California's High Sierra Mountains rank as some of the best mountain pass motorcycle riding in the USA. High Sierra passes are long lonely roads in the wild mountains, some take 2 or 3 hours to ride. This tour routes you over 6 of them. While this tour can be run as a large full service group tour it also can be taken as a self guided GPS tour. That means the bike is ready, the GPS is loaded with all the local routes, your hotels are booked. All you have to do is show up and ride, when you want, with who you want. The passes are open as early as May and close as late as early December. Local food tips, fuel stops and a damn fine map are included. A Leod Escape Kit provides all of this to you or your small group. You don't just get good tips, you get a tried and true plan, put together from decades of experience. Come ride the lonely curves of the California wilderness.
GPS Guided or Guided High Sierra Escape at a Glance
Tour Days
> Day
1 -
Arrival San Francisco
> Day
2 -
San Francisco to Eastern Sierra - (256 Miles/411km)
> Day
3 -
Eastern Sierra to Tahoe - (224 miles/360km)
> Day
4 -
Tahoe to Chico - (216 miles/248km)
> Day
5 -
Chico to San Franciso - (232 miles/373km)
Upcoming Tour Dates
Date To Be Determined
Ride when you want with who you want, best between June and October
Scenery:
Rugged High Mountains, Ranch Country, Wine Country
Road Difficulty:
Some bumpy pavement, and challenging curves
Road Excitement:
Mountain Pass Curves that rival the Alps
Food:
California Organic, BBQ, Mexican, diverse options
Hotels:
3 Star Hotels
Riding Days:
4
Riding Hours Per Day:
6
Airport:
San Francisco SFO
Quick Itinerary:
San Francisco-Eastern Sierra-Lake Tahoe-Chico-San Franciso
Testimonials
Tour Cancellation Policy
Cancellations are rare but hotel and bike vendors are often not as forgiving as we’d like. If you must cancel Leod Escapes urges you to transfer your tour slot to a good friend whenever possible. It’s not in our benefit to operate at a loss but it is in our best interests that you feel you are treated fairly.
A deposit of around 30% reserves your bike(s) and rooms. Full payment is due 60 days before the tour.
If you cancel 60 days or more prior to the tour, your deposit will be held as credit towards another tour for the same or following year.
If you cancel between 59 and 31 days prior to the starting date of the tour you will loose the deposit. The balance will be held in credit towards another tour in the same or following year.
If you cancel 30 days prior to the starting date of the tour you loose 75% of the total amount. The remaining balance is held as credit towards another tour the same or following year.
GPS Guided or Guided High Sierra Escape - tour:
T309 A 4 day 5 night budget motorcycle escape to the twisty lonely passes of the California High Sierras Mountains.
Includes
4 Days on the best curvy roads
Custom routes over California's best passes
Transport to and from airport
5 Nights 3 star accommodations
Base Rental Bike with Upgrades Available
Couple Price Includes Larger Base Bike R1200GS
Rental bike with luggage
GPS with routes, and waypoints
Route guide and quality map
Book 8 people and your personal local guide comes along for free
Local support if you need it
Does Not Include
Airfare
Meals not included but local dining recommendations included
Fuel for your rental bike
Tour Difficulty
Pavement quality is good. Some mountain passes are very challenging. Alternative routes can be created for beginning riders.
Tour Pricing
Single Rider Shared Room Motorcycle Class 1 BMW F700GS, F800 R, F800GS, Ducati Scrambler
$1,690.00 (
$510.00 Deposit)
Single Rider Shared Room Motorcycle Class 2 Ducati Hyperstrada, Monster 821,
$1,755.00 (
$530.00 Deposit)
Single Rider Shared Room Motorcycle Class 3 BMW R1200RT, R1200GS, RNineT, KTM 1190ADV
$1,830.00 (
$550.00 Deposit)
Single Rider Shared Room Motorcycle Class 4 Ducati Multistrada, BMW S1000XR
$1,875.00 (
$565.00 Deposit)
Single Rider Shared Room Motorcycle Class 5 BMW K1600GT
$1,925.00 (
$580.00 Deposit)
Couple Riding One Bike Motorcycle Class 3 BMW R1200GS, R1200RT, KTM 1190ADV
$2,150.00 (
$650.00 Deposit)
Couple Riding One Bike Motorcycle Class 4 BMW S1000XR, Ducati Multistrada
$2,190.00 (
$660.00 Deposit)
Single Rider Own Room Motorcycle Class 1 BMW F700GS, F800GS, F800R, Ducati Scambler
$2,225.00 (
$600.00 Deposit)
Couple Riding One Bike Motorcycle Class 5 BMW K1600GT
$2,250.00 (
$675.00 Deposit)
Single Rider Own Room Motorcycle Class 2 Ducati Hyperstrada, Monster 821
$2,290.00 (
$690.00 Deposit)
Single Rider Own Room Motorcycle Class 3 BMW R1200GS, R1200RT, RNineT, KTM 1190ADV
$2,365.00 (
$710.00 Deposit)
Single Rider Own Room Motorcycle Class 4 BMW S1000 XR, Ducati Multistrada
$2,410.00 (
$725.00 Deposit)
Single Rider Own Room Motorcycle Class 5 BMW K1600GT
$2,460.00 (
$740.00 Deposit)
Days of the
GPS Guided or Guided High Sierra Escape Motorcycle Tour
San Francisco hotels are very expensive and space is always limited so book early. Our hotel outside the city gives you a much better value and is close to the local subway so you can enjoy "The City" if you want to. When you arrive at the airport take the hotel shuttle to your hotel and check in. Then ask the shuttle to take you to the motorcycle rental station and get your bike. If you arrive early you can take the subway to the city. Just be back by 4pm and have the hotel shuttle give you a ride to pickup your motorcycle. You can take a warm up ride to the local motorcycle hangout, Alice’s restaurant. That night pack up the motorcycle luggage and leave your suitcases in storage at the hotel. Take a look at your supplied roadbook and familiarize yourself with the GPS. Look over tomorrows route on the large detailed map supplied. Get a good night sleep, you have a wonderful adventure tomorrow.
