If you’re looking for exciting twists and turns on your next motorcycle ride, don’t miss the 10 twistiest motorcycle tours in the USA. These motorcycle roads offer hundreds of turns through national parks, beautiful scenery, famous landmarks, and historic towns.
1. Coronado Trail Scenic Byway in Arizona
The Coronado Trail Scenic Byway stretches a winding 129 miles along U.S. Route 191. Located between Springerville and Clifton, Arizona, estimates report approximately 460 turns consisting largely of hairpin turns and switchbacks. The highway is one of the highest roads in Arizona, passing through the Sipe Wildlife Area, White Mountains, and Apache National Forest.
2. Beartooth Highway in Montana and Wyoming
Beartooth Highway is an All-American Road stretching along U.S. Route 212, starting in Red Lodge, MT, and dipping into Wyoming before re-entering Montana and riding through Cooke City to the Yellowstone National Park entrance.
3. Needles Highway in South Dakota
Part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, Needles Highway is a 14-mile road surrounded by pine and spruce forests and the iconic granite “needles” of mountainous pillars. The road stretches through Custer State Park and includes sharp turns and narrow tunnels.
4. Snake Alley in Iowa
In the town of Burlington, IA, is a short zig-zagging road called Snake Alley, reminiscent of Lombard Street in San Francisco. However, Snake Alley is much shorter, with tight switchbacks on a 21% downgrade over bumpy bricks, making for a hair-raising thrill for motorcyclists who want to give the tight curves and steep decline a try.
5. Estacada to Detroit Lake on the Clackamas Highway in Oregon
This is a 70-mile route from Estacada to Detroit Lake in Oregon. This motorcycle route offers lots of twists and turns and gorgeous views of rock formations and white water rivers.
6. Back of the Dragon in Virginia
Between Marion and Tazewell, VA, is the Back of the Dragon, a twisting 32-mile section of Route 16 with over 400 curves. The three mountains the road twists between resemble a dragon’s back, and the route winds through switchbacks and hairpin turns nearly the entire ride.
7. Deal’s Gap “Tail of the Dragon” in North Carolina and Tennessee
Starting in Robbinsville, NC, at the intersection of U.S. 129 and NC-28, head up U.S. 129 toward Tennessee through 318 curves in just 11 miles. The route ends at Tabcat Creek Bridge in Tennessee. Watch your speed and control your bike around the blind corners for a safe ride.
8. Smugglers’ Notch in Vermont
Take Route 108 between Jeffersonville and Stowe for twists and turns through trees, mountains, and boulders for some fantastic foliage views in the fall.
9. Pacific Coast Highway from Northern California through Washington
Highway 101 is a famous motorcycle ride the world over. The beautiful twisty ride begins in Northern California as you make your way north through Oregon and into Washington. The highway hugs the coast, sometimes giving you ocean views or taking you inland for mountains and forests.
10. Cherohala Skyway in North Carolina and Tennessee
South of the Tail of the Dragon is the Cherohala Skyway, a 45-mile National Scenic Byway between Robbinsville, NC, and Tellico Plains, TN. Comprised of North Carolina Highway 143 and Tennessee State Route 165, the elevation changes by 4,500 feet along the way.
Contact Law Tigers for Motorcycle Legal Assistance
Enjoy these 10 twistiest motorcycle tours in the USA the next time you’re planning a motorcycle ride. Some offer technical challenges with white-knuckle excitement, while others offer more scenic routes.
If you experience a motorcycle injury accident, call Law Tigers at 888-863-7216 for a case evaluation.
