Distance: 0 mi / km

Start your wild west journey by meeting your fellow riders and tour leaders at an official orientation meeting, where you’ll cover topics like safe group riding practices, weather and time management. Afterwards you’ll have time to explore LA’s famous nightlife, or get a good night’s sleep in eager anticipation of your first day’s riding.

Distance: 190 mi / 304 km

After a welcome breakfast you’ll be transferred to EagleRider Los Angeles to pick up your bike. First you’ll ride south and west down the winding mountain road to Lake Elsinore. Then, after lunch, you’ll wind your way up more mountain roads to the San Bernardino National Forest, skirting the slopes of San Jacinto Mountain. The descent into Palm Springs at the end of the day is truly spectacular and sets you up perfectly for exploring the sights of this desert oasis town, a long-favoured retreat for stars of stage and screen.

Distance: 232 mi / 371 km

Today you’ll start with a loop through Joshua Tree National Park, know for its bizarre desert trees and fantastical rock formations. Then descend into Twenty-Nine Palms and drop into the vastness of the Mojave Desert. From here the trip takes on legendary appeal as you join and ride a section of Route 66, crossing wild open desert en route to Laughlin in Nevada.

Distance: 245 mi / 392 km

Continue your ride on Route 66 into Arizona, stopping at Oatman then Kingman, which is considered the heart of the historic route as it’s situated in the middle of the longest remaining stretch of the old Mother Road. From Kingman ride to Seligman along another old stretch of this iconic beatnik route. Then, after a lunch stop in Seligman, open up the throttle and set your sights firmly on the epic Grand Canyon.

Distance: 170 mi / 272 km

Start your day with a helicopter tour flying over and through the mighty Grand Canyon, then cruise on your bike along the scenic South Rim before leaving the national park at the east entrance. From here you enter Navajo country as you head towards Monument Valley. This is classic wild west scenery, with stark sandstone buttes and forbidding rock pinnacles poking straight up from an endless expanse of drifting red sand. Only when you arrive at Monument Valley will you realise how much your perception of the West has in fact been shaped by this one spot. Such scenery does exist elsewhere, of course, but nowhere else is it so perfectly distilled. This evening there’s an option to descend into the valley itself and hear stories told by the Navajo guides.

Distance: 340 mi / 544 km

Start with a ride up to sleepy Mexican Hat, a briefly frenzied gold-mining camp that takes its name from a sandstone hoodoo that looks like a sombrero. Ride on past the Valley of the Gods, where much of the movie Thelma and Louise was filmed, and cross the Colorado River where it pours into Lake Powell. This astonishing lake has 1,960 miles of shoreline, which is more than the entire Pacific coast, as well as 96 water-filled side canyons. From here you’ll ride along the southern tip of Capitol Reef National Park, across aspen-covered peaks, past the buff-coloured sandstone of the Devil’s Backbone, through the Escalante Wilderness, and finally into Bryce Canyon, a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheatres that the elements have sculpted into otherworldly shapes. This is truly a day’s riding that you’ll never forget.

Distance: 250 mi / 400 km

Explore amazing Bryce Canyon before continuing to Zion National Park, whose spectacular rock formations, rugged canyons and huge sandstone monoliths provide a breathtaking backdrop for riding. From Zion it’s only a short ride to the good-time town of Las Vegas. Clients ending their trip in Vegas will have a farewell dinner this evening.

Distance: 0 mi / km

Today is for relaxing, gambling, sightseeing or anything else you can find in Vegas. Just keep in mind you’ll have an early start tomorrow. You don’t want to be riding through Death Valley on a hangover!

Distance: 315 mi / 504 km

From Vegas head west across Death Valley, one of the hottest places on earth. It’s almost entirely devoid of shade and its sculpted rock layers form shadowed, eroded crevices at the foot of silhouetted hills, their exotic mineral content turning ancient mudflats into rainbows of sunlit iridescence. After a series of mountain curves, you’ll arrive below sea level and find yourself right in the basin of Death Valley. From here you’ll continue west, riding amazing roads that wind up and out of the valley and into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Today you’ll ride from the lowest point in the United States, 282 feet below sea level, to the ski town of Mammoth Lakes at over 7,000 feet. What a day!

Distance: 150 mi / 240 km

Continue north from Mammoth Lakes and take the infamous Tioga Pass to cross Yosemite National Park. As you ride through the winding granite canyons, muscle-flexing turns are rampant for the first several miles and the road demands attention. The mother of all national parks, Yosemite conjures thousands of images and raises expectations to dizzying heights. The good news? It’s every bit as beautiful, wild, tame, rich and sublime as you expect it to be.

Distance: 200 mi / 320 km

Leaving Yosemite, descend through California Gold Rush country, passing small mining towns such as Groveland before riding the winding roads of Old Priest Grade. From here it’s on to the coastal regions of Marin County, an unabashed introduction to Californian self-indulgence. Often ranked the wealthiest county in the US, Marin is a pleasure dome of conspicuous luxury and natural beauty, with sunshine, sandy beaches, high mountains and thick redwood forests. Before long you’ll catch your first glimpse of the City by the Bay, before riding across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco.

Distance: 0 mi / km

Today is free for you to explore San Francisco, a funky, bohemian and influential city unlike any other in the US. Feel free to take a city tour, grab a ride on a cable car, or stroll around North Beach, Chinatown or Union Square. Whatever your pleasure, be sure to soak up the culture, art, architecture and views that make up this amazing city.

Distance: 118 mi / 189 km

Today you start one of the best motorcycle rides in the world, a journey down the legendary Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1), which literally clings to America’s western edge. For the next couple of days, the coastline is simply spectacular and there are plenty of opportunities for great photo stops. The sweeping Pacific vistas start almost immediately as you ride to Monterey, a smart seaside town home to the world-famous Laguna Seca Automobile and Motorcycle Racetrack.

Distance: 152 mi / 243 km

Continue down Highway 1 along the fabled Big Sur coast, 90 wild and undeveloped miles of sublime seascape. You’ll cross bridges situated on gorges high above the raging Pacific surf, see artichoke fields perched precariously on rocky cliffs, stop just north of San Simeone to spot elephant seals basking in the California sunshine, and finally arrive at Pismo Beach. Truly a great day’s riding.

Distance: 225 mi / 360 km

Complete your wild west circuit by riding south to Los Angeles, the glorious Pacific Ocean to your right and stunning coastal mountains to your left. After a stop for coffee, you’ll cruise through Santa Barbara and Malibu on your way to Santa Monica, LA’s oldest and biggest resort. From here you’ll ride over to Hawthorne, where EagleRider’s headquarters are located. It’s then time to return your motorcycles and transfer back to your LA hotel to get ready for your farewell dinner and a chance to reflect on this journey of a lifetime.

Distance: 0 mi / km

The tour with EagleRider ends today but let us know if you’d like us to arrange any additional nights for you in LA or elsewhere in California. A stay at a luxury hotel is a wonderful way to unwind after so many days in the saddle. Perhaps you’d like to complete the coastal drive down to trendy San Diego for a few magnificent days spent relaxing by the beach?