Route 66 Self Guided Motorcycle Tour - Los Angeles to Albuquerque

Route 66 ridden the wrong way round, which is not a criticism. This nine-day run from Los Angeles to Albuquerque covers the scenic western half of the Mother Road eastbound, eight nights and around 1,300 miles, finishing in New Mexico rather than California.

It starts at the Santa Monica Pier and climbs almost immediately onto the Angeles Crest Highway, a sequence of mountain curves above the city that is one of the best roads in southern California, before dropping to Victorville and crossing the Mojave to Laughlin. Day four is where the old road proper takes over, through the switchbacks into Oatman, where wild burros still wander the main street, then Hackberry and Seligman.

Arizona holds the highlights. The Grand Canyon is reached from Williams and Flagstaff with the Desert View Watchtower on the rim, then the longest day of the trip at 296 miles runs east through Winslow, the Wigwam Motel at Holbrook, where the rooms are concrete teepees, and the Petrified Forest. Santa Fe follows, and the final morning takes the old mining road through Madrid into Albuquerque.

EAGLERIDER supplies the bike in Los Angeles and collects it in Albuquerque, with Harley-Davidson touring models alongside Triumph and BMW sport machines, and books all eight nights. Fuel, meals and insurance are arranged separately. Riding eastbound means the scenery builds rather than fades, and it pairs neatly with the Albuquerque to Chicago leg for anyone wanting the whole road in two trips. For riders who would rather finish in the high desert than the traffic, this is the better direction.