Las Vegas Motorcycle Day Rides and Longer Routes

If you're new to EagleRider, let's take a look at the rental locations first, so you can get oriented. Certain motorcycle models are available only at select locations while the majority of our fleet is at our location nearest to the airport (the first link):

• Las Vegas
• Las Vegas Harley-Davidson
• Las Vegas BMW Rentals
• Las Vegas Triumph
• Reno

If you're looking for a specific make or model, be sure to check all four locations for availability. Our team is happy to assist with trip planning and any booking questions you may have - contact page is a fast way to get in touch.

Las Vegas is the perfect start to any motorcycle adventure. With so many great day rides and weekend rides to do, you can easily start a longer adventure from the Sin City as well. Let's look at some fantastic day rides in the area and explore how each one is unique.

1. VALLEY OF FIRE, NEVADA

Easily one of the most memorable day rides out of any city in the world, Valley of Fire is one of our top choices for riding in Vegas. Fabulous views will accompany you along the whole stretch of the State Park and it’s best to do a full loop instead of coming in and out from the same entrance.

You will be surrounded by stunning natural monuments of geologic pre-history throughout the vast and peaceful 46,000-acre Valley of Fire State Park.

The park is located some 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas and accessible via I-15 north to exit 75 and Valley of Fire east. You can ride straight through the park using the Nevada Scenic Byway, a 10.5 mile stretch between the eastern and western entrances.

Valley of Fire State Park is known for – and named after - its rusting red sandstone formations and petrified sand dunes which appear as if they are on fire during sunset. Riding through the park feels like being on some distant, deserted planet where wilderness and nature reign.

The surreal landscape of the area was created over time. Ancient seas invaded and retreated in the Southwest for hundreds of millions of years, each epoch leaving behind thick deposits of sedimentary rock in the form of sandstone, mudstone, limestone, and conglomerate. Wind and water erosion of the relatively soft and brittle rock created the Martian shapes we see today.

The area feels so otherworldly that numerous Hollywood directors have taken advantage of the incredible landscape. Movies like Star Trek Generations, Total Recall, and Viva Las Vegas among others were filmed right here in the Valley of Fire.

The area also contains petrified trees and petroglyphs, evidence of human occupation that goes back at least 2,000 years. The Visitor Center features exhibits on the geology, ecology, prehistory, and history of the park and nearby region. Open year-round, Valley of Fire State Park has 72 campsites equipped with shaded tables, grills, and water, as well as a number of hiking trails if you want to stretch those biker legs. The Visitor Center is open daily from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm The park closes at sunset.

An entrance fee of $10 per vehicle is required to ride the Valley of Fire Road between the west and east entrance stations. Nevada residents get a $2 discount.

2. RED ROCK CANYON, NEVADA

The 195,819-acre Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is an easy 30-minute ride west of Las Vegas via US-95 north and Summerline Parkway West. Rising out of a fairly featureless desert-scape, its towering red sandstone and limestone peaks can reach 7,000 feet.

Standing like ancient sentinels guarding lands Native Americans considered sacred, the petroglyphs depicting their lives and beliefs are all that's now left behind.

Once inside, Red Rock Canyon feels like a wondrous maze of red, pink and white rock spires, domes, canyons, and boulders. The one-way, 13-mile Scenic Drive offers turnouts for relaxed viewing of the moonscape panoramas. During the monsoon season months of July and August, a visit to Ice Box Canyon may reveal seasonal waterfalls. To the adjacent south, Spring Mountain Ranch State Park features historic buildings and hiking trails.

Red Rock Canyon is a great place to take a leisurely ride and enjoy a picnic. Many Las Vegas hotels will prepare a box lunch for guests on the go. Bicycling is also available for those inclined, as are 26 easy-to-follow trails for hikers. If you want to hike the trails, plan for at least two to three hours and make sure you pack enough water and sunscreen because the temperatures get very high and the sun can be intense. Rock-climbing is getting increasingly popular in the area, so you are likely to see climbers attempting to scale some of the rock faces.

