Best Route from Phoenix to the Rally

[jamesbpeterson1]

Hello, I have 10 days and want to set up the best riding route to the Rally. Does anyone have some suggestions? Appreciate any feedback. Please share some links of proposed mapping routes!!!! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JohnRBeeson]

hmmmmm

I've driven between Phoenix and Bend Oregon about 25 to 30 times. I can give you the shortest, fastest and most boring route, but they are all the same

Ten days to get to Redmond? Or ten days for the trip up, the rally and trip back?

If you have enough time I would get up to 395 in California and take one of the lessor known passes to the valley(sonora or ebbitts). Then ride Hwy 49 all the way up north and then pick routes to Quincy and Susanville. Take 139 out of Susanville and ride up to Klamath Falls. Hit Crater Lake and on up to Redmond.

Or, get up to Oregon as direct as reasonable and spend a few days riding the state, hit the coast, cruise the mountains or whatever.

If you have specific ideas you want to ride up here, just ask and I'll try to give good advice.

JohnB

 

[Polarbear]

Us93;

From AZ to near Canada, this road US93 is a famous USA Byway. I've been on most of it. Cut off it up around Montana(Missoula) somewhere and zig zag back through Lolo Pass and Hells Canyon, into Baker Oregon and due West to Redmond. Some great riding. National Geographic Mag did a special on US93 in one of their mags a few years back. I've ridden most all of it, but enjoyed the article too. Randy

 

[azduc]

I-10 to the coast, Hwy 1 all the way up then 93 back down.

 

[beemerdons]

Right on, azduc!

I-10 to the coast, Hwy 1 all the way up then 93 back down.

My Son Seth (13) and I are doing it exactly as azduc states; incredible M/C riding!

 

[digger2]

Us 93

At one point, the deadliest highway in America

 

[PGlaves]

At one point, the deadliest highway in America

Clarify please: at one point (location) or at one point in time? And then, where, or when, and why.

 

[digger2]

at one point in time

harvested from Wikipedia

Clarify please: at one point (location) or at one point in time? And then, where, or when, and why.

 

[PGlaves]

Boy, oh boy, that depends on what you want and how you like to ride.

Desert? Beaches? Woods? Hot? Foggy? Raining? Two-lane? Interstate?

When confronted with these questions of my own, I get out the regional map from either AAA or Rand McNally and start looking at possibilities. Then I try to notice interesting things to see along the way. Then the internet helps find state tourism type stuff that might be nice to see. Finally I use trip planning/mapping software to check times and distances.

By the way, Street Atlas says fastest is 1135 miles and shortest is 1073 miles. Neither route goes much further west than Reno until you get up into Oregon. Picking a route up through Salt Lake City adds a couple hundred miles, as does a route over to the coast and then north.

 

[PGlaves]

harvested from Wikipedia

Ah yes - and digging one step deeper I find that was one 7.5 mile stretch in Arizona described by the DOT, thus:

"U.S. 93 was known as one of the more hazardous highways in Arizona, with rolling hills and curves that limited visibility of the road ahead. In addition, it included few safe areas in which motorists could pull over in an emergency, adding to the risk of travel through the corridor.

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), the State's Federal Highway Administration Division Office (FHWA-AZ), the Kingman District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), design team URS Corporation and contractor Sundt Construction spent years developing solutions, in an effort that came to be known as the U.S. 93 Boulders Reconstruction Project. The charge by Federal, State and local agencies was to widen from two to four lanes 7.5 miles of narrow, winding highway through the rugged Mohave Desert and flatten curves while maintaining the visual quality of the landscape. The team's overarching goals: to improve the capacity and operation of the roadway and reduce future highway accidents. Due to substantial environmental concerns in the area, innovative contracting, partnering and Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) proved critical to the project's success.

Today, U.S. Highway 93 is a much safer, bifurcated (split four-lane) highway that winds beautifully through a landscape that looks as if it has remained untouched."

Doesn't sound a bit dangerous to me, but then I once rode in Atlanta during rush hour in the rain.

 

[doktortim]

Best route from Pheonix to Redmond would be NORTH!

 

[PGlaves]

Best route from Pheonix to Redmond would be NORTH!

Or west, then north.

 

[GTRider]

North through FLagstaff to Hwy 160, east through Kayenta to Mexican Hat. Detour through Monument Valley if time permits. North on Hwy261 up the the Moqui Dugway to Hwy 95 then northwest through Fry Canyon to Hanksville. West on Hwy 24 through Capitol Reef to Torrey, then south on Hwy12 over Boulder Mountain and through Escalante to Bryce Canyon and on to Panguitch, UT. You did say you had 10 days, right?? Anyway, if you need to cut some time skip the eastern loop and from Phoenix just stay north on 89 through Marble Canyon, Jacobs Lake, Kanab, and on to Panguitch that way.

From Panguitch, north to Hwy20 and west to I-15, jog north to Beaver then west on Hwy21. This is where you twist the grip and make up time for that eastern loop you took.... Take 21 to 50/6 and into Ely, then west on Hwy50 and be prepared to get lonely. West on 50 to Austin, then north on 305 to Battle Mountain. You are still twisting that grip, right? From Winemmuca take 95 north to 140 then WNW toward Denio but before reaching Denio, go west again on 140. At 395 go north to Hwy31 then up through Paisley and Silver Lake to US97. North on 97 to Redmond. On the return trip (another 10 days, right??) start by going east from Redmond and through John Day....

Much of this is lonely, empty two-lane blacktop-- perfect BMW country. When in the west desert of Utah or in Nevada do NOT ride past a gas station without filling unless you know for sure how far to the next gas-- UT and NV have lots of small "towns" on the map that have NO gas. The upside is that you don't see a lot of LEO presence out there either, and you'll get a wide variety of terrain and scenery. TUrn off your cell phone so the battery isn't run dead trying to find non-existent cell service. And carry some water with you, in case you breakdown or pass one too many gas stations.....


Enjoy,

GTRIder