Pacific Northwest USA Its riding in America but not as you know it

The Pacific Northwest tour of the states has everything you can find in Europe… Only its bigger, better and more beautiful! Riding in this incredible land, it really hits home how much unadulterated space there is. You can ride for hours without seeing another living soul, across soaring mountain ranges, through deep gorges and lush forests with some of the finest natural scenery and national parks not only in America but in the world.

Magellan trace the steps of the Lewis and Clarke corps of discovery and learn how they traversed this landscape more than 200 years ago to shape America as it’s known today. We ride through the dense forests and open plains of eastern Oregon, over the mountains of Idaho and Montana. Explore Yellowstone and cross the Rockies twice, and as we head North, we ride to the headwaters of the Missouri River and the Big Sky Country with the tour culminating riding the epic North Cascade mountain range, down past Mount St Helens and Mount Rainier before finishing in Portland.

We’ve handpicked some of our favourite roads and top sights to get you in the mood for the trip of a lifetime! Go on, treat yourself… you know you want to!

Multnomah Falls

Salmon

A short ride out of town lies the Sacajawea Interpretive Centre, interpreting the rich culture and natural history of the Salmon and Lemhi river country and deepening people’s connection to the unique place this area holds in US history, which was shaped in part by the Lewis and Clarke expedition and Sacajawea, as well as her people, the Agaidika Shoshone Bannock Tribes.

19 miles out of town lies the Sharkey Hot Springs, perfect for an afternoon relaxing off the bike! It has $3 entry fee and includes two soaking pools, changing rooms, picnic tables and a parking area. The site is named after B.F Sharkey, an early settler of Lemhi County. The guys who spent the afternoon here on our last tour, enjoyed some downtime after some intense riding!

Yellowstone National Park

Stretching across Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, Yellowstone national park spans an area of 3,468.4 square miles. Sitting on top of a super volcano the park is famed for its geological phenomenons, mountains, lakes, forests and the vast array of wildlife that roam free all over the park.

Magellan have a ride out day in Yellowstone where big hitters including Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs and Yellowstone Canyon are up for visiting on the 200 mile Grand Loop. Riding in this area, it’s astonishing how many hot springs and boiling pools of sulphurous water there are, underlining how volcanically active the area is.

There are many animals to keep your eyes peeled for in the park, on our last tour we had sightings of Bison, Elk, Bighorn Sheep, Wolves and we even spotted a bear down by the river with her cub. Riding so close to these incredible animals highlights how magnificent they are, it’s a real privilege to see them in this setting. Park rangers are on hand all over the park to control crowds, so not to disturb the wildlife too much.

Beartooth Pass

Hailed as the ‘most beautiful drive in America’ by American journalist Charles Kuralt, the Beartooth Pass should not be missed. Starting from Cooke City and ending in Red Lodge it’s 68 miles of epic scenery and superb switchbacks at a dizzying 11,000 feet above sea level.

Because of the heavy snowfall and inclement weather, the pass is generally open from May through to October, however it can be closed at any time as the winds can get too strong for riding or indeed driving!

Magellan ride this fantastic road when leaving Yellowstone, and it’s easily one of the top attractions of the PNW tour. Halfway up the pass there’s Rock Creek vista, where you can park up and look over the mountain range, and if you’re lucky get accosted by the local chipmunks!

This road is technical with many hairpins and switchbacks, but it is difficult to concentrate solely on the road as the views that constantly surround you are really something to be rivalled. It’s far more dramatic than anything you can find in Europe. It certainly has Magellan’s stamp of approval and it should be moved on to everybody’s bucket lists!

World Museum of Mining

Nestled in Butte, Montana, surrounded by the Rocky mountains lies the World Museum of Mining in the hills overlooking the city. Visitors to the museum are fitted with a miner’s hard hat and camp lamp to experience what life was like underground.

There’s more than 50 preserved structures to explore with guides, ranging from the 100 ft high head frame to the many wooden buildings of ‘Hell Roarin Gulch’, a turn of the century mining town. The displays and exhibits focus on mining and the related culture that made Butte the richest square mile in the world in the 19th century.

The ‘Orphan Girl Mine’ which houses exhibits, as well as the original equipment is incredible.You can climb into the cages that were crammed with six or seven miners for their daily trip 2700-feet down the shaft.

Magellan visit the museum before leaving Butte, and it’s a really interesting stop for everybody. The tour lasts about an hour and costs $15, an absolute bargain for what you get!

Lolo Pass

Any road that has the sign ‘WINDING ROAD NEXT 99 MILES’ is sure to be good! If you’ve ever seen this sign and wondered what the road is then look no further. It’s the Lolo Pass.

It remains one of the top motorcycling roads in the US. It’s one of the most beautiful sections of the Lewis & Clark Trail as it winds through the mountains of Idaho and Montana. Starting off with gentle sweeping bends, urging you to open the throttle up a little, the road curves through the trees and past wild rivers. But don’t let this lull you into a false sense of security, as further up the pass there are some pretty heavy duty switchbacks, where the closing radius can catch you out, if you’re not concentrating on the road.

The relentless onslaught of beautiful scenery, great twisties and good road surface had all of our riders grinning away in their helmets! This day is particularly special as we get to stay in log cabins on the Lolo pass, where plenty of wildlife sightings are to be had. Then wake the next morning to ride the rest of it… Perfect!

The North Cascades

The North Cascades are home to many of our favourite things – waterfalls, glaciers, snow covered mountains, alpine lakes and of course incredible roads!

In a tour packed full of the most iconic motorcycling roads in America, the Cascades come in and steal the show! A series of hairpins and sweeping bends thrust you up into the alpine mountains through densely wooded sections, opening up every so often to reveal breathtaking views out to the endless horizon.

The moist climate and rich soil allows greenery to flourish, making the colours of this area so vivid, every colour stands out brighter than anywhere else, deep green trees broken up by bright blue glacier lakes coupled with crisp, fresh air makes the Cascades a very special place to ride through. Completely natural and unspoilt.

If this floats your boat, check out our website, we run a guided trip each year in September or you can do it as a self guided tour on dates to suit you.

This tour is also part of a combo deal in 2019 along with the Pacific Coast Highway trip, if you book them both back to back we pay one of your deposits. A saving of £595 per person!