BEST OF THE WEST
Destination:
United States of America
Duration:
13 Days
Year:
2023
2024
Starts:
22nd August
30th August
Ends:
3rd Sept
12th Sept
Prices:
Solo Rider (Single occupancy accommodation) £6,195
Rider carrying pillion (Shared occupancy accommodation) £6,195
Support Vehicle Driver (Shared accommodation) £2,295
Support Vehicle Driver / Passenger (Single occupancy) £2,950
Pillion (Shared occupancy accommodation) £2,295
Support Vehicle Passenger (Shared accommodation) £2,295
Tour Overview
This is your opportunity to join our small tour group (Max 10 bikes) where you will experience many of the roads and sights that have been made famous in many classic American films. This Adventure really does take in the best that Americas West Coast has to offer (see the itinerary below for a detailed look at what each day has in store for you) but don't just take our word for it, read what our recent customers have to say about their experience on tour! Customer reviews are at the bottom of this page.
Tour Itinerary (Click on the blue box for details of each days ride)
Arrival Day into Los Angeles
Miles: 000
On arrival into Los Angeles you will be greeted by your BCMT tour team. You will be taken to the starting hotel and shown to your room. You will then be acquainted with your ride which has been prepared and is ready to carry you on your amazing Best of the West guided motorcycle tour.
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Your tour will start with a briefing informing you of everything needed to ensure you have a fantastic and safe touring experience.
On this tour you will encounter some of the best riding and scenery that America’s West Coast has to offer.
This is your opportunity to join our small tour group (Max 10 Bikes) where you will experience many of the roads and sights that have featured in many of the most iconic films and television shows.
Los Angeles - Morro Bay
Miles: 246
This morning we have a short ride into Los Angeles as we head for the famous Santa Monica Pier. You will have an opportunity to park the bikes and take a stroll along the old wooden pier.
We challenge you to resist having your first (of many) milkshakes of the tour!
Leaving the pier, we start the ride up Route 1 and the 101 to our hotel in Morro Bay. There may even be an opportunity to have a dip in the Pacific Ocean on the way.
Morro Bay - Santa Clara
Miles: 256
We continue our ride north along Route 1 the Pacific Coast Highway which hugs the rugged California coastline of the Pacific Ocean – undoubtedly one of the best motorcycle rides in the world!
The coastline here is simply breath taking, there are plenty of opportunities for you to enhance your photo album with the most spectacular scenery.
We will be taking regular stops along the route visiting Big Sur and riding over the world-famous Bixby Bridge (featured in the image below) to Monterey with it’s famous “Cannery Row” and Laguna Seca Motorcycle Racetrack. There is also the spectacular Aquarium of the Sea if you fancy a visit.
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Leaving Monterey, we continue north to spend the evening in Santa Clara which situated just an hour south of San Francisco.
Santa Clara - Modesto
Miles: 156
This morning is a more relaxed day both day in terms of mileage and time. We take a short ride into San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge to the viewing gallery where you can take some great selfies with the bridge in the background.
From there we ride to the world-famous Fisherman’s Wharf where we park the bikes and change into your shorts and walking boots ready for the boat trip over to Alcatraz. After lunch, we get back on the bikes and ride to our next hotel in the town of Modesto.
Modesto - Oakhurst
Miles: 160
After breakfast we head off for the mountains. We will ride for 3 hours right into the heart of the Yosemite Nation Park where we plan to stop at the famous Curry Village for lunch. There will then be an option to climb up to the top of Vernal Falls.
This is NOT for the faint hearted!
Distance: 2.4 mi (3.9 km) round trip (via Mist Trail) Elevation gain: 1000 ft (300 m)
Difficulty: Strenuous Time: 3 hours
Once recovered, we ride for an hour through some of the most breathtaking roads and scenery that Yosemite has to offer for a relaxing night at the hotel. Pizza and wings at the pool and hot tub is highly recommended.
Oakhurst - Bishop
Miles: 222
After an early Breakfast we head straight back into Yosemite and up to visit Glacia Point. Both the views and the ride up are absolutely staggering. We stop for a picnic at Tenaya Lake and a quick dip for those that are brave enough! (Remember, it might be baking hot but it's still mountain water.
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After lunch, we continue to Mono Lake before the final ride along the mountain ridge to Bishop for the night.
Bishop - Boulder City
Miles: 310
With a colder start (Normally somewhere around freezing) we continue to head south as we prepare to ride through Death Valley ensuring enough fuel and water to get us through. (Thank heavens for the support truck).
They say it can reach temperatures so high that you can fry an egg on the side of the road! We will take a well-deserved break for lunch at the Death Valley visitor center before continuing our ride through Las Vegas to Boulder City for the night.
