Iowa Hill Rd starts at Colfax, CA If you crave a backroads ride involving guardrail-free cliffs and a destination that hasn’t seen a power line in 170 years, Iowa Hill Rd is calling your name. Dropping off the ridge from Colfax, the pavement immediately plunges into a steep, single-lane descent toward the North Fork of the American River. This isn't just a narrow road—it’s a shelf carved into a vertical canyon wall. In many spots, the asphalt is barely wider than a single veh

The purists are going to scold me. But it’s always worth it.

Did you know there’s an rarely used airstrip at Stovepipe Wells across the street from the hotel. Originally built in the 1940s when roadways were pour. The runway is barely visible from Highway 190. Promise I was good.

The Map Labeled it: Glass Mountain. As soon as I saw those words, I had to check it out. A mountain made of glass? It sounded like something made up, but the label was irresistible. That was 30 years ago. Since then, I’ve been back to Glass Mountain numerous times, often with a Pashnit Motorcycle Tours group in tow. It is indeed a mountain of glass—specifically, volcanic obsidian. Tucked away near the California-Oregon border in the far northeast corner of the state, this reg

Yes, that’s a tree. One Sequoia tree. And yes, that’s a Buell Ulysses. The "Tunnel Log" in Sequoia National Park is located on the south side of the park along Moro Rock / Crescent Meadow Road. Depending on when you roll up, it’s either buzzing with tourists or completely deserted. I’ve seen both extremes through the years. If you make the ride to Sequoia NP, don’t miss the climb to the top of Moro Rock. It’s a massive granite dome at 6,700 feet, offering a perspective very s

Chimney Rock Road near Paso Robles delivers exactly the kind of riding your brain needs... Recently repaved, this 15-mile ribbon of asphalt was so fresh when our Pashnit Motorcycle Tours group first hit it, the lines hadn't even been painted yet. What we found was pure magic: perfect pavement and beautifully banked S-curves. Branching off Nacimiento Lake Road just 8 miles west of Paso Robles, the road flows through an undulating landscape that defines the Central Coast Range.

Ice House Rd has been reborn. Seventeen miles of this Sierra Nevada classic were repaved in late 2024 and early 2025—and it’s nothing like you remember. For years, Ice House was infamous for mid-corner root heaves- tree bumps that launched you out of the seat, and patchwork bumpy asphalt that kept every rider on edge. That’s all gone. What remains is smooth, flowing Sierra Nevada pavement carving through the heart of the El Dorado National Forest. The rhythm is back. The swee

Wards Ferry Road connects Sonora with Groveland via a steep canyon descent through a set of technical, one-lane switchbacks on both sides of the gorge. Traffic flows in both directions, but meeting a vehicle here is a game of chess; someone may have to take turns, and someone might even have to back up. Because the road is so narrow and lacks guardrails, it creates a dizzying optical illusion, making the drop-offs feel even more dramatic than they already are. Tucked away in

Cassel-Fall River Rd is one of those blink-and-you-miss-it connectors that quietly delivers everything a motorcyclist wants. Tucked into the far northeast corner of California between the tiny hamlets of Cassel and Fall River Mills, (about 70 miles northeast of Redding, CA) this ribbon of pavement traces the edge of the Fall River Valley. It sits beneath the looming presence of Mount Shasta 60 miles to the northwest and the timbered slopes of the southern Cascades to the east

Mosquito Ridge Rd is widely considered one of the most legendary motorcycle roads in the Sierra Nevada Range, often described on Pashnit.com as having an "unparalleled uniqueness." Stretching across 36 miles of deserted curves from Foresthill to French Meadows Reservoir, it serves as a sinuous staircase into the remote Tahoe National Forest— all found just 30 miles from the northeastern edge of Sacramento. Mosquito Ridge sings a siren song of relentless rhythm, featuring an

If you know, you know. Leaving Clear Lake, CA behind, Highway 175 starts to coil as you aim westward toward the Mayacamas Mountains. The trees close in. The pavement narrows. And then the ascent begins. Tight radius after tight radius, the road climbs in stacked switchbacks like it was poured straight down the mountainside. There’s no straightaway to relax on—just corner after corner demanding smooth inputs and total focus. Add in a few sleeper corners, and this road wakes yo

