We’re approaching fall, when children return to high school, the air will get cooler, and leaves begin to present their true colours. It’s a good time to hit the highway, and our Fall Bike Journey Information will assist encourage your subsequent motorbike journey. The information is organized by area, and every vacation spot consists of necessary assets that can assist you profit from your trip. Need your journey story printed in Rider? Take notes, seize the most effective moments with photographs, and ship your pitch to rider@ridermagazine.com.
Favourite Rides
Inspiration from the pages of Rider.
Midwest
Ohio
A Zanesville Homecoming, by Ken Frick (August 2024)
Longtime Rider contributor Ken Frick (see his U.S. 50 characteristic right here) hails from Zanesville, Ohio, the northern terminus of the well-known Triple Nickel (OH Route 555). He reconnects together with his roots and shares a few of his favourite backroads that make southeastern Ohio such a well-liked vacation spot for motorcyclists. Along with the Triple Nickel, which is a part of Ohio’s Windy 9, he explores State Routes 60, 78, 83, 146, 284, 340, and 376. He additionally visits landmarks in and round Zanesville, together with the Y-Bridge, the Nationwide Highway-Zane Gray Museum, the boyhood residence of John Glenn, The Wilds, and Blue Rock State Park.
South
Tennessee
Tennessee Escape, by Allison Parker (April 2025)
Rider’s managing editor, Allison Parker, is a local Tennessean. She and her husband, Jake, spent three days exploring the sights and roads of the 9 Lakes Area of East Tennessee, named after lakes created by Tennessee Valley Authority dams to offer electrical energy and recreation. The Appalachian Mountains outline the realm’s character, the place roads observe hills, hollows, and rivers to attach small cities. Highlights of their journey included the Satan’s Triangle loop, Cumberland Hole Nationwide Historic Park (residence of Tri-State Peak, the place Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia meet), Norris Dam State Park, Fort Southwest Level, and the Victorian village of Rugby.
Northeast
Pennsylvania
Using Properly columnist Eric Trow’s father-in-law, George, cherished Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Nationwide Forest – “he not solely cherished the realm however was additionally intimately accustomed to practically each small city, backroad, and beer backyard throughout Clarion, Forest, Elk, and McKean counties.” After his father-in-law handed away, Trow explored “George’s Nation” by motorbike, meandering down rural state highways and U.S. Route 6 (generally known as PA Route 6), stopping in small cities like Kane and Smethport, and visiting landmarks just like the Kinzua Sky Stroll, the Eldred WWII Museum, the Zippo/Case Museum, and Serenity Glass Park. He slows down and will get to know the folks and locations that make this a part of Pennsylvania particular.
Lighting a New Path on Route 66 in Pulaski County, Missouri
For practically 100 years, Route 66 has known as out to these with wanderlust, who yearn to set out on the open highway on two wheels. In Pulaski County, Missouri, a brand new beacon shines brightly as a logo of the Mom Highway’s adventurous spirit. Route 66 Neon Park beckons cross-country vacationers to cease and marvel on the mid-century trendy nostalgia on show. This free, open-air museum within the coronary heart of the Ozarks hosts genuine neon indicators that previously stood alongside the Missouri portion of Route 66. As soon as deserted, forgotten, and left to waste, these rehabilitated masterpieces now solid a well-recognized glow over the Mom Highway in Saint Robert, a spectacular tribute to the roadside points of interest that lured vacationers through the famed freeway’s heyday.
In Waynesville, the Birthplace of the Byway, the heritage of Route 66 lives on at quite a few historic websites. The 1903 Courthouse Museum, certainly one of simply two interval courthouses on Missouri’s stretch of the freeway, immerses guests within the historical past of Pulaski County, as does the Previous Stagecoach Cease, the oldest standing construction within the county.