Boulder City - Bryce Canyon
Miles: 297
Today we leave Boulder City but not before our annual pilgrimage to an amazing breakfast stop in the town. We then ride off for views of looks Lake Mead and into Lake Mead National Forrest on smooth windy roads that follow the contours of the lake itself.
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From there we jump back on to the i-15 interstate as we leave Nevada and enter Arizona for a short time riding through the spectacular Virgin River Gorge and into Utah. Leaving the Interstate again, we through Zion National Park and up to Bryce Canyon for the night.
Bryce Canyon - Blanding
Miles: 300
We start today riding into the National park in darkness taking up our position to see the sunrise over Bryce Canyon. This is an amazing sight to see. After Breakfast we head off on another breath-taking day of riding and sightseeing along highways 12 and 24 to Hanksville for lunch and then down highway 95 to a small town called Blanding for the night.
Today’s ride on previous tours has been quoted as “being the best 300 miles of riding and scenery ever ridden in one day!”
Blanding -Williams
Miles: 296
Another great riding day today. Leaving Blanding we ride out into Monument Valley. This stunning landscape has been made famous by many a western movie and is iconic Wild West.
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We have plenty of planned stops today with more amazing scenery to capture including lunch in a traditional Native Indian reserve.
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After lunch we head off to ride along the edge of the Grand Canyon before entering the historic Route 66 town on Williams for dinner in another famous Route 66 diner and a good night’s sleep.
Williams - Barstow
Miles: 324
What a fantastic final day’s riding we have in store for you today. We start with a short ride along the interstate before re-joining old Route 66 where we ride into the town Seligman, an old ghost town that is now full of Route 66 gift shops, motels and cafes.
From there we ride along Route 66 through Peach Springs, Truxton, Hackberry and into Kingman for a must do visit to Mr D’z Route 66 Diner for another great milkshake (or two).
Then we take the amazing Oatman trail for a date with a donkey and a chance to pick up any last-minute souvenirs. Then it’s jump onto the interstate for a run back to the Route 66 town off Barstow where you will be challenged to a game or two of good old 10 pin bowling.
Barstow - Los Angeles
Miles: 260
We've always said that this "Best of the West tour did exactly what it says on the tin" ! So as we start day 12 you wouldn't be faulted for saying you didn't feel it could get any better! Well that's where you'd be wrong as we have saved the best until last as we ride up into the mountains to cruise along the Angeles Crest Highway before heading back into Los Angeles where we hand back the bikes and check into the hotel for a well deserved rest.
Flight Home
Take the morning to explore the exciting sights and sounds of Los Angeles before preparing to return home
Arrive back to the UK
Your tour includes the following:
Twelve nights hotels / motels.
All group breakfasts. (Where provided at the Hotel)
Comprehensive first aid and tool kits
Alcatraz ticket
Any tolls (any gratuities are additional).
The tour will be guided by an experienced tour guide who will give daily summaries and tell of the history of route.
Motorcycle rental and the required liability insurance.
24 hour roadside assistance
Support vehicle with a spare bike, your luggage and supplies of water and soft drinks.
Option to ride your own ride during the day and meet at the hotel if you desire. Note – you will be responsible for any breakdown if you leave the guided tour.
Support vehicle at all times with a spare bike.
Luggage carried on the support vehicle.
Ice Cold water and snacks throughout each day.
Admission fees to all Museums and National Parks (on our scheduled route).
BC Motorcycle Tours bike stickers
Your airfare to and from the US.
Your ESTA (Visa Waiver to travel to the US) This costs $16 from the US Embassy website https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta
Personal Travel Insurance. (Please ensure that your insurance covers you on larger motorcycles
Meals (Other than Breakfast) and snacks, tips, refreshments and your Alcoholic Beverages.
Trip Cancellation Insurance
Personal Souvenirs
Shipping of any excess baggage, souvenirs, helmets, etc … To or from to your home.
Any necessary riding gear and / or personal effects.
Any additional insurance for personal effects or public liability.
Transfers to and from the Airport and Hotel.
Parking fees.
Includes all fuel and oil for your motorcycle
What our participants think:
Best of the West Tour September 2019
Let’s be honest, touring the south-west of America for 12 days on a Harley doesn’t come cheap! So having decided to commit to the tour almost a year in advance my wife and I had plenty of time to ask what we were actually paying for. Of course, there’s the obvious… renting and riding a top bike (including fuel & insurances), super hotel accommodation throughout and the support of a back-up vehicle and driver (amongst many other things) but it was only after the tour when we returned to Blighty and had time to reflect that we truly appreciated where the real value lay! WOW! - what a tour. Not surprisingly, our expectations were high but in the final analysis we realised that Darren and the BC team had delivered for us (and everybody else in the tour group) an experience that we simply couldn’t have contemplated - it was staggeringly good and far exceeded our hopes and expectations. So, how did they do this?
