8 days
Duration
2/3
Difficulty level
USA
Location
1650 km/1032 mi
Distance

Golden States Run

Welcome to an amazing 8-day tour with the best attractions and spectacular national parks in California, Arizona, and Nevada. We visit breathtaking Joshua Tree National Park, Lake Havasu, Oatman miner town on Historic Route 66, try our luck on the casinos in Laughlin, enjoy beautiful Mohave National Preserve and Big Bear Lake. On our journey, we ride on some exiting roads like Pines to Palms Highway, Oatman Highway, spectacular Angeles Crest Hwy/CA-2 (ranked US #10 best motorcycle road), and breathtaking Pacific Coastal Highway 1 (ranked US #5). This tour is also packed with fun attractions like San Diego, Santa Ysabel, miner/cowboy town Oatman, and Santa Monica.  This is a great one-week getaway vacation!

DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION Los Angeles/LAX – Los Angeles [Roundtrip]
DEPARTURE TIME Please arrive at least 2 hours before the flight.
TOUR GUIDE LANGUAGES
INCLUDED
Motorcycle/Car rental w/unlimited milage Shared room in biker-friendly hotels/motels
1st choice of vehicle model class Continental breakfast
Entrance fees National parks Gas at designated stops
Multi-lingual Tour leader Transport to rental company
Support van w/ luggage State min. SLI insurance
Loss damage Waiver Half shell helmet
Tour PDF w/route descr. Pictures from the tour
Welcome meeting Farewell dinner/BBQ
NOT INCLUDED
Airfare
Vehicle model guarantee
LDW Zero & insurance upgrades
Fuel for own riding
Security deposit for LDW
Optional Attractions
Food & Beverages
Anything not listed in “included” above
NOTE
 Tour dates are subject to change. Please ensure that your tour will be arranged on the desired date before booking your flight tickets.

“At JoyRides Tours we believe that good experiences and camaraderie are at least as important as the tour. Our goal is to fill your tour bag with as many positive memories as possible, so you go home with a big smile on your face. And with friends, you didn’t have before you started your adventure tour.”

1

Day 1: Departure - Arrival Los Angeles, California

When all tour participants have arrived, we meet for a welcome greeting and refreshment, with introductions. The evening’s program is getting to know each other and we eat dinner together in true American style. Those who are not tired after the long journey may go to a local bar nearby.
2

Day 2: Los Angeles - San Diego, California

(Driving day 1: 212 km/132 miles)

When everyone is ready on the bikes we embark on our Golden States Run tour. LA disappears behind us as we head south for a unique adventure full of history, excitement, and fun! This first driving day will bring some city, some highway, and a wonderful drive along the legendary Pacific Coast Highway 1 towards fun San Diego. We start slowly to tune everyone into the California driving conditions and temperatures. In approx. 30 min our first stop is Long Beach, where we make an extra security check of the bikes, equipment, and drivers before our tour begins for real.

Get ready for a tasty lunch at Ruby’s Diner in Laguna Beach. Milkshakes the old-fashioned way = highly recommended! Thereafter, we head straight to San Diego, where we drive to Historic Old Town, check in to the hotel, and spend the rest of the day on everything this fun city has to offer: the USS Midway, Maritime Museum, Little Italy, Old Town.

3

Day 3: San Diego – Palm Springs, California

(Driving day 2: 231 km/145 miles)

Today we ride into the desert to stay in legendary Palm Springs, home of the rich & famous. After we exit San Diego through Ramona, we stop at Santa Ysabel, home of the famous homemade pies. Be ready for a real delicious treat and try not to eat too much. You will probably want to buy more to bring with you for the rest of the tour.

We continue our tour on fun Pines to Palms Hwy, which has some spectacular views, so keep your cameras ready. Our end stop is Palm Springs, where we spend an exciting evening together.

4

Day 4: Palm Springs – Lake Havasu, Arizona

(Driving day 3: 390 km/242  miles)

Today will be mostly desert riding. We start off the day by driving through beautiful Joshua Tree National Park, home to spectacular rock and desert formations. We continue to Lake Havasu, where we will enjoy a nice ride along the lake shores before we end up in Lake Havasu City. This evening you can visit the London Bridge.

5

Day 5: Lake Havasu – Laughlin, Nevada

(Driving day 4: 164 km/102 miles)

We head north towards Kingman and Historic Route 66, also called “The Mother Road”. We do as thousands of pilgrims before us, drive Route 66 to the west. You will experience a spectacular drive to Oatman, an old miner/western village, which was established by two gold diggers in 1915. The driving distance to the Oatman consists of narrow curvy roads at different height levels, with mountain and desert landscapes. Ideal for filming, perhaps the best opportunity on the tour. In Oatman, remember to lock your bikes, and watch out for donkeys & outlaws in the streets.  We continue on Route 66 before we drive straight to Laughlin. Welcome to casinos and playgrounds!

6

Day 6: Laughlin – Big Bear Lake, California

(Driving day 5: 416  km/259 miles)

It will be a day of desert driving, and it will get hot. We drive through “Mojave National Preserve”, known for its singing sand dunes, cinder cone volcanoes, a large Joshua tree forest, and carpets of spring wildflowers. We continue towards Calico Ghost Town, eat lunch in Barstow, before driving to the beautiful vacation resort Big Bear Lake, where we will spend our last magical evening together on the road.

7

Day 7: Big Bear Lake - Los Angeles, California

(Driving day 6: 256 km/159 miles)

We end our tour with a big bang. Today you will experience the magical roads and spectacular views on one of the US Best motorcycle roads; Angeles Crest Highway (CA-2). It will be a breathtaking once-in-a-lifetime riding experience for the history books! Make sure to have your cameras ready and fully charged!

We make several stops and take our time on Angels Crest Highway before we head towards Los Angeles. We return our bikes and check-in to the hotel before we drive to Santa Monica Pier, the end of Historic Route 66, and our Farewell party.

8

Day 8: Los Angeles & Home Travel

We say goodbye to the Golden States Run, Los Angeles, and return home. Thanks for a great ride, good times, and sincerely thank you for choosing to tour with Explorify. We wish you a safe trip home and hope to see you again on one of our other tours in the US, South America, Asia, Oceania, or Europe.

Note: Because of the time difference travelers from Europe will arrive home the date/day after departing the US.

Also: This program is a guideline for activities and experiences on the tour. Deviations may occur, but we guarantee that our positive tour leaders will do their utmost to execute the program as described – as far as it is feasible and circumstances allow. We are continually working to improve the program, thus you may experience positive surprises.

Prices (USD)

DRIVER in shared room:
From $2 995
DRIVER in single room:
From $3 545
PASSENGER in shared room:
From $1 995
PASSENGER in single room:
From $2 545

Book tour

Tour category
Date from
Date to
Booking deadline
Status

Tour category:
Golden State Run
Date from:
17.09.2023
Date to:
24.09.2023
Booking deadline:
20.08.2023