7 Legendary Motorcycle Roads to Ride Before Summer Ends

Summer riding season comes with an expiration date, and it is closer than you think. These are the seven best motorcycle roads in America to ride before the season shuts down: the Tail of the Dragon, the Beartooth Highway, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Million Dollar Highway, the Needles Highway, the Cherohala Skyway, and the Pacific Coast Highway. Labor Day lands September 7 this year, and the high-country legends start closing soon after. The Beartooth typically gates shut by mid-October, sometimes earlier if the snow shows up angry. If one of these roads has been sitting on your someday list, this is the part of the calendar where someday either happens or waits another year.

In this article

• The 7 roads at a glance
• 1. Tail of the Dragon
• 2. Beartooth Highway
• 3. Blue Ridge Parkway
• 4. Million Dollar Highway
• 5. Needles Highway
• 6. Cherohala Skyway
• 7. Pacific Coast Highway
• How to plan a late-summer run
• FAQ

The 7 roads at a glance

1. Tail of the Dragon: 318 curves in 11 miles

US 129 at Deals Gap on the Tennessee and North Carolina line is the most famous 11 miles of pavement in American motorcycling: 318 curves, no driveways, no intersections, just you and the rhythm. It is not a race track, and the riders who treat it like one keep the Tree of Shame at the Deals Gap resort well decorated with wrecked parts.

Ride it on a weekday morning if you can. Weekend traffic gets thick with sport bikes, cruisers, and the occasional lost minivan crawling the centerline. Late August and September weekdays are the sweet spot: summer crowds thin out, the pavement stays warm, and the leaves have not yet pulled in the fall color tourists.

2. Beartooth Highway: the ride Charles Kuralt called the most beautiful in America

The Beartooth is the one with a real deadline. US 212 climbs 68 miles from Red Lodge, Montana over Beartooth Pass at 10,947 feet and drops you at the northeast gate of Yellowstone. Above the treeline it feels like riding across the roof of the continent: switchbacks stacked on switchbacks, alpine lakes, snow patches in August.

The road typically opens around Memorial Day and closes by mid-October, and an early storm can slam it shut any time after Labor Day. Check conditions before you commit, pack real layers even in August, and expect the temperature at the pass to run 30 degrees colder than the valley floor. This is the road to move to the top of the list right now.

3. Blue Ridge Parkway: 469 miles with no stop signs

The Parkway runs 469 miles along the spine of the Appalachians from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. Speed limit is 45, commercial traffic is banned, and there is not a single stop sign on the whole route. It is not a road you attack. It is a road you settle into for two or three days and let the overlooks do the work.

Late summer is quieter than the October leaf season, when the Parkway turns into a slow parade. Ride it now and you get warm valleys, cool ridgelines, and pull-offs to yourself.

4. Million Dollar Highway: 25 miles of pucker and glory

US 550 between Ouray and Silverton, Colorado is only about 25 miles, but they are 25 miles carved into the side of the San Juan Mountains with steep drop-offs, hairpins, and in several stretches no guardrail between you and a very long view down. Riders argue about where the Million Dollar name came from. Nobody argues about whether it is worth it.

Take it seriously: uphill traffic, gravel in the corners near the passes, and afternoon thunderstorms that build fast in September. Start in the morning, fuel up in Ouray, and give yourself time to stop in Silverton for a coffee you will remember.

5. Needles Highway: the Black Hills without the rally crowds

If you rode through Custer State Park during the rally, you already know SD 87, the Needles Highway: 14 miles of granite spires, pigtail curves, and one-lane tunnels blasted through solid rock, part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. Here is the secret: the Black Hills in late August and September, after half a million bikers head home from Sturgis, might be the best riding in the country. Same roads, no lines, cooler air.

The park charges a small entrance fee and the tunnels are tight, so watch for oncoming traffic and honk before you commit. Pair it with Iron Mountain Road and you have a full day of the best low-speed technical riding anywhere.

6. Cherohala Skyway: the Dragon's grown-up big brother

Forty-three miles of high, sweeping curves between Tellico Plains, Tennessee and Robbinsville, North Carolina, cresting above 5,000 feet. Where the Dragon is tight and frantic, the Cherohala is fast and flowing, long constant-radius sweepers with mile-high views and almost no traffic. Plenty of riders who make the pilgrimage to Deals Gap come home talking about the Skyway instead.

There are no gas stations on the route, so fill up before you climb. Ride both in one day: Dragon in the morning, Skyway in the afternoon, and you have knocked out two legends before dinner.

7. Pacific Coast Highway: Big Sur in September

California Highway 1 through Big Sur, roughly 90 miles between Carmel and San Simeon, is the ocean-side legend: cliffs on one side, the Pacific on the other, and the Bixby Bridge photo you have seen a thousand times waiting for your bike in the frame. Here is what the postcards do not tell you: September and early fall are the best months on this coast. The summer fog that swallows the road in June and July burns off, the tourist traffic thins after Labor Day, and the light turns gold.

Check Caltrans before you go, because slides close sections of Highway 1 with some regularity, and a detour on this coast is not a small thing.

How do you plan a late-summer motorcycle trip?

Three rules for chasing pavement this time of year. First, check road status the day before and the morning of: mountain passes and coastal sections close on short notice. Second, pack for two seasons, because an August afternoon in the valley and an August evening at 10,000 feet are different worlds; layers beat bulk, and the low-lying legs of these routes can still hit triple digits, so our guide to riding in extreme heat still applies. Third, book rooms early around Labor Day weekend, September 5 to 7 this year, when every rider in the country has the same idea you do.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best motorcycle road in America?

Ask ten riders, get ten answers. The Tail of the Dragon is the most famous, the Beartooth Highway is the most spectacular, and the Blue Ridge Parkway is the best multi-day ride. If you can only pick one before the season ends, pick the Beartooth, because it is the one that closes first.

When does the Beartooth Highway close?

The Beartooth typically closes for the season by mid-October, and early snowstorms can close it temporarily any time after Labor Day. It usually reopens around Memorial Day weekend.

Is the Tail of the Dragon dangerous?

It is as dangerous as the rider. The road itself is well maintained with no intersections, but 318 curves punish ego. Ride your own pace, stay in your lane, and let faster traffic by at the pull-offs, and the Dragon is a joy rather than a statistic.

Is September a good month for a motorcycle trip?

September might be the best month of the year to ride. Summer crowds are gone, the heat backs off, the coast clears of fog, and most mountain roads are still open. The trade-off is shorter days and cold mornings at elevation, so pack layers and plan to be off the high passes before dark.