Desert & Parks Wild West Tour — 10 Days

Tours are scheduled during the spring and fall when the riding weather is perfect in the desert southwest. If you time it right, you may even see the desert floor carpeted with wildflowers in the spring. This is a great tour that includes the best of the American Southwest. You'll experience amazing scenic diversity as we ride from the coast to the mountains, the high desert and the low desert. We'll go from below sea level in Death Valley to nearly 10,000 feet (305 meters) on our way to Bryce Canyon.

In total, you'll have an opportunity to visit five fabulous national parks: Death Valley, Bryce Canyon, Zion, The Grand Canyon, and Joshua Tree. These are each very different scenic geological wonders. Along the way, we'll find at least one man-made wonder — Hoover Dam. (Note that sometimes we do this tour in the reverse direction of the itinerary described below.)

• Maximum group size: six riders

• Eleven nights hotel accommodations, double occupancy
• Ten days Harley rental including mileage and fuel
• Welcome/get-acquainted dinner
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner each tour day
• Departure/farewell dinner on the last day
• Professional guide
• Daily riding itineraries and maps
• Liability and physical damage insurance
• Airport transfers
• Taxes

If you would like to arrive earlier or stay longer, we can assist you with accommodations and travel arrangements.

Day 1, Sunday. San Diego to Crestline/Lake Gregory (190 miles)
We start on our adventure by exploring some of the terrific San Diego County back-roads as we ride through Pauma Valley on our way to lunch in Old Town Temecula. After lunch we'll stop at Diamond Valley Lake and Oak Glen before climbing more than 6000 feet (1800 meters) into the San Bernadino Mountains. After a run along the Rim-of-the-World Highway, we'll end the day in Crestline/Lake Gregory.

Day 2, Monday. Lake Gregory to Death Valley (210 miles)
We'll ride past Silverwood Lake on our way over the Cajon Pass to the high desert. After lunch in an old mining town we'll ride into the beautiful Panamint Valley, then over Emigrant Pass into Death Valley and the natural oasis at Furnace Creek.

Day 3, Tuesday. Death Valley to Las Vegas (140 miles)
We'll ride south through Death Valley to Badwater (elevation 282 feet below sea level), then on to Shoshone and Pahrump before arriving in Las Vegas.

Day 4, Wednesday. Las Vegas to St. George (200 miles)
We'll ride out to Hoover Dam before riding through some of the most scenic and rugged desert terrain near Lake Mead on our way to Mesquite. Maybe we'll have time for a side trip into the Valley of Fire State Park. From here, we'll cross into Utah and the Virgin River Gorge before arriving in St. George.

Day 5, Thursday. St. George
This is a "day-off" and a chance for a little rest and relaxation in St. George. If you want a short ride, visit nearby Snow Canyon for some amazing scenery. If you're up for a longer ride, we'll make a round-trip run to Bryce Canyon National Park.

Day 6, Friday. St. George to Page (190 miles)
After we depart St. George, our first stop will be Zion National Park. Wow, what amazing scenery! From Zion, we'll ride through the Kaibab National Forest on our way to Page, Arizona. Just before reaching Page, we'll stop at the Glen Canyon Dam which forms Lake Powell on the Colorado River.

Day 7, Saturday. Page to Williams (205 miles)
From Page, we'll ride to the historic Navajo Bridge over the Colorado River and the colorful Vermillion Cliffs. From there, it's south to lunch at a Navajo trading post in Cameron. After lunch, we'll head for the south rim of The Grand Canyon. What spectacular views! After a bit of sightseeing and exploring we'll head south to old Route 66 and our day's destination, Williams.

Day 8, Sunday. Williams to Lake Havasu City (210 miles)
We'll spend most of the day on historic Route 66 riding through Seligman, Kingman and Oatman. Along the way we'll drop about 6000 feet (1800 meters) in elevaton. We'll ride over the reconstructed London Bridge on our way to our hotel in Lake Havasu City.

Day 9, Monday. Lake Havasu City to Palm Springs (200 miles)
We ride over Parker Dam before striking out on a 100 mile run across the rugged desert to the military town of Twenty-nine Palms. After lunch, we'll ride the fun (and scenic) roads of Joshua Tree National Park on our way to the resort town of Palm Springs. We should have time for a swim in the pool before dinner.

Day 10, Tuesday. Palm Springs to San Diego (160 miles)
We'll ride the famous Palms-to-Pines highway as we leave the desert and ride across the mountains towards San Diego. We usually have time for a quick descent into the Anza-Borrego desert and a fun ride up Banner Grade before lunch in the historic mining town of Julian. Unfortunately all good things must end, but what a great 10 days of riding!