Scenic Drive is open dawn to dusk. Hours are 6 am to 5 pm November -February; to 7 pm in March; to 8 pm April-September; and until 7 pm through October. See if you can get away and explore Red Rock Canyon on a weekday because it gets somewhat crowded on weekends. The road inside the park is 13 miles (21 kilometers) and it’s only one-way so you get to enjoy the view in front with no incoming traffic.

If you want to make a full-day ride, consider including Mount Charleston as your destination before or after the Red Rock Canyon. It’s the snow-capped peak of Mount Charleston that you can see from the Strip in Las Vegas on clear days, and it’s well worth the visit if you’re looking for a quiet getaway in a beautiful mountain area.

3. OATMAN, ARIZONA

When we ask our riders about the most memorable places they visited, everyone always inevitably mentions Oatman and the twisty mountain ride through the hills towards Cool Springs, AZ.

113 miles (181 km) away from Las Vegas and tucked into Arizona’s eerie Black Mountains, Oatman, population of only 128, is a time capsule where people have been replaced with…cute and curious donkeys.

Once a Wild West gold mining town, Oatman has been preserved fairly intact and has become a favorite destination of bikers and tourists alike. Historic Route 66 is its Main Street, and it still keeps the town alive bringing in tourists, travelers and nostalgic bikers.

Oatman began as a small mining camp after two prospectors struck a $10 million gold find in 1915, though the area had already been settled for a number of years. Less than a year later, the population of the tiny town of shacks and tents exploded to 3,500.

The town was named after Olive Oatman, a young girl kidnapped by the Yavapai, sold to Mojave tribe and later “rescued” in a trade in 1857 near where the town is today, although it’s not clear Oatman wanted to be rescued having been adopted by the tribe and by all accounts treated well. She was known for her blue chin tattoo, considered a rite of passage and worn by many Mohave women of that time.

Old West mining towns were usually short-lived. They were hard-luck, hard-liquor places filled with desperate men and women seeking wealth and willing to do almost anything for it. Tales of murder and mayhem are scattered throughout the history books. Oatman was no exception.

The boom lasted only nine years before United Eastern Mines pulled out, leaving behind some heavy equipment which still remains today, tombstones to broken backs and busted dreams.

The town survived by serving the endless stream of travelers motoring down Route 66 on their way to California and the end of the line. In the early 1960s, America went Interstate crazy and paved I-40, bypassing Oatman. The town nearly died but held on as a kind of living souvenir of a bygone era of Model A’s, flathead motors, and winged tail-fin automobiles.

Oatman is now an Old West attraction, offering a couple of restaurants, clapboard buildings, lots of shops and, of course, the donkeys. These wild burros that once served as pack animals now just mosey about town looking for handouts. If you’re not paying attention, they will steal the sandwich right out of your hand, but they will also happily pose for a photo – as long as you’re willing to share your lunch.

Additional suggestion: if you have a bit of extra time, we highly recommend adding a stretch from Oatman to Golden Shores on the original Route 66. It makes for a fantastic ride, especially so as the sun begins to set and you ride through the twisty hills with nobody but a few wild burros observing you from afar.

This gem of Western history is a must-ride when the Laughlin River Run, one of the biggest annual motorcycle rallies in North America, which is usually set for late April. The town has no hotels, but accommodations can be found in Laughlin, Bullhead City, Needles, or Kingman. On the way back, make sure to add Hoover Dam as a stop on your way to Las Vegas.

4. DEATH VALLEY, NV-CA

Straddling the borders of Nevada and California, the Death Valley National Park is one of the most impressive parks in the country. A mere 130 mile (209 km) ride from Las Vegas, Death Valley is a must-see when you’re in the area. The park is an incredibly diverse wilderness of canyons, sand dunes, salt flats, rugged rock formations, and mountains.

One of the largest and lowest parks in America, Death Valley has some of the hottest summer temperatures in the world so be aware and pack enough water and sunscreen.

Entering Death Valley be sure to ride the scenic Artist’s Drive. It’s a nine-mile (14.4 km) drive that takes you through canyons of the most fantastical colors: pink, blue, red, and yellow. It’s a paved road with a surprising number of curves, and its enjoyed best on a motorcycle. Artist’s Drive is located just off Badwater Road.

