Las Vegas to LA via Death Valley, Yosemite & Big Sur

From the neon of Las Vegas to the Pacific at Santa Monica, this self-guided ride takes the long and far more interesting way round. Eight nights, around 1,175 miles, and a route that crosses Death Valley, climbs into Yosemite, pauses in San Francisco and finishes along the cliffs of Big Sur.

The contrast is the point. Day two drops through Death Valley’s salt flats and heat before climbing to Mammoth Lakes in the high Sierra, a swing of several thousand feet and a complete change of air. Tioga Pass then carries the route over the mountains and down into Yosemite Valley, which is one of the great motorcycle approaches anywhere.

San Francisco gets two nights and a free day, time enough to leave the bike parked and wander. After that the route picks up Highway 1 and stays with it: Monterey, the Big Sur coast past Esalen, Pismo Beach, then Santa Barbara, Malibu and Venice Beach on the run into Los Angeles. It is the Pacific Coast Highway in its best section, ridden southbound with the ocean on the right and the pull-offs on the near side of the road.

EAGLERIDER provides the motorcycle, with Harley-Davidson touring models and Yamaha sport machines among the options, and books the hotels for every night. Fuel, meals and insurance are handled separately. Riding days range from a short 105 miles to a full 365, so there is room to push on or take the morning slowly. For a first trip to California on two wheels, few routes cover more ground worth covering, and none of it doubles back on itself.