Top 5 Motorcycle Trip Stops Between San Francisco and Washington, D.C. On the Loneliest Road

Dec 25, 2021

US Highway 50 is the Loneliest Road in America. It slices the United States clean in half, from the pinnacled hills of San Francisco to the pinnacled monuments of Washington, D.C. In between these two cities: 11 states and the country’s defining geographic features, including its legendary mountain ranges, plains, and deserts. A ride along the Loneliest Road isn’t just a cross-section of America—it’s a journey through history, past centers of high-tech innovation, into the frontier West, through Midwestern farmland and ranchland, and back to the original 13 colonies. This stretch of highway is the “Backbone of America,” and perhaps the best national road for those looking to escape the hectic bicoastal city centers.

Motorcycle riding enthusiasts will be tempted to turn this route into a cross-country road trip for it offers a selection of the entire country and affords them a peace-and-quiet that they couldn’t get on busier, twisty routes. But they’ll also be tempted to tackle the Loneliest Road because it isn’t as desolate as its name would suggest. Whatever America’s known for the world over, you’ll find it on this trip. Gorgeous nature preserves like Arches National Park: check. Wild West frontier towns like Dodge City: no doubt about it. Quirky art installations like the Garden of Eden: roger that. Stunning civic cemeteries and Native American burial mounds: you got it. 

Read about these destinations and rent a motorcycle with Riders Share to complete your road trip preparations. You’ll soon find that even the loneliest of roads have a way of keeping you company.

1. Arches National Park — Grand County, Utah

Arches National Park in Grand County, Utah boasts some of the most iconic geographical features west of the American Rockies, and it’s not hard to see where it got its name. The rock formations within the park range from as small as three feet to 300 feet, having been created in a multimillion-year process of erosion. 

But don’t let the name fool you: there are more than just sandstone arches in southern Utah. Here you’ll find many-colored pinnacles, canyons, and spires teeming in and dominating the landscape. Throw in a few Piñon pines and junipers and the great, big blue sky above, and you have a classic and defining image of the American West before you. The 18-mile road which runs through the center of the park will take you to any and all of its main attractions, including: the Windows, a stunningly-dense cluster of spires and arches; the Delicate Arch, the most aesthetically-pleasing structure in the park; Fiery Furnace, a combination of narrow canyons; and Landscape Arch located in Devils Garden, the largest arch in the park and the world! Hop off your motorcycle and snap a few photographs, or hike around these imposing sandstone formations.

Getting from San Francisco, California to Arches National Park in Utah on the Loneliest Road is a monster of a ride, clocking in at 15.5 hours and over 900 miles. But you shouldn’t let the length intimidate you. In between, you’ll be passing through Sacramento and world-class resort towns like Lake Tahoe and Carson City, so you’ll have plenty of places to stop and cool your wheels. 

2. Boot Hill Museum — Dodge City, Kansas

Next up on this “lonesome” ride across America is a legendary frontier town. Rivaling Tombstone, Arizona in terms of Wild West notoriety, Dodge City was once known as “Hell on the Plains.” A center of cattle-driving and buffalo-hunting between 1872 and 1884, it was known for its violent gunfights and barroom brawls—now, it's taken on a more sedentary and sedate character since the days when Wyatt Earp kept order.

At present, Dodge City is a farming and cattle-ranching community with very few original structures, but a good deal of architecture dating from the Roaring ‘20s and onwards. Although Boot Hill, a notorious cemetery that once overlooked the city, is now the location for a small office building, you can still check out the Boot Hill Museum on the west side of town for a larger-than-life reconstruction of Wild West life on Front Street.

 Here you’ll see actors engaging in mock gunfights or “medicine shows.” Walk indoors and watch a late-night burlesque show, complete with showgirls dancing the can-can. Also reconstructed: a jail, a sod house, and a 1-room schoolhouse. Top off your Boot Hill adventure with a gander at a historic Santa Fe locomotive! Almost 12 hours or 665 miles of riding separate Utah’s Arches National Park from the Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City, Kansas.

3. Garden of Eden — Lucas, Kansas

Next up: The Garden of Eden. Not the Biblical Garden of Eden, of course, but the folk-art exhibit located in Lucas, Kansas, one of the oldest in the country. This detour from the Loneliest Road is well worth the effort. It’s brimming with concrete mock-ups of biblical scenes and political allegories, including installations like Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and the Crucifixion of Labor at the Hands of Preachers, Bankers, and Lawyers. 

All of these concrete installations were created by Samuel Perry Dinsmoor between 1910 and 1930. Originally from Ohio, Dinsmoor served in the Civil War before moving to Kansas, where he built and promoted his installation for all to see. Once you’ve taken in all that this classic piece of Americana has to offer, check out the Grassroots Art Center on Main Street to glimpse the work of other artists from the town. The gallery’s courtyard is home to limestone sculptures, often those saved from demolished buildings.

Getting from the Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City to the Garden of Eden in Lucas is only a 2.5-hour ride and something of a detour from US-50 as you begin heading north. Admission to the Garden of Eden is only a few bucks. As per Dinsmoor’s last wishes, you’ll have to pay extra to see his glass tomb.

4. Serpent Mound — Adams County, Ohio

Another countlessly-profiled attraction on the Loneliest Road, Serpent Mound in southwestern Ohio is perhaps the most enigmatic site you’ll come across on your entire journey. Built by the mysterious Mound Builder people, with a past shrouded in mystery, Serpent Mound consists of seven serpentine curves following a creek for a quarter of a mile. 

These earthworks are effigy mounds, the largest and most sophisticated in the United States. Although Serpent Mound is best seen from above, by helicopter, you can satisfy your curiosity by visiting the little museum on the site and climb to the top of its lookout tower to get a better view. Nearby lie the Seip Earthworks, which are over 200 feet long, 30