Headed for Death Valley next. It’s one of our all-time favorite places to ride, yet it’s always a little hard to explain the draw of Death Valley to new riders. Why would any motorcyclist want to ride into a sun-baked wasteland just to turn around and ride back out? After all, it’s a desert. But for those who know, Death Valley is an amazing place—a "must-ride" destination on any bucket list. Just not in July- ride this region in winter or early-spring. It’s a landscape of ex

Milton Rd is the Mother Lode’s version of a hidden roller coaster. Connecting Highway 4 and Highway 26, Milton Rd east of Stockton, CA, parallels major north-south thoroughfares, offering a slower-paced alternative to the high-speed blur of I-5 or Highway 99. This road is a deserted romp (the kind where you can park your bike in the middle of road & see not a soul) through the rolling foothills of Calaveras County. It’s also located due north of the Knights Ferry Covered Brid

Recognize the photo? Not likely. Colorado? Nope. Utah? Nope. The Alps? Nope. Pine Creek Rd, near Bishop, CA and a few miles south of Mammoth, is paved for 10 miles to an abandoned tungsten mine at the base of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Range at the 8,000-ft level. No one will ever be on this road. Why? It's a dead end. The Union Carbide Tungsten Mine began operation in 1937 and operated through 1990. Tungsten is a heavy metal used to make things harder; it is used in hardening

Cavedale Rd connects Glen Ellen (from Highway 12) to the high ridges above Napa, but this isn't just a collection of curves... Local legend says Cavedale Rd was built on a foundation of "vice and virtue." In 1915, it wasn't funded by the state, but by a "private subscription" of local citizens. While the official story is about connecting mountain ranches, the colorful local lore claims wealthy men funded the road to reach a high-class, secluded brothel hidden in the Mayacama

Highland Rd in the Santa Cruz Mountains: goaty, bumpy, wet, tree detritus everywhere. Endlessly twisty. And perfect. Add in San Jose Soquel > Laurel Glen> Mountain View > Branciforte Dr > Granite Creek Rd > Scotts Valley Dr > Mt Herman Rd > Felton Empire Rd > Ice Cream Grade > Pine Flat Rd > Empire Grade > Alba Rd Recognize any of that? Glue those together. https://www.pashnittours.com/peninsula

Highway 33 in Southern California likely qualifies as a Top-10 California Motorcycle Road. If you’re starting your morning at the Deer Lodge in Ojai, you’re in the right place. This rustic, 1932 hunting-lodge vibe is the traditional gateway (& great lunch stop) to one of the most transformative rides in California. Heading north from Ojai on Highway 33, the "Maricopa Highway" wastes no time climbing & throwing out curves. It immediately plunges you into the tight, limestone c

Bitterwater Road in California’s Central Coast Range connects Highway 58 with Highway 46 at Cholame. It’s remote, almost always deserted, and wildly scenic in spring. Spanning 32 miles of pavement between Highway 58 in the Carrizo Plain and Highway 46 near Cholame, the road traces the literal edge of the North American and Pacific tectonic plates, running directly atop the San Andreas Fault. We describe it to our Pashnit Tour participants as “30 awesome miles of nothingness”

Tons of snow falling in the Sierra right now: Reminds of this shot of Yours Truly atop Highway 108-Sonora Pass in June 2023 when the Sierra Range got the most snow in 70-years. With the current storm dumping many feet of snow in the last few days plus another 5 feet on the way. This shot from 2023 is a reminder of what we're hoping for when we revisit this mountain pass in June 2026 for an all-new Pashnit Tour based at Bear Valley Ski Resort. https://www.pashnittours.com/bear

Highway 236, headed into Big Basin SP, recovering from the August 2020 wildfire that burned through the park: the pictured 'fuzz' isn’t moss or mold—it’s new growth emerging directly from the burned redwoods. This fuzz is literally hundreds of small, stubby branches sprouting all along the trunk, activated by the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire. Despite the burn scars, the allure and thrill of Highway 236 remains untouched. There’s no center line, it's recently repaved (on th