Route 66 (Albuquerque-LA) – Guided Motorcycle Tour

Depart the UK on your chosen scheduled flight to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Upon arrival, independently make your way to your hotel, where you spend the first night of your adventure.

Today your guides will meet you at the hotel and take you to your EagleRider location for pick up of your bike and a short ride up to Santa Fe! Enjoy the distinctive flavor of this nearly 400-year-old city. The blend of cultures here becomes evident in the southwestern architectural style so closely associated with New Mexico’s capital city. Perhaps you would like to take a ride along the river valley to the old Native American Indian town of Taos, enjoy a sunrise hot air balloon ride, or play cowboy for a day on a horseback ride along a mountain or canyon trail. Santa Fe provides all of these opportunities and more.

This morning you head south, down to Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, with a third of the state’s population. Albuquerque is sprawling at the heart of New Mexico, where the main east – west road and rail routes cross both the Rio Grande and the old road south to Mexico. You cross the Rio Grande and head west – out into the open country and the hues of the Navajo wilderness. You are skirting mesas and bluffs on into Laguna. Further on ride through Grants and along Cibola National Forest towards the famous Route 66 town of Gallup – an old railroad town and Indian stronghold. Enjoy your stay tonight with a host of fellow riders from around the world at one of the many biker friendly hotels in Gallup.

Today is another huge day, full of spectacular scenery and iconic Route 66 stops. You’ll cross the border into Arizona and ride to Petrified Forest National Park, a fossilized prehistoric forest of gigantic trees that has been unearthed by erosion. Here you will have the time to explore this stunning landscape and take a moment to get lost in the expansiveness that defines this area. Leaving Petrified Forest NP, you travel further west to the Wigwam Hotel in Holbrook, and stop to stand on the corner in Winslow! While most groups stop in Flagstaff or Williams, Arizona, you will ride on to spend your night just one mile from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon! Tonight you will sit with a cold drink in your hand and enjoy the sunset over the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The dream is coming true!

For those looking to get a real “Bird’s Eye View” of the Grand Canyon be sure to let the guide know and they will arrange a morning helicopter ride over the heart of the South Rim. Leaving the Grand Canyon, you will pick Route 66 back up in Williams, Arizona before heading to stops in the famous 66 towns of Seligman, Hackberry and Kingman, and Oatman before arriving at our Laughlin hotel on the shores of the Colorado River.

Today is a quick ride for a little detour to take in the incredible sights and sounds of Las Vegas! Your journey this morning will take you through your first real taste of the Mojave Desert, and a ride across the famous Hoover Dam! One thing is for sure, your time in Vegas may be short, but it will sure be sweet! Try to get a little bit of sleep because you pick up Route 66 tomorrow right where we left off yesterday.

Today you cross the border into your final State on Route 66 – California! One thing is for sure – today is a day like no other as we traverse the Mojave Desert which offers some of the most dramatic scenery in Southern California. You can imagine what it must have been like for early Route 66 travellers making their way across this huge expanse of desert, dotted with Joshua Trees, cactus, volcanic rock and sand as you stop in the tiny “waystations” of Amboy and Ludlow. Tonight, you celebrate your last night on the Mother Road.

Today you head off for your final destination – the end of the road on the Santa Monica Pier! To get there, however, you first get to ride the 66 miles of the Angeles Crest Highway through the mountainous terrain of Angeles National Forest. This highway is considered one of the top motorcycle rides in southern California and rises to over 2300 meters. Next, you’ll descend the Crest into the Los Angeles Basin and head towards the Pacific Ocean. Riders always have mixed emotions as they stand at the “End of the Trail” sign on the Santa Monica Pier. There is a sense of joy and elation at having completed a journey most people only dream about, and a sense of sadness at the thought of the ride having come to an end. Tonight, you celebrate the miles you’ve ridden and the friends you have made as you party together at your Farewell Dinner!

Today your exciting trip will conclude in Los Angeles. You may choose to extend your stay or discover more of California. Otherwise, you make your own way to Los Angeles International Airport and check in for your flight back to the UK.