DAY 1 Welcome to Seattle.
Take a deep breath of northern air as you step outside the airport terminal and transfer to your downtown Seattle hotel. In the distance, your first sight of Seattle’s famous Space Needle. You’ll have time to grab a bite to eat and have a drink. Get a good night’s rest because tomorrow you begin the first part of an exciting journey.
If you’re getting in a day or two early, we suggest you rent a car or pick up your motorcycle in advance and pay a visit to Neah Bay, the northernmost town on the US West Coast or take a ferry to Vancouver Island and explore the beautiful island. You might even want to make it a little round trip, take the ferry across the coastal waters of British Columbia to Vancouver; from here its 140 miles back to Seattle. Or spend time and overnight in downtown Seattle and explore Seattle’s unique cultural heritage...
DAY 2 Seattle – Omak 245 miles, 5 hrs
And you’re off. If you see any crop sprayers we’ll be surprised, but if you do make sure you hide – just ask Cary Grant. You’ll take the interstate to Everett to clear the suburbs, and then backroads to the Skagit River and east into Cascades National Park. The ride is a taste of things to come as sweeping empty roads take you through beautiful unspoilt mountain scenery
Day 3 Omak – Bonners Ferry 265 miles, 5 hrs
More stress free riding in fresh mountain air today. Sticking to Highway 20, you reach Kettle Falls, then follow the Pend Oreille, cross into Idaho and pick up Highway 2 to Bonners Ferry and our riverfront hotel.
Day 4 Bonners Ferry – Browning 265 miles, 5 hrs
This morning is an amazing ride on backroads through the Kootenay National Forest to Eureka on the Canadian Border. Then it is on to Flathead Lake before you take the spectacular ‘Going to the Sun’ road through Glacier National Park, cross the Continental Divide and drop down into Browning, main town for the Blackfoot tribe and the Museum for Plains Indians.
Day 5 Browning – Livingstone 320 miles, 5 hrs
It’s a long distance today, but the roads are open, there’s little traffic and few towns or cities, so you can really crack on. Your main stop is in Great Falls, to see these impressive falls, and also to visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.
Day 6 Livingstone – Yellowstone 240 miles, 4.5 hrs
It’s a bit of a WOW! day today as you ride one of the most famous passes in America, Beartooth, and get to see one of the wonders of the natural World, the Yellowstone super-volcano. There’s plenty of great riding in between, and the views continue to inspire you. You’ll stay in the park.
Day 7 Yellowstone free day
So much to see and do – words can’t describe the beauty of Yellowstone, you just have to see and smell it!
Day 8 Yellowstone – Jackson 125 miles, 2.5 hrs
It’s a short ride today, but there is no way we could leave the Rockies without enjoying the beautiful Tetons and the ski resort of Jackson, surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery.
Day 9 Jackson – Ketchum 260 miles, 4.5 hrs
This morning you leave the Rockies behind and drop down to the Snake River. If you remember your school geography, you can get to the Gulf of Mexico from here by following the river east to the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. It’s a strange change of scenery as you cross the Snake River Plain to the eerie Craters of the Moon National Monument with its raw volcanic rocks and formations. Your ride then takes you to the ski resort of Ketchum, where Ernest Hemingway committed suicide.
Day 10 Ketchum – Ontario 220 miles, 4 hrs
You take a scenic ride through the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and then a winding descent follows the Payette River back to your old friend the Snake River.
Day 11 Ontario – Prineville 270 miles, 5 hrs
This morning you take Highway 20 West through the river-scoured Malheure Gorge and across eastern Oregon’s high desert (yes, really). You can then take the shorter route along the winding Crooked River Highway to your stop in the small town of Prineville; or visit the amazing colours of the Painted Hills, one of Oregon’s ‘Seven Natural Wonders’..
Day 12 Prineville – Kelso 230 miles, 5 hrs
You head north through the Warm Springs Reservation to Mount Hood, at 3426 m one of the three major peaks in the Cascade Mountains. You then drop down to the Hood River and then you’re heading for Mt St Helens, the most active volcano in North America, before following the Lewis River to your hotel. Mt St Helens is less than 4000 years old – much of it is younger than the Great Pyramids of Egypt – and erupted continuously for over three years starting in 2004.
Day 13 Kelso – Mt St Helens - Mt Rainier 215 miles, 4.5 hrs
You end your tour in true style today. You ride into Mt St Helens NP to get a good look at this live volcano from the Johnson Ridge Observatory. Quite amazing. Then you retrace your tracks through the park and head for Mt Rainier. Also a volcano, this is the most glaciated mountain below the Canadian border, almost a perfect dome, and a healthy 4392 m high. Your last night is spent in the park. A truly memorable end to your very own wilderness adventure.
Day 14 Mt Rainier – Seattle 110 miles, 2.5 hrs
A short ride on country roads brings you to the Seattle suburbs, where you’ll return your trusty Harley-Davidson to Eastside, and head for the airport and your flights home. Or why not spend a day or two in downtown Seattle, to unwind and cement those amazing memories?
It’s time to return to reality. You’ll be returning home with a completely new understanding of America after these two weeks of riding in the wilderness.
