Motorcycle Rides in Las Vegas

Rent a Motorcycle From EagleRider and Enjoy Valley of Fire State Park - NV Motorcycle Ride

Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada is a true natural playground for motorcycle riders. Easily accessible via well-maintained tarmac roads, Valley of Fire is a mesmerizing wilderness area full of colorful rock outcroppings, ancient petrified trees, and mysterious petroglyphs left on Aztec sandstone walls. Just a short ride from Las Vegas, Valley of Fire has earned its name because of the fiery red color of its sandstone rocks. When rays of the afternoon's setting sun hit the rocks, they appear to be ablaze with fire.

Nevada’s oldest State Park, Valley of Fire has several campsites for those who wish to stay the night and truly appreciate this unique place. (There are two campgrounds in the park and campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.) Alternately, this scenic motorcycle ride can also be done in just one day. Any way you approach it the route promises plenty of inspiring vistas and adrenaline-inducing twisties along the way.

Here are our ideas on how to enjoy your Valley of Fire motorcycle trip to the fullest.

Lake Mead

Starting at East Lake Mead Boulevard, hop on Route 167 and head East following an excellent two-lane road which cuts across the iconic Western landscape of red rocks and colorful desert. Make sure to start out with a full gas tank, as the next available fuel station will be at the Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza at the end of your ride, seventy-five miles away. On Route 167 itself, there won’t be much in terms of gas, snacks, or rest areas, so we suggest planning ahead and stocking up beforehand.

Depending on the time of year you are riding here, some of the marinas along the lake may offer a great opportunity to stop, take in the fresh air, and have a leisurely stroll on the shores of Lake Mead. The Echo Bay Marina offers a large parking lot, restrooms and a recreation area, plus a convenience store, as well as gas station, and it’s the perfect mid-way point to stop and relax. To get to Echo Bay, you’ll need to take the Echo Bay Road shooting off Route 167 (you will see a road sign just before the turn).

The first part of the trip will feel serene as you’ll catch glimpses of Lake Mead in the distance. Little by little, however, the scenery will begin to change. Soon you will start feeling like you are traveling through a strange country resembling the surface of Mars. Here, the bright red of the Earth contrasts with the big blue Nevada skies creating the perfect backdrop for your motorcycle adventure.

Valley of Fire

At the junction with Route 169, Route 167 becomes the Valley of Fire Highway. Soon after you pass the junction, there will be a right turn taking you to the Valley of Fire Visitor Center, where they have several exhibitions focusing on the history, ecology, and geology of the Park. The area has some fascinating history, and the Visitor center is an excellent place to stop and learn about it. There are restrooms available, as well as a small gift shop and a large parking lot if you feel like taking a hike to explore the stunning wonders of nature around you. This is also a good place to get water if you've run out.

Know that it is prohibited to remove or disturb any rocks, fossils, or artifacts from within the boundaries of the Park, and that it is not allowed to fly drones anywhere in the Valley of Fire. In addition, be mindful of the speed limit within the Park. Although there is not heavy traffic on the road, all those sweeping curves seem like an open invitation to twist that throttle, but beware: there are numerous speed cameras and radars on the route.

Make sure you've stocked up on water as it gets extremely hot from May through to September. Local riders recommend riding this route very early in the morning. Not only will the temperatures will be much cooler, but also you will have the entire place to yourself as most travelers and tourists tend to show up later in the day.

Once you reach the Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza, stop here for gas, a cold drink, and get some lunch. The restaurant here serves excellent BBQ ribs, pot roast, and burgers. From here, it’s a short thirty-minute ride back to Las Vegas via Interstate 15.

The Valley of Fire route is easily among the most scenic rides in Nevada, so be sure to charge your phone fully before departure so you can snap lots of photos along the way.

Rent a Motorcycle From EagleRider and Enjoy Red Rock Canyon - NV Motorcycle Ride

The Hoover Dam

A short ride from Las Vegas, Nevada, Hoover Dam is one of the most-visited landmarks in the USA. Constructed in 1936 with an amount of concrete that would be enough to build a highway from San Francisco to New York, the Hoover Dam is an engineering marvel and a sight to behold. Located just forty-five minutes from the Strip in Las Vegas, Hoover Dam is a must-see on your Las Vegas motorcycle ride.