However a contemporary drive down Historic Route 66 isn’t nearly remembering the glory days – parts of the unique route stay simply as they had been generations in the past. Take, for instance, the enduring steel-truss bridge within the small neighborhood of Devils Elbow. Constructed in 1923, this bridge supplies an unparalleled view of the majestic Hiawatha Bluffs towering over the Massive Piney River and carries vacationers to a can’t-miss picture op on the former Devils Elbow Cafe. As soon as rumored to be the deepest highway reduce in America, Hooker Lower carries bikers previous breathtaking dolomite and limestone rock faces – a real engineering triumph. And roadside points of interest just like the famed Uranus Fudge Manufacturing unit, Frog Rock, and the 8-foot Route 66 Protect echo the favored picture ops which have come and gone during the last 100 years, a testomony to the enduring spirit of the Mom Highway in Pulaski County.
Set out on the open highway in Pulaski County. Try our Scenic Bike Rides itinerary.
Image This: 301 Miles of Basic Americana on Route 66, Illinois
The open highway hums beneath your tires, the scent of scorching burgers drifts via the air, and neon indicators flicker within the twilight – Illinois Route 66 is greater than a highway; it’s a journey via America’s previous. Spanning 301 miles from Chicago to Granite Metropolis, this legendary freeway provides a nostalgic mixture of diners, quirky points of interest, and historic landmarks.
Your journey begins in downtown Chicago on the iconic Route 66 signal. Leaving the town’s skyline behind, make your first cease at Dell Rhea’s Rooster Basket in Willowbrook, serving crispy fried rooster for the reason that Nineteen Twenties.
The primary 100 miles take you thru Joliet, residence of the Previous Joliet Jail featured within the motion pictures The Blues Brothers and Jail Break. In Wilmington, the towering Gemini Big welcomes vacationers. Pontiac, a favourite picture cease, boasts the world’s largest painted Route 66 defend and the Route 66 Corridor of Fame and Museum, celebrating the freeway’s golden age.
Farther south, Bloomington-Regular provides the restored Sprague’s Tremendous Service Station, a glimpse into highway journey’s previous. Atlanta is residence to the towering 19-foot Paul Bunyon Statue holding a large scorching canine, in addition to the American Giants Museum, which preserves the historical past of Muffler Males and different larger-than-life roadside points of interest.
In Springfield, Abraham Lincoln’s legacy involves life on the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the Lincoln Residence Nationwide Historic Web site, and his tomb. Meals lovers can indulge at Cozy Canine Drive-In, the birthplace of the corn canine, or attempt the well-known Horseshoe Sandwich at Route 66 Motorheads Bar & Grill.
Farther alongside, Litchfield’s Ariston Cafe, one of many oldest eating places on Route 66, welcomes vacationers. Livingston’s Pink Elephant Vintage Mall provides a unusual cease with its large pink elephant and classic treasures. Collinsville’s Brooks Catsup Bottle water tower, a tribute to America’s favourite condiment, and Edwardsville’s historic West Finish Service Station (photographs above) evoke early highway journey.
Illinois Route 66 meets the Mississippi River, connecting with one other legendary freeway – the Nice River Highway. As you cross the historic Chain of Rocks Bridge, the mighty river under serves as an ideal farewell earlier than the Mom Highway continues westward, carrying the spirit of journey onward.
9 Causes to Add the 9 Lakes of East Tennessee to Your Bucket Listing
East Tennessee is the place mountains meet pristine waters, the place historical past comes alive, and the place each flip within the highway results in a brand new journey. Right here’s why the 9 Lakes Area belongs in your must-visit checklist:
- 5 Nationwide Scenic Byways: From winding mountain passes to peaceable lakeside rides, the journey is as beautiful because the vacation spot.
- 4 Nationwide Parks: Hike within the Smokies, discover the wild Massive South Fork, and uncover protected lands teeming with wildlife.
- Iconic Mountain Ranges: Two Appalachian giants – the Smokies and the Cumberlands – body the area with unforgettable vistas.
- Turquoise Lakes: 9 glowing lakes invite you to kayak, fish, swim, or just chill out by the shore.
- Yr-Spherical Magnificence: From spring blooms to fall foliage, the mountains and valleys change with every season – 9 superb months for the right highway journey.
