jwb012761

My wife and I want to ride our motorcycle from Tacoma to Yosemite and then on to NY.
I would devote 16 days to the first leg and 10 for the ride home.
Is that enough time to see the sites from WA so CA?
Any route suggestions?

tomfuller

What month? How comfortable is the back seat of the motorcycle? Maximum miles per day?
My plan would be Tacoma to Medford or Ashland Oregon.
Second day to Sacramento with a little sightseeing in the Mt. Shasta area.
Third day Sacramento to Yosemite. Get reservations ASAP.
If summertime, leave Yosemite over Tioga Pass and head for Death Valley. Death Valley to Las Vegas. Las Vegas to South Rim Grand Canyon with a stop at Hoover Dam on the way.
Grand Canyon to Albuquerque (route 66).
Do you mean New York City or New York State (big difference)?
You might want to stash the motorcycle someplace in the west and fly to someplace in New York state (Buffalo?) and see Niagara Falls.

jwb012761

We are upstate NY. Goal is to ride all the states. We will fly to Tacoma or Seattle in July 4 and hopefully be back in NY by Aug .
Typically we ride +/- 250 miles a day. really depends on what we find, who we talk to along the way, that points to a destination. I try to avoid highways and cities, and stay on small roads . We have ridden the northern states and the southern. The way home will be through the middle.
I have been told about Ashland and its on the list. Thanks

Michael

For this road trip I would go from Tacoma

down to Eugene, and from there go into the Cascades

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/4230598478

to Crater Lake

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/4229849083

to Klamath Falls and then south toward Mt. Shasta

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/4854873315

to Lassen National Park

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/4855492844

To Quincy and then south to CA49 that you can take along the Sierra foothills to Yosemite.

janisj

Michael's route is good - I'm in Northern California and years ago my ex and I rode most of that (well all of the CA bit and most of the OR parts) heading out most weekends. I would not include Ashland - since that would take you more down I-5 than I think you'd want.

jamie99

You'll need reservations for Yosemite, places book up to a year in advance so if nothing is open for your dates you may have to keep calling to get a reservation. I have read the campsites book up within minutes of being open for reservations.

tomfuller

I like Michael's route as well. Instead of going over Rt. 58 south of Eugene, try taking I-84 east from Portland and see Multnomah Falls and then spend a night in Hood River.
Leave Hood River on Rt. 35 on the east side of Mt. Hood to US 26 into Madras and then US 97 into Bend. Have lunch in Bend and then take the Cascade Lakes Highway south all the way to the end at Crescent Cutoff road and go right to get back on Rt. 58 to Chemult and the north entrance of Crater Lake off Rt. 138. There are 2 campgrounds in Crater Lake NP. If you can't get a reservation at the Crater Lake Lodge.
The lesser known campground is along the Pinnacles road in the SE part of the park.

Michael

An alternative, adding the Washington State Cascades to my original itinerary, wold be to cross over to Mt. Rainier and go down to the overlook on the east side of Mt. St. Helens. From there down to the east side of Mt. Hood, to Bend (visit the Three Sisters lava bed area) and then Crater Lake.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/4234245131

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/4234268115

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/4230611878

Gardyloo

Here's an alternative route. Sixteen days is more than ample; you could do it in a week if pressed, and ten days would be quite comfortable. https://goo.gl/maps/u7QcCUizZ5R2 Some of the roads shown have got to be among the best bike roads in the region (not a rider myself so am guessing here.)

Start with a pass through Mount Rainier, then over gorgeous Stevens Canyon Road to US 12 over White Pass and down into the orchard and vineyard country of the Yakima Valley.

Then down US 97 through terrific "old west" country to the Columbia River at Maryhill. Visit the funky Maryhill Museum and neighboring Stonehenge replica, then follow the Columbia west (using the WA side of the river rather than I-84 on the Oregon side) to Hood River. Ride up the Hood River Valley to Mount Hood, then back down and through the heart of the Columbia Gorge (on the "historic" highway) stopping at numerous waterfalls and vista points.

From Portland head out to the coast. I've shown Newport and Yachats as the place where you connect to US 101, but you could also follow the Columbia (again, north side) out to Cape Disappointment, then across the awesome mouth of the river to Astoria, then south from there.

US 101 will take you down the incomparable Oregon coast to the redwoods. This is one of the most scenic roads in North America, well worth taking your time. Then once past the Avenue of the Giants, turn east on CA Hwy 20 (another good road for bikes) past Clear Lake and over into the Sacramento Valley.

Go through Sacramento and over to the gold rush country along CA 49. Highway 49 is a biker's dream; you'll pass through some marvelous historic towns left over from the gold rush days (1849, hence the road number). Stop at Murphys and Columbia, and take an extra hour or two to visit the Calaveras Big Trees, giant sequoias that will knock your socks off. (The Mariposa Grove of sequoias in Yosemite will still be closed, I believe, so here's your shot.)

This route includes some terrific rides and it noteworthy for its diversity. Highly recommended.

tomfuller

Maybe it's time to start a new sport. I've been geocaching for 11+ years now. Tomorrow I'm driving to Seattle for an appointment at Groundspeak on Wednesday. Groundspeak is the worldwide HQ for geocaching.com
Having a GPS with you will help find some of the lesser known roads.

jwb012761

Thanks for the recommendations. Just booked the flight.
I'm more a map user but will have a garmin in the bag.