Day
2 San Francisco to Eastern Sierra - (256 Miles/411km)
Good morning it's time to get your adventure started and you have a long day ahead. Then review your waypoints that are already loaded into your GPS and select the route for the day. Ride out of the city across the massive Bay Bridge and head towards the vast fertile fields of the central valley. Take these first few hours to get used to your motorcycle. Following your waypoints the curves begin in the California gold country just west of the mountains. Small hills get larger until you are climbing up the high sierras toward a recommended lunch stop in the Gold Country for some good BBQ. If you are not hungry yet there’s one more stop you could make further up in the mountains for some good pizza. Civilization falls away, the curves increase and cell phone coverage vanishes. Once you get above 7000 feet be sure to pull over once or twice and take in the amazing views across the 100s of miles of empty country. The road turns into a roller coaster once you cross the pass into the eastern Sierra. This is cattle country and a whole other world culturally. Civilization is rather sparse out here and finding a decent place to stay and a good meal is not easy. Head north along the border of California and Nevada and check into your hotel and then walk down the road for a good local steak.
Day
3 Eastern Sierra to Tahoe - (224 miles/360km)
Get ready for a challenging and amazing ride. You’ll head south for a few miles and then west over the Sierra as the morning sun lights up the mountains in front of you. Rise high over the valleys below and say goodbye to the eastern Sierra. Though vast alpine meadows you’ll drop down into a river valley and twist along it’s banks until the road starts to climb. Welcome to your most challenging ride of the tour. Up along the narrow twists of a one lane road with great pavement. Switchbacks, alpine lakes and crazy undulations of road take you over two passes and stunning views. As you cross into the western Sierra the road widens into an array of sweepers that take you down into the Gold Country. There’s a wide array to choose from for lunch in a great little gold country town but your road guide gives you some tips. Ride northwest and pick up another mountain pass heading east as the afternoon sun lights your way. This pass is a pleasure ride filled with wide sweepers and expansive views. Head north again though a small pass and arrive in the big resort town of South Lake Tahoe. Plenty of dining options tonight and your road guide has a few tips.
Day
4 Tahoe to Chico - (216 miles/248km)
Your road book gives you recommendations for breakfast and the hotel staff can direct you to it as well. Review the waypoints and map at breakfast then select the route on your GPS. This morning you will ride around the largest alpine lake in North America, lake Tahoe. Heading north you'll ride into the empty Northern Sierras. This wild country is sparsely populated with the odd cattle ranch or logging town. Follow the GPS points to mountain river roads into the high country and stop for lunch where the locals go. After lunch you head to a locals road that’s loaded with great curves. The twist continue as you ride down into the university town of Chico. There's plenty of upscale restaurants here but you might want to join the local students for decent bar food at The Bear.
Day
5 Chico to San Franciso - (232 miles/373km)
Rise this morning and enjoy breakfast at a local bakery before getting on the road and riding through the vast orchards. Your route keeps you off the main highway and takes you through the local farm country. Take road stop in Williams before heading through the wide empty sweepers of highway 20 as you head for the wine country. Fuel up before heading down the tight twists into Napa Valley. Your lunch stop is here in the northern wine country town of Calistoga. Sure there’s plenty of places vying for your travel dollar but we’ve got a tip for you on where the locals eat. Let the traffic use the main road, we’ll route you onto the road on the other side of the valley for better views. Heading west into Sonoma county you’ll hook up with the main highway and ride towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Leave the tourists at the main overlook for the bridge and follow the GPS further up the road to a better spot for that victory photo. Cross over the famed bridge and bypass downtown as the GPS routes you south on the easy way back to your familiar hotel in South San Francisco before refueling and returning your motorcycle.
Cancellations are rare but hotel and bike vendors are often not as forgiving as we’d like. If you must cancel Leod Escapes urges you to transfer your tour slot to a good friend whenever possible. It’s not in our benefit to operate at a loss but it is in our best interests that you feel you are treated fairly.
A deposit of around 30% reserves your bike(s) and rooms. Full payment is due 60 days before the tour.
If you cancel 60 days or more prior to the tour, your deposit will be held as credit towards another tour for the same or following year.
If you cancel between 59 and 31 days prior to the starting date of the tour you will loose the deposit. The balance will be held in credit towards another tour in the same or following year.
If you cancel 30 days prior to the starting date of the tour you loose 75% of the total amount. The remaining balance is held as credit towards another tour the same or following year.
Related Pages to
GPS Guided or Guided High Sierra Escape