10 great motorcycle trips

Fall is the perfect time for a two-wheeled road trip, says Gary McKechnie, author of Great American Motorcycle Tours (Avalon, $21.95), the country's best-selling travel guide for riders. "This is when you get those beautiful bright-blue skies, and the air is crisp." He shares some of his favorite rides — which are also great in cars — with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY.   Details on the routes are at motorcycleamerica.com

Lenox, Mass., to Stowe, Vt.

The trip begins in the Berkshires and meanders through some of the prettiest fall color in the country. "The road twists and turns as you go through the woods, especially on State Highway 100 through the Green Mountains in Vermont," McKechnie says. "There's something so peaceful, pastoral and tranquil about it." 800-227-6277; massvacation.com and 800-837-6668; vermontvacation.com

Miami Beach to Key West

This route links two of the country's most intriguing cities, Miami and Key West. Most of the trip takes you through the Keys and over Caribbean-blue seas. "When you're on top of the Seven Mile Bridge (near Marathon, Fla.), it's like you're skimming along the water," McKechnie says. And when you arrive in Key West, there are plenty of places to toast the end of your journey with a margarita. 888-735-2872; visitflorida.com

Hot Springs to Eureka Springs, Ark.

McKechnie says he was astonished by the beauty and diversity of this trip through the Ozarks. Hot Springs offers horse racing and thermal baths, while Eureka Springs is surrounded by a spider's web of mountain roads. "You go up scenic Highway 7, a byway with wonderful switchbacks, great mountain views and great little Southern towns. You get plenty of time to think, because there's not a lot of clutter." 800-628-8725; arkansas.com

Livingston, Mont., to Jackson, Wyo.

This is a trip to clean your mental hard drive — a journey free of billboards and traffic, McKechnie says. When it passes through Yellowstone National Park, riders might encounter bison and even grizzlies. Heading to Jackson "puts you in a spiritual place where there's nothing in the world but you and your motorcycle." 800-847-4868; visitmt.com and 800-225-5996; wyomingtourism.org

Durango to Mesa Verde, Colo.

Although the towns are just 35 miles apart, McKechnie's route covers more than 400 miles of mountains, valleys and high passes, visiting such places as Silverton, Ouray and Telluride. "You've got these high switchbacks and turns, which, for motorcyclists, is like Valhalla," he says. "It's like being in a Colorado beer commercial." 800-265-6723; colorado.com

Sedona, Ariz., to Zion National Park, Utah

This route combines some of the continent's most stunning scenery with long stretches of empty highway, passing through canyon country and skirting Lake Powell. "Sedona, Grand Canyon and Zion is like the hat trick of motorcycling: three extraordinary rides," McKechnie says. 866-275-5816; arizonaguide.com and 800-200-1160; utah.com

Calistoga to Carmel, Calif.

This California journey starts in a Napa Valley gilded-age resort town, crosses the Golden Gate Bridge, and takes in one of the country's most storied roads, the Pacific Coast Highway. "Everything that California claims to be, you'll find on this route," McKechnie says. 800-862-2543; visitcalifornia.com

Cannon Beach to Florence, Ore.

McKechnie's favorite day ride covers 150 miles of Oregon coast and inland forest. He says he was astonished by the views of lighthouses, mountains and ocean from U.S. Highway 101. (By taking this route south, riders stay on the ocean side of the road.) "Every few miles, I thought: 'It can't get better than this.' And it does." 503-436-2623; cannonbeach.org and 541-997-3128; florencechamber.com

Omaha to Broken Bow, Neb.

This Great Plains odyssey dips into Kansas, lingers in small, friendly towns and sails through the vast empty spaces in between. "You're in the middle of the nation and in the middle of the road in the middle of nowhere, and it's just you and your motorcycle," he says. "People don't vacation there, but that's why it's so stunning." 877-632-7275; visitnebraska.org and 800-252-6727; travelks.com

Muskegon to Mackinaw City, Mich.

McKechnie says this trip made him realize that Michigan has much more than Detroit. The route follows the shore of Lake Michigan, visiting resort communities and providing riders endless lake vistas. "When you roll into towns, there are little marinas with boats glistening in the water, and sidewalk cafes. It's magnificent." 888-784-7328; michigan.org