The organisation and attention to detail throughout was impeccable both in the planning / pre-tour phase when Amy and Bekkie were always available, always utterly professional back at HQ to help with clear advice based on first-hand experience of what it’s like to be on tour. We never felt like clients - more like valued friends. Then of course there was the reality of life on tour! Every day Darren was a ‘man with a plan’ and he led with a quiet and confident approach. The days are long - they have to be - because every day was packed with an itinerary that made sure we really did see the ‘Best of the West’. Darren knows the territory, knows the best roads, knows the best vantage points, knows the best restaurants and, most importantly, knows how to bring a group of people together to have fun and share what was simply the experience of a lifetime. In writing a review of the tour we should / could reiterate this experience included visits to LA, The Pacific Coast (‘Big Sur’), Golden Gate, Yosemite, Death Valley, Grand Canyon…. but this would be doing a dis-service to places not mentioned because the list is indeed extensive.
There are, of course, other, often large and impersonal, commercial organisations who organise and run tours to similar locations and I did indeed explore all options before deciding that BC tours was for us. So, what was the discriminator? We like bespoke; we like intimate and the opportunity for us to get to know a great set of people who toured with us….. all strangers, but now all friends. We liked the reassurance of being in the hands of somebody [Darren] who not only kept us all safe, made sure we missed nothing but actually gave us the added value through his network of close friends and associates he has in the USA. The tour delivered on every level: the best physical locations, a myriad of emotional and social connections and, on occasions, experiences in places that were so powerful they delivered spiritual impact - we will never forget sunrise at Bryce Canyon!
So…. was it all worth it? You bet!
Matt & Helen on Best of The West Motorcycle Tour
I chose the Perfect Tour Company to fulfill my life long ambition of riding a Harley
Davidson in the USA! I did the ‘Best of the West’ 2018 tour in September this year!
Words cannot describe this Amazing experience as it surpassed all of my expectations!!
Darren Clover provided the most Incredible itinary, designed to Wow the group day after day! Darren and Amy were the most Wonderful hosts and organizers keeping the group fed, watered and entertained all day and every day, looking after our every need! A Massive Thank you!
Additionally a very big heartfelt Thank you to a Fantastic bunch of co riders that I had the Privelage of sharing the experience with!!
I am Extremely lucky to have chosen ‘BC Motorcycle Tours’ and I’m hoping I can take part in one of the Veterans rides sometime in the future!
There is such a Variety of different rides available, not only across the USA but Europe as well. So much so that it’s hard to know which one to choose next!
Once again Thankyou Darren , Amy and everyone at BC Motorcycles Tours......
Roy West on Best of The West Motorcycle Tour
Best of the West Tour September 2015
Route 66 - tick
Pacific Coast Highway - tick
Best of the West - tick
Best of the West was certainly the best yet. Where to start! Riding as a pillion behind my Veteran husband we both enjoyed some amazing, breathtaking and sometimes challenging experiences. he list of places visited went beyond expectation and the miles covered over the course of the 10 days was approximately 2300. The tour incorporated Santa Monica Pier, San Francisco, parts of Route 1 and 101, infamous Route 66, Yosemite National Park, Death Valley, Las Vegas, Oatman (Donkey Village) and Monument Valley to name but a few. For me riding through the state of Utah and entering Bryce Canyon was the highlight of the tour offering the most amazing and overwhelming scenery. The Grand Canyon came a close second as we were lucky enough to be there as the sun was setting, enhancing everything tenfold.
Whilst riding through Death Valley we and another rider and pillion broke away from the group and enjoyed riding a white knuckle ride! As we did so we had a fighter jet fly over our heads - Top Gun eat your heart out! We re-joined the group and enjoyed ice creams whilst temperatures reached in excess of 100 degrees
I embraced every opportunity as a pillion to just sit back and soak in all the sights in the knowledge that I was in safe hands both on the bike and within the group. I climbed Vernal Falls together with a fellow pillion, swam in the sea and Tenaya Lake - now that was just a little bit chilly but again an experience not to be forgotten.
The tour afforded great accommodation, lead us to excellent eating establishments and was very professionally, seamlessly organised. The camaraderie within the group was fantastic and everybody thoroughly enjoyed the experiences, making good friends, sharing stories - laughing, crying and eating throughout the day and evening.
Thank you Darren and team for making this happen
Helen on Best of The West Motorcycle Tour