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Powell
UT-Bryce Canyon (needs full day and hiking)
UT-Capital Reef National Park (big)
UT-Capital Reef to Hanksville, UT (via Hwy 24)
UT-Monokey Switchback (on way to Monument Valley)
UT-Monument Valley (UT and AZ)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_Valley
UT-Canyons of the Escalante - UT
UT-Zion National Park (needs 2 days to hike)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_Landing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_National_Park
UT-Kodachrome Basin State Park

WY-Grand Tetons National Park (top 10)
WY-Yellowstone
WY-Jackson Hole
WY-Pinedale and Afton, WY (towards Jackson, WY)
WY-Chief Joseph Scenic Highway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming_Highway_296
WY-Devils Tower
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devils_...ional_Monument

TX-Big Bend NP
NE-Carhenge - Alliance, NE
NE-North Platte (worlds largest train yard)
VT-Route 100
KS- Cawker City - Largest, heaviest ball of sisal twine IN THE WORLD -
MA-Bar Harbor/Calander Islands, Maine
MI-Michigan Upper Peninsula
PA-Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Battlefield
MI-Sleeping Bear Dunes – near lake Michigan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Bear_Dunes
VA-Foamhenge, VA
Washington DC – Smithsonian Natural History Museum & Aerospace Museum
AK- the state

Canada –Vancover Island
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Flattery
Canada- Icefields Parkway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icefields_Parkway
Canada - Waterton National Park and Hotel
Canada - Jasper, Alberta
Canada – Lake Louise

Disclaimer: I've been to most of the above and some of these I would not put a high priority on...just a judgement call. Like, I wouldn't ride a 1,000 miles to see a "ball of twine".

Planning on doing the exact same thing on my 2004 KLR from Orlando, so thanks for starting the thread man. Who knows, maybe I'll see ya out there. Cheers!

Thanks for throwing up the lists!! I plan on a slower trip but this helps organize the must see's. If you see a sticker on the back of a trailer, wave, (if my bikes not back there its not my trailer! ) I plan on using trailer as base camp and then riding KLR Everywhere!! Your posts are appreciated!

If you make it to Virginia you may want to check out Burkes Garden and Hwy 16 S. between Frog Level and Hungry Mother State park.

...or June... or July for that matter. However, if you stick to the high country, even Arizona can be somewhat pleasant during the summer months.

I'll second the vote for the AZ Prescott to Crown King ride down Senator. I did this ride just last week. It's only 42 miles but it took me 2 hours as it's pretty rough in places. PM me when you get close and I'll join you if you'd like... in fact, there's quite a few of us 'round these parts that would probably meet up with you. Weekdays are better for avoiding all the traffic - quads and their accompanying clouds of dust.

Your welcome to throw out your tent here in Joplin, MO.

Not that I expect to see ya since I can spit on your shit list from here!

Always have a cold one in the fridge and it'll give you a chance to leave your mark on Route 66................Louie

Should be on the endless list

that's one hell of a list.
in UT i think you meant to say Moki Dugway.
Givi has the Monokey.

Did a big trip like this a few years back on summer break from school as well. Actually writing out my RR now. Wish I would have known about ADV to help me plan! Will be referring back to this when I do it again!

I havent followed all of this thread, but I took a route out west from MD last summer and I could probably give you some good route/camping tips. Send me a PM if you want to know more.

For what it's worth, I'd skip Tombstone. I spent half a day there a couple summers ago. It's a tourist cliche.

I went to the re-enactment of the OK Corral. It was a joke. There was a very cool photo exhibit in the OK Corral museum documenting Native American and early settler life.

Lots of cool stuff to see out there, but the the of Tombstone really isn't one of them. Maybe just ride through to see.

Jamie

Hey I'm at halls crossing (lake Powell) Ut if u need help or supplies . Let me know.

I see that there are two folks going that way this summer as well. I am planning on heading to the SW in late May, so depending on where you stop and visit it might work out to link up at some point.

I don't know what you are thinking, but here is my thread. I have some places to stay planned out through the tent list, but I am flexible. Maybe something would work out.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=869575