Rocky Mountain High! Self Guided Motorcycle Tour

Welcome to the USA and Denver, Colorado known as the “Mile High” city. Starting point for your motorcycle adventure through the beautiful and intriguing Rocky Mountains! Retrieve your luggage and head to the southern end of the main terminal to catch the light rail train. Ride from the airport to downtown Denver’s historic central station. Your arrival hotel is a reasonably brief walk from the train station through the heart of downtown Denver. Get checked in, drop your bags in your room and then enjoy all the restaurants, brewpubs and shopping this vibrant city center has to offer. Explore downtown Denver’s LoDo and 16th street pedestrian mall, Colorado has the distinction of having more microbrewers and brewpubs than any state in the USA. After a long trip to Denver be sure to get a good night’s rest, tomorrow your Rocky Mountain escapade begins!

Make your way to the bike pickup location and sign out your motorcycle. Now it’s time to get on the road and start the adventure! You’ll be going west out of the Denver metro area and into the adjacent foothills and mountains. Ride by Red Rocks state park, up Bear Creek Canyon to Evergreen and then North on the Peaks-to-Peaks highway through historic mining districts of Blackhawk, Central City and into Nederland for lunch. After lunch it’s a twisty, beautiful ride into Estes Park, gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. Time and weather permitting you can ride into the park and up Trail Ridge Road pass. (However, we don’t recommend going all the way to the top as you won’t have had enough time to get used to the altitude.) Enjoy a great dinner and well-earned overnight stop.

This morning, get yourself a hearty breakfast and then descend down through the canyons and back onto the great plains. You’ll ride along through the foothills and onto the rolling plains and pass into Wyoming. Journey through the expansive and desolate plains to your lunch stop at the Virginian Hotel in Medicine Bow. This is an historic stop along the old Union Pacific transcontinental railway, Oregon Trail and Lincoln Highway. Be sure to take some time to go across the street and check out the Union Pacific Train Station museum. Keep an eye out for the plaque celebrating George A. Wyman’s transcontinental motorbike ride in 1903! Then it’s back on the road and to the hotel in Casper for the evening.

You’ll continue your ride this morning over the emerald green hills and valleys of Wyoming; through the Butch Cassidy & the Sundance kid’s “Hole in the wall” gang’s former territory. Be careful and keep watch out for the numerous Pronghorn antelope along the way, they’re everywhere! Ride along the Bighorn river through beautiful Teeter Canyon to the lunch stop in the natural hot springs town of Thermopolis. After lunch continue through beautiful scenery to your overnight at Buffalo Bill’s historic Irma Hotel in Cody. Belly up to the historic bar for a drink, sit on the patio in this Historic old west hotel and watch the world go by. Have a great dinner at one of the many downtown restaurants and have a good night’s rest.

Today you’ll head east through the valley’s ranches and farmlands and ride up into Bighorn National Forest through valleys and mountains, jutting up from the surrounding plains. Stop in Dayton for a brief lunch and then ride northeast into Montana’s “Big Sky Country” and the small town of Crow Agency. Take some time to visit the infamous Little Big Horn battlefield memorial, where General George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Calvary met their end with the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, otherwise known as “Custer’s Last Stand”. After learning all about one of the most famous battles in Western history, head Northwest toward Billings and your hotel for the evening.

It’s a fantastic scenic ride today as you depart Montana and head back into Wyoming by way of an awesome ride over Beartooth highway. This is considered one of the top ten motorcycling rides in North America. It takes you over the fantastic scenery of an alpine pass into one of the USA’s most famous National Parks, Yellowstone! While riding through the northern section of the park, be sure to stop along the way at its scenic overlooks, natural Geysers and hot springs. Keep in mind you’re riding through one of only a few super-volcanos in the world today. But don’t worry, it only erupts about every 600,000 years! Finally make your way through the park to the hotel for two nights in West Yellowstone, where you can get a nice dinner and a good night’s rest.

This is your opportunity to explore Yellowstone National park at leisure. Ride around to the various natural hot springs, geysers and thermal pools throughout the park or head over to the main lodge and the “Old Faithful” geyser. Keep an eye out for the parks’ wildlife including buffalo, deer, elk, antelope, wolves, and much more! Don’t miss stopping off at Yellowstone falls, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Whatever you decide to do, have a fabulous day in one of the crown jewels of America’s National Park system.

It’s a short riding day today - leaving Yellowstone park behind you, take your time riding south and enjoy the scenery. Soon you’ll arrive at Grand Tetons National Park, where you’ll have time for lunch at the Teton Village, maybe take an optional gondola tram to the top of the ski area for a fantastic view of the stunningly beautiful Teton range. Then it’s down the mountain, back on your motorcycle to ride into the scenic and eclectic town of Jackson. Enjoy walking around Jackson town square this evening, with its variety of restaurants, nightlife and shops. Just don’t over-do it tonight, you’ve got more riding to do tomorrow!

This morning’s route takes you through Wyoming, Idaho and Utah’s small farming towns and valleys and along their borders. It’s a meandering ride flanked by mountains and bluffs all around. Zig-zagging through three states you’ll enjoy a pleasant ride alongside rivers and over rolling hills to the ski town of Park City, Utah, host to the 2002 Winter Olympics, and your stopover for the night.

Head west this morning to Provo over the Wasatch mountains, then turn south onto US highway 6. Ride along the Price river’s rambling path through the canyons and over the desert mountains to a lunch stop in the town of Price. After lunch, continue south into the barren desert mesas and mountains to the east. Take a rest break in Green River, and then continue toward Moab. Make your way through the red sandstone canyon, and into town to the hotel. Enjoy dinner and a microbrew at one of Moab’s restaurants, then finally a well-earned rest.

This is your day to choose what you do! You can pre-book any one of the following adventures:
1. Hot air balloon sunrise adventure
2. White water rafting (several to choose from)
3. Horseback riding
4. Hummer Safari
If none of these activities are appealing, you can always take your motorcycle into Arches National Park, Dead Horse State Park or Canyonlands National Park to visit their spectacular rock formations and colors, and stunning vistas.

Start your morning by riding through the canyon and alongside the Colorado river, then onto Interstate 70 and back to Colorado. Be sure to take a short detour through the spectacular Colorado National Monument and it’s wonderfully scenic, twisty road. Then head into downtown Grand Junction for lunch. Afterward head east and ride into the western-slope mesas following the meandering flow of the Colorado River, twisting and turning through the valleys and canyons. Before long you’ll arrive at the unique town of Glenwood springs. There’s also an optional ride through Glenwood Canyon on one of the world’s engineering marvels, east of town. This elevated highway makes its way through the narrow Glenwood Canyon, above the Colorado river. Or if you prefer, stay at the hotel and go visit the nearby natural hot springs for a relaxing soak before dinner.

The final day of your journey takes you through the heart of the Colorado Rockies and through the famous ski town of Vail. Then (weather permitting) it’s up to the top of Mount Evans, the highest paved road in North America. It’s considered to have one of the most spectacular views in the USA. From there it’s a breathtaking view of the entire front range, and the peaks and valleys surrounding us. On a clear enough day it’s even possible to see the state of Kansas off to the east over the great plains. Finally, make your way down into Denver, turn in your motorcycle and head to the hotel. Tonight’s your last chance to enjoy all downtown Denver has to offer. Have a celebratory dinner and drink, you’ve earned it!

Before you head off to the airport and the flight back home, there’s time for some last-minute shopping and relaxing. Denver’s 16th St Mall, just a short walk from the hotel, is a must!