- Out of doors Journey: Paddle, hike, climb, camp – select your individual tempo, from adrenaline rush to peaceable escape.
- Wealthy Historical past: Stroll within the footsteps of pioneers and Native Individuals, discover Civil Battle battlefields, and discover your America250 story within the locations that helped form our nation.
- Charming Small Cities: Uncover boutique procuring, native eating, and festivals that welcome you want household.
- Views You’ll By no means Overlook: Stand excessive above the Tennessee Valley and soak in panoramas you’ll be able to’t seize in a photograph – you merely should be there.
Your subsequent nice highway journey begins right here. Plan your 9 Lakes journey, attempt certainly one of our three-day road-trip itineraries, or request our free journey information – and see why East Tennessee will stick with you without end. So lean into the curves, take your time, and let the journey be a part of the story.
Really feel the Rush, Not Rush Hour, on PA Route 6
Not all highway journeys are created equal. Some provide such quite a lot of experiences and alternatives that they maintain you coming again for extra. That completely describes U.S. Route 6 in Pennsylvania, identified domestically as PA Route 6. Spanning 427 miles, Route 6 provides motorcyclists an unforgettable journey throughout the northern tier of the state.
Majestic Surroundings
From lush forests to picturesque farmlands, riders encounter a kaleidoscope of pure wonders at each flip. Starting within the western half of the state, riders are handled to the wine nation of the Nice Lakes Area earlier than using via the Allegheny Nationwide Forest, the place towering bushes cover the highway. Farther east, cruise via the huge agricultural valleys of the Infinite Mountains earlier than heading on to the Pocono Mountains.
Discover all of this on one epic highway journey or break it into a number of journeys utilizing the official “Take the Excessive Highway” Bike Loop Map out there via PA Route 6 Alliance. Their 5 signature motorbike loops vary in size from 189 to 270 miles and are designed to assist riders actually expertise what every area of PA Route 6 has to supply. Obtain maps and consider itineraries right here.
Historic Appeal
Passing via quaint cities and villages, riders can discover charming most important streets lined with historic buildings, cozy cafes, and vintage outlets. Every cease alongside the route unveils a bit of America’s heritage, beginning with the Erie Canal in Erie County and the Kinzua Sky Stroll in McKean County, which was as soon as the tallest and longest railroad bridge on the earth.
Journey on to the Austin Dam in Potter County, the place 78 folks had been killed when the dam broke in 1911. Farther down the highway, find out about practice historical past on the Steamtown Nationwide Historic Web site in Lackawanna County. And don’t overlook a cease at The Columns in Pike County, the place you’ll be able to view the blood-stained Lincoln Flag that cushioned President Lincoln’s head moments after he was assassinated. These stops and lots of extra assist guests expertise not simply the historical past of this area however of the nation.
Vibrant Tradition
Touring alongside PA Route 6 exposes riders to the colourful tradition and hospitality of small communities. From festivals celebrating native traditions to roadside diners serving hearty consolation meals, riders are immersed within the heat of rural America. Pleasant locals welcome riders with open arms, sharing tales and suggestions.
Additionally on the PA Route 6 web site, try the Public Artwork & Mural Path, which options dozens of murals and artwork shows that inform the tales of communities throughout the northern tier of Pennsylvania. All of those provide nice alternatives to stretch your legs whereas studying extra about this area.
Timeless Reminiscences
Maybe essentially the most compelling purpose to trip PA Route 6 is to create recollections that will likely be cherished for years to return. Whether or not it’s watching a dawn over the Allegheny Mountains, sharing amusing with newfound pals at a roadside diner, or feeling the push of the wind as you twist the throttle on a scenic stretch of highway via the Infinite Mountains, each second alongside PA Route 6 is imbued with a way of magic and marvel.
Using a motorbike alongside PA Route 6 is an expertise that transcends mere transportation – it’s a journey of discovery, journey, and camaraderie. So pack your saddlebags, hearth up your engine, and embark on the journey of a lifetime alongside PA Route 6!
Pennsylvania Sources
