Western Highlights Grand Tour: Grand Canyon to Napa & the PCH

This is the long version. Fourteen nights, around 2,320 miles, and a single loop out of Los Angeles that collects very nearly everything the American West is famous for, from the Grand Canyon to Napa Valley by way of Death Valley and the Pacific Coast Highway.

The first week heads east and north through the desert. Palm Springs, Joshua Tree and a stretch of Route 66 lead to Kingman, then Williams for the Grand Canyon, Page for Lake Powell, and the Vermillion Cliffs on the way to Zion. Las Vegas arrives as a break in the landscape before the route turns west again and crosses Death Valley towards Lone Pine.

The second week is a different trip altogether. Highway 395 and Tioga Pass climb into Yosemite, then the road runs north into the Sonoma and Napa wine country before reaching San Francisco and the Golden Gate. From there it is the coast all the way home: Skyline Boulevard, Monterey, Carmel, Hearst Castle, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, then Santa Barbara and Malibu into Los Angeles.

EAGLERIDER supplies the motorcycle and books all fourteen nights, with Harley-Davidson touring models and Triumph and BMW sport machines available. Fuel, meals and insurance are arranged separately. Days range from 85 to 265 miles, and the route is planned so the big distances fall where the riding rewards them. For anyone with a fortnight and one shot at the American West, this is the itinerary that does not force a choice between the desert and the coast.