Leaving Las Vegas, hop on Route 11 and head east enjoying the sunlit highway and the stunning desert scenery of Nevada. On your way, stop in Boulder City, a quirky, motorcycle-obsessed town offering several fantastic eateries with ample bike parking and delicious food perfect for a lunch stop. Boulder City is a favorite hangout spot for local riders, and on a weekend, you’ll see dozens of motorcycles parked outside the town’s restaurants and cafes. Boulder City was built in the early 1930’s to house the Hoover Dam workers and their families who had migrated here during the Great Depression in search of jobs and a better life. By the 1950s, Boulder City had transformed from a temporary workers’ settlement into an incorporated city in Nevada.

Hoover Dam lies just eight miles east of Boulder City. This 726-foot-tall and 660-foot-wide concrete monster dams the mighty Colorado River creating Lake Mead, America’s largest water reservoir. The reservoir supplies water to millions of people, farms, and businesses in Nevada, Arizona, California, and Mexico. It took over ten thousand workers to build the dam over a stretch of four years with over 96 construction-related fatalities, and to this day, Hoover Dam is considered one of the most astonishing feats of engineering and ingenuity.

As you ride up to Hoover Dam, you need to park your motorcycle and explore it on foot. Increased security on the dam keeps traffic moving. There are some fascinating walking tours available from the Hoover Dam Visitor Center, explaining the history and the inner workings of the dam. Alternatively, you can simply walk over the dam on your own and enjoy the spectacular views of the Colorado River below. The best place to view Hoover Dam in all its might is atop the Tillman Memorial Bridge. You can ride straight across the bridge and stop at the several pullout points to take photos and admire the sheer scale of the dam.

If you have the time, Lake Mead is popular for swimming, fishing, and boat tours. It is advisable to book these in advance as the area attracts many visitors each year. Keep in mind that the temperatures in Nevada can get extremely hot, especially in the summer months, so stock up on sunscreen and water before your visit and make sure to wear long sleeves when you ride in order to to avoid sunburn.

Laughlin, Oatman and Kingman

7660 Dean Martin Drive Suite 205 Las Vegas, Nevada 89139

Explore what the desert has to offer from the open highways and the twisty turns through valleys on the Historic Route 66; to the gambling aplenty in Laughlin and Vegas and the gunfights at high-noon in Oatman. You can also check out the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and the Colorado River. There are an endless amount of sights to see on this route.

Rent a Motorcycle From EagleRider To Enjoy Motorcycle Ride Connecting Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, & Grand Staircase

800 W. Route 66 Flagstaff, Arizona 86001

Connecting three awe-inspiring canyon land destinations, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, this 153-mile route offers some of the absolute best riding in Utah. Although you can comfortably do the entire route in one day, we recommend breaking up the journey with an overnight in Bryce. This region is so vast and spectacular it’s worth exploring in more depth and allowing at least two days of riding.

As you ride your motorcycle here, the scenery will run the gamut from colorful layered sandstone cliffs, slot canyons, and crimson-colored spires to rolling plateaus, picturesque pine-covered hills, and endless slick rock. One section of this ride, State Route 12 (also called Scenic Byway 12), is known as "Highway 12 — A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway". This state highway is designated as an All-American Road because it reveals some of the most iconic Western scenery in the USA.

Enjoy this spectacular motorcycle ride leaving from Eagle Rider Flagstaff on lonely streets in northern Arizona and southern Utah. During the summer months the temperatures in the region get extremely hot, and it is essential to carry at least three liters of water and sunscreen with you. Travel is most comfortable here in the early mornings when the temperatures are cool and the traffic is light. There will be gas stations and a few places to eat along the way, so it's best to start out your motorcycle ride with a full tank of gas and some snacks in the panniers.

Zion National Park

Starting in La Verkin, ride to Mount Carmel Junction on Route 9, which offers magnificent views of Zion Canyon while taking you straight through Zion National Park. One of the very best things about this National Park is that while riding through the Park, you're actually riding in the scenery! You are as much a part of the landscape as the million-year-old carved sandstone. For the first 26 miles, the road will weave across the breathtaking red rock country in large, sweeping bends allowing you to take in all the scenery.

Inside Zion National Park the roadway can get exceedingly busy with car, RV and tour bus traffic. The Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel is a one-way tunnel that all traffic traversing the Park must travel through.  This causes congestion, and the wait can be an easy 10-15 minutes, or a grueling hour-plus wait in Utah's punishing sun with no shade.

Inside the tunnel it's quite dark compared to the glaring sun outside. There are windows opening to the canyon below to let you peer out toward the Great Arch and other rock formations nearby, but unfortunately you're not able to stop. Past the tunnel, ease off the throttle as the road is walled in by the canyon here and it twists and turns in some very tight corners.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Once you reach Mount Carmel Junction, stop here for a quick break and fill up with gas, Grab a cold drink and a bite to eat, then jump on Route 89, a two-lane road offering plenty of gentle sweepers and slowly climbing in elevation. Bryce Canyon sits at 8,000 feet above the sea level, and the temperatures will gradually cool here, offering a welcome relief from the intense heat inside Zion National Park.

43 miles after Mount Carmel Junction, take the right turn to get on to Route 12, known as the Scenic Byway 12. If you forgot to fill up your tank, there’s a Conoco gas station right here where Route 12 begins.

A couple of miles into Route 12, you will enter Red Canyon getting the first taste of what Bryce Canyon will look like. Pink and red sandstone outcroppings sit right next to the road here, allowing for fantastic photo opportunities. Within the next 7 miles, the road will gradually climb to around 7,500 feet in elevation as you reach the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park.

By mile 14, take Route 63 and ride out to Rainbow Point and back. This will be a 40-mile round-trip detour, but the views along the way make it more than worthwhile. The Bryce Natural Bridge, Pink Cliffs, and Ponderosa Canyon reveal some of the best views of the iconic Bryce hoodoos – red, white, and orange rock spire clusters resembling petrified trees. The vistas at the Rainbow Point overlook rival those of the Grand Canyon, revealing some of Bryce’s most spectacular natural amphitheaters.

Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument

As you exit Bryce Canyon National Park, Scenic Byway 12 will take you across the sun-drenched Utah backcountry, meandering along rolling sandstone hills and pine-covered plateaus. On your right, you will glimpse parts of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, sometimes referred to as "the Delaware-sized natural museum”.

Grand Staircase – Escalante is such a remote area that it was the last part of the continental US to be mapped. The Monument’s boundaries contain impressive sandstone rock formations, slot canyons, fossils of previously unknown dinosaurs, ruins and relics of countless Native American sites. It's also home to thousands of acres of rugged, unspoiled wilderness.

A large portion of the Monument’s most impressive sites and slot canyons are only accessible by hiking trails. If you want to explore this stunning wilderness in more depth, stay in Escalante and do some hiking in the area. Zebra Slot Canyon is a breathtaking narrow canyon with colorful striped walls and looks like it has fallen to Earth from some remote, lonely planet.

Devil’s Garden is another otherworldly Grand Staircase – Escalante location, filled with natural arches, caves, and “rock goblins", strange vertical rocks that resemble the Easter Island statues. Astonishingly, these were carved by millions of years of erosion by wind and water. If you’re planning on hiking, keep in mind that most roads leading to trailheads are poorly maintained gravel and dirt trails. The Bureau of Land Management, which manages much of this area, recommends bringing at least one gallon of water as well as sunblock, a map, and sturdy shoes even for a short hike.

Rent a Motorcycle From EagleRider and Enjoy San Juan Skyway and the Million Dollar Highway CO Motorcycle Ride

2060 East Main Street, Grand Junction, Colorado 81501

Containing some of Colorado’s most awe-inspiring scenery of the Rocky Mountains, abandoned ghost towns, and grin-inducing twists of the local roads, this is a compelling route for all types of motorcycle riders.

Over 240 miles of sweeping curves and jaw-dropping mountain passes await on the Million Dollar Highway and the San Juan Skyway, and in between, there is no shortage of charming mountain towns to visit, Western-style saloons to dine in, and deep local history to explore.

Although this route can be ridden in a single day, consider breaking it up into two parts and staying the night in one of the charming western-flavored towns along the way. This corner of Colorado was a booming gold and silver mining region in the nineteenth century, and towns like Telluride, and especially Silverton, still retain that unique recollection of the Old West.

