National Parks Motorcycle Tour

Three of California’s great national parks, with Death Valley at both ends. Eight days out of Las Vegas, seven nights and around 1,105 miles, and a route that crosses the hottest place in North America on the way to some of its biggest trees.

Death Valley comes on day two, which is a bold way to start. The salt flats at Badwater sit below sea level and the road across them is dead straight and hot, then the route climbs out towards Lone Pine with the Sierra Nevada rising ahead. Highway 395 and Tioga Pass follow, which is the finest approach to Yosemite there is.

Yosemite gets most of a day before the route drops to Fresno, then Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks fill the longest ride of the week at 295 miles. The giant sequoias at the heart of them are the largest living things on earth by volume, and the road through the groves is slow for good reason. Ridgecrest follows, then the route re-enters Death Valley at Furnace Creek before returning to Las Vegas.

EAGLERIDER provides the motorcycle and books all seven nights, with Harley-Davidson touring models alongside Triumph and BMW sport machines. Fuel, meals and insurance are separate. Riding days range from 100 to 295 miles, and the short ones fall where the parks need the time. For riders who want the national parks rather than the cities, this is a direct and sensibly sequenced way to reach four of the very best, with Las Vegas at both ends to keep the flights simple.