Los Angeles, CA – Arrival
Distance: 0 mi / km
Welcome to the City of Angels. Kick off your adventure with a ‘meet and greet’ with your fellow riders and EagleRider support team to go over what you can expect from the epic road ahead. Your ride of a lifetime is about to begin.
Los Angeles, CA – Palm Springs, CA
Distance: 180 mi / 288 km
Since this is a proper coast-to-coast tour, start your journey with a leisurely ride along the shores of the Pacific Ocean before heading east on the famous Ortega Highway, a long-standing favourite of California riders. If you like riding the ‘twisties’ then you’ll love the mountain pass that takes you to Palm Springs, an oasis town in the California desert and a much-loved retreat of the Hollywood elite.
Palm Springs, CA – Kingman, AZ
Distance: 240 mi / 384 km
Spend the morning exploring Joshua Tree National Park, home to some incredible canyons and rock formations. Then, after lunch, pick up the legendary Route 66 in Amboy and ride for the ghost town of Oatman, Arizona. Oatman looks almost exactly like it did over 100 years ago when it was a booming mining town and is a ‘must see’ stop along Route 66. End the day in Kingman at one of the Mother Road’s classic and time-warped hotels.
Kingman, AZ – Payson, AZ
Distance: 350 mi / 560 km
Soak up some more miles along Route 66 before turning south towards Chino Valley, the twisty roads into Jerome and the beautiful and magic rock formations surrounding Sedona. After lunch you’ll be treated to a ride through the Tonto National Forest in Central Arizona, where both the roads and scenery are incredible. Many miles are covered today but they’re some of the best miles on the tour.
Payson, AZ – Socorro, NM
Distance: 266 mi / 426 km
The route today features one of the many roads less travelled in the United States, this one snaking its way along mile after mile of breathtaking terrain through the upper desert of western New Mexico. Highlights along the way include stops in Summerville and Pie Town and at Very Large Arry, the most versatile, widely used radio telescope in the world. Riding today it’s very easy to feel like you’re part of the Old West, sitting atop your motorcycle as a cowboy would have straddled his horse in the 1880s, just moving a little faster.
Socorro, NM – El Paso, TX
Distance: 276 mi / 442 km
Today you’ll ride a beguiling mix of wide-open highways, dense forest roads and the last of the route’s twisting mountain roads. Highlights include the Carrizozo Malpais lava flow, Lincoln County Courthouse Museum (where Billy the Kid made one of his infamous escapes), Lincoln National Forest, the beautiful Inn of the Mountain Gods, the heady heights of Cloudcroft, and some of the best mountain scenery in New Mexico. As you come off the 8,668-foot elevation of Cloudcroft you’ll be able to see the vast expanse of White Sands National Park (the newest park in the United States park system) with its landscape of rare white gypsum and sand dunes. The final stretch into El Paso, Texas, passes two different missile testing sites.
El Paso, TX – Lajitas/Big Bend, TX
Distance: 316 mi / 506 km
Today is a long day but it’s easy to eat up the miles with a morning cruising along the interstate. Once you turn off, however, you’ll be back on some of America’s most scenic and enjoyable motorcycling roads, including the famous Texas Rt 170 from Presidio to Lajitas, which hugs the Rio Grande and takes you right to the fringes of Big Bend National Park, one of the least visited and most pristine wilderness areas in North America.
Lajitas/Big Bend, TX – Free day
Distance: 0 mi / km
Today is free for you to explore this incredible national park and the surrounding area. The Big Bend area offers horseback tours, ATV tours, hiking, mountain biking and a host of other outdoor adventures. Or, of course, you can take in the views from your lounger by the pool. It’s completely up to you.
Lajitas/Big Bend, TX – Del Rio, TX
Distance: 283 mi / 453 km
It’s always hard to leave the beauty and serenity of Lajitas, the Rio Grande and Big Bend behind, but it’s time to continue east. Today you’ll skirt the border between the USA and Mexico and cross the massive Amistad Reservoir before landing in Del Rio.
Del Rio, TX – Austin, TX
Distance: 235 mi / 376 km
Today you’ll ride from one extreme to another, from sleepy Del Rio to the modern, hip city of Austin, stopping along the way at the state’s second-largest city, San Antonio, and the site of the famous Alamo. Austin is the capital city of Texas and is brimming with BBQ joints, live music venues, parks, museums and friendly locals. It’s a change of pace for sure, but one heck of a fun city.
Austin, TX – Lake Charles, LA
Distance: 333 mi / 533 km
Today you’ll ride the backroads of Texas to Houston, the largest city in the state. Shortly afterwards you’ll catch your first glimpse of the Gulf of Mexico, which will remain your companion for several more days as you ride towards the Atlantic. Today’s end point, however, is laidback Lake Charles in Louisiana, a fun ‘riverboat gambler’ town with a main strip lined with casinos, restaurants and every type of bar or tavern imaginable.
Lake Charles, LA – New Orleans, LA
Distance: 239 mi / 382 km
The riding this morning will give you a true taste of life in the Bayou: the creeks, swamps and sun-kissed marshes that make Louisiana such a fascinating place to visit. The route takes in classic roads like the Jean Lafitte Scenic Byway and the Wetlands Cultural Trail through Lake Arthur, New Iberia and Houma before finally arriving in historic New Orleans. After a quick stop at the hotel to check in and get cleaned up, head to the famous French Quarter (only one block away) and soak up all that The Big Easy has to offer.
New Orleans, LA – Free day
Distance: 0 mi / km
It’s hard to imagine a more seductive city than New Orleans – a sultry melting pot of French, Spanish, Creole and Southern styles. Take a riverboat ride, catch some live music at one of the city’s famous venues, or go shopping for souvenirs in the lively French Quarter; you’ll find everything there from museum-quality antiques to alligator pate and voodoo paraphernalia.
New Orleans, LA – Pensacola, FL
Distance: 239 mi / 382 km
New Orleans is a hard city to say goodbye to, but more gorgeous Gulf Coast scenery is waiting for you today. You’ll ride through the gulf towns of Pass Christian, Gulfport, Biloxi and Mobile on your way to Pensacola. The deserts of the Southwest and the swamps of Louisiana will seem like a distant dream once you reach the swaying palms and white sandy beaches of the Florida Panhandle.
Pensacola, FL – Perry, FL
Distance: 267 mi / 427 km
Highlights today include Gulf Island National Seashore, Panama City, Mexico Beach, Tate’s Hell State Forest and the insanely beautiful (if hard to pronounce) Apalachicola National Forest. Just be careful when you dismount your bike – you’re in gator country now!
Perry, FL – Daytona Beach, FL
Distance: 197 mi / 315 km
You’ve been hearing it for over 3,000 miles, but the call of the Atlantic is louder than ever today as you finish your colossal coast-to-coast ride at Daytona Beach. You’ll get to visit Bruce Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona, one of the largest Harley-Davidson dealerships in the US, and of course Daytona International Speedway, home to NASCAR’s most famous stock-car race, the Daytona 500. Cap off the day with EagleRider’s legendary farewell celebrations.
Daytona Beach, FL – Orlando, FL
Distance: 65 mi / 104 km
It’s a short ride from the beach to EagleRider’s Orlando office where you’ll return your bikes and say your final farewells. The tour officially ends here but let us know if you’d like us to arrange any additional nights for you in Orlando or elsewhere in Florida. A stay at a luxury hotel is a wonderful way to unwind after so many days in the saddle. You may want to fly the kids out for that longed-for trip to Disney World? Or perhaps you fancy another dream drive? The legendary Overseas Highway is just a short hop away, stretching for 168 glorious miles from Miami’s South Beach across the Florida Keys to fun and funky Key West.