If you have rented a dual-sport motorcycle, you'll have the right bike to explore some of the dirt trails leading to the ruins of abandoned gold towns such as Animas Forks as well as the notorious Engineer Pass.

The best time to ride the Million Dollar Highway and the San Juan Skyway is May through to September. Thanks to the high elevation this area gets a lot of snow, and while the riding can be great on the shoulder seasons, the snowfall is unpredictable from season to season.

If you plan to camp, be mindful of wildlife, especially black bears, and only camp in designated campsites. There will be plenty of gas stations, places to eat, and points of interest along the way.

Here’s a list of must-see spots on this route.

San Juan Skyway

Starting in Ridgway, Colorado, jump on Route 550 and head South. In ten miles, you will pass Ouray, a small mountain town sometimes called “The Switzerland of America”. Built in 1876, Ouray was once a flourishing gold and silver mining town. Ouray is now famous for its hot springs, mountain lodges, outdoor sports, and craft beer and spirits.

Several hotels offer their own private hot springs, and there is a public hot spring on the north end of town that's extremely popular among both travelers and locals. Ouray’s Outlaw Restaurant is the most popular place to eat among local motorcyclists, and if you stop to explore the town, be sure to buy some local organic coffee in one of the stores on Main Street.

Ouray marks the beginning of the San Juan Skyway, a 230-mile road connecting the town with Silverton, Durango, Cortez, and Telluride. The San Juan Skyway runs along the spine of the San Juan Mountains, offering countless switchbacks, climbs and descents, and jaw-dropping vistas from sheer cliffs. Get ready for some thrilling twists and hairpins along the way, and prepare to stop often to take photographs.

Just a little over 23 miles south of Ouray on the San Juan Skyway lies the town of Silverton, a true gem on the route. The entire town feels like it has been frozen in time as the old Western buildings still line the streets. Silverton retains its feel of a pioneer and gold prospecting town, rather than the modern tourist destination which it is. Stop at the Grand Imperial Hotel, an old saloon-style restaurant and guest house, for a hearty meal.

For the next fifty miles on the San Juan Skyway, enjoy the twisty two-lane road as it uncoils itself through the stunning San Juan mountains. Although the San Juan Skyway is a famous road and the area attracts hikers, campers, and off-road riders, the traffic on this road is usually mild, so you can really have fun carving those curves and taking in the scenery.

If you feel like breaking your Million Dollar drive into two days, Durango is a great city in which to stay the night. Durango is a "modern" western town with a wonderful downtown and plenty of things to do and see. The town’s famous Strater Hotel is the perfect place to stay, and there are plenty of dining options in town.

As you ride further along on the Skyway, it will double back across the San Juan range and continue to surprise you with more twists and turns plus scenic mountain vistas all the way to Telluride. Much like Ouray and Silverton, in late nineteenth-century Telluride was a mining camp built in a canyon near the San Miguel River. Now it mainly caters to skiing and snowboarding aficionados in winter and welcomes visitors to enjoy hiking, cycling, river sports, and rock climbing in the summer. As with a lot of Colorado mountain towns, Telluride also hosts several summer music concerts so expect a lot of traffic on those weekends.

Million Dollar Highway

The Million Dollar Highway is the 23-mile section of the San Juan Skyway between Ouray and Silverton. This is the most scenic part of the entire route, and there are several stories of how the road got its name. According to one local tale, it’s because it cost a million dollars per mile to build the road because it has been hewn through sheer rock.

Since the road receives heavy snowfall and becomes dangerous in winter, some locals say “you’ll have to pay me a million dollars to drive there in the snow”.  It could also be named for the millions of dollars of gold and silver mined in the area. Whichever version is true, we do not know, but the views along this section a certainly worth a million dollars.

Ease off the throttle on this stretch of the highway, as there will be some hairpin turns with sheer drops -- and no guardrails. Plus you will likely want to stop every few miles to admire the views and take photos. The Million Dollar Highway crosses three mountain passes, and you will be able to see the peak of Engineer Mountain standing stoically in the distance. Be especially careful if it has rained recently, as rains sometimes cause landslides on the road.