Badwater Basin is the iconic stop in the park and also the lowest point in North America being 282ft (86 m) below the sea level. Walk onto the salt flats and keep walking until the salt formations underneath you begin looking untouched by tourist traffic. There, a good walk away from the parking lot, you’ll find yourself truly immersed by the natural beauty of the land.

If you plan to spend the night in Death Valley, plan to visit the famous Zabriskie Point at sunrise or sunset. Zabriskie Point offers a breathtaking view of the mountains and is the most spectacular when the sun rises and sets, revealing the otherworldly colors of the rocks.

Another viewpoint not to miss is Dante’s View, a terrace revealing the dramatic scenery of the southern Death Valley basin. Here, the salt flats meet the sand and the mountains, making for a stunning view.

After you visit Death Valley, consider riding through Shoshone and Tecopa back to Las Vegas. You’ll find a nice mix of elevations and curves to add some excitement to mostly straight roads in and around the park. It’s a scenic route offering great views of the Devil’s Golf Course (not a paved road), the Golden Canyon, and the rugged mountains.

5. ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH

If you’ve enjoyed the ride in the Valley of Fire, Zion National Park will take it to a whole another level. We mentioned Zion NP in our article about riding in National Parks and truly it’s an all-time favorite among thousands of riders who choose to rent and tour with us each year.

Zion National Park in Utah is home to Zion Canyon, a spectacular red and tan rock gorge that is over 2,600 feet deep. The park’s beautiful landscape of red rocks, cliffs, buttes, canyons, and natural arches make for an incredible natural wonderland that leaves a long-lasting impression for months and year to come.

You can ride straight through Zion National Park, exploring its many scenic viewpoints. The ride in the park is about 15 miles (24 km) long and can get packed with the traffic of tourists in RVs and rental cars.

Weekdays are ideal for getting more personal time with the park with fewer tourists and a faster pace of riding. The speed limits are quite low and allow for plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful vistas, turns, and narrower stretches of the road.

One of the most spectacular views is from the Angels’ Landing, where you can see the full scale and size of the Zion Canyon. Other iconic views are the Court of the Patriarchs, the Kolob Arch, and the Virgin Towers.

Zion National Park covers a large area, so if you want to explore every nook and cranny and go hiking, plan to spend several days here. Consider combining the ride in Zion NP with Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, a stretch of Route 66, and Oatman all in one extended weekend NP, for an unforgettable time exploring the best of the American West. Here is a possible route for you to follow.

If all these routes get you excited and you have a few more days to spend on the road, our EagleRider guided tours are a fantastic way to take all the hassle away from the planning and simply enjoy the ride with fellow riders from all over the world. To learn more about our tours and different ways to ride with EagleRider, visit our new Motorcycle Group Travel with EagleRider rentals and explore this fantastic route below. 

Now that you're fully fired up to explore the best of the American West, let's talk about Grand Canyon for a minute. After all, this is the one place that is on the bucket list of most riders.

6. GRAND CANYON RIM AND HOOVER DAM, AZ-NV

Riding the Grand Canyon Rim is practically a rite of passage for any motorcyclist visiting the American Southwest. The iconic Grand Canyon, symbolizing the days of the Old West and freedom itself, is one of the world’s largest and deepest canyons created by the mighty Colorado river.

277 miles long (445 km), 18 miles (29 km) wide and over a mile deep, the Grand Canyon is accessible by many of the designated viewpoints along the way. For the best motorcycle riding, head for the North Rim using Route 67 (double-check for seasonal road closures before going). The South Rim offers better views into the canyon and is the most visited side of the canyon accessible via Route 64. The North Rim has higher elevation and offers a forested approach to the vast chasm.

Exploring the Grand Canyon National Park make sure to visit the Sky Walk at Eagle Point. Sky Walk is a horseshoe-shaped glass bridge that allows for an incredible view of the Grand Canyon. You are, quite literally, walking in the sky out and over the canyon itself.

On your way back to Las Vegas, stop and admire Hoover Dam on Route 93. This gigantic concrete monster in Black Canyon, built in 1936, creates Lake Mead, which is the largest water reservoir in America. Hoover Dam is 726 feet tall and 660 feet - two football fields – wide, making it one of the most impressive manmade monuments in Nevada and a popular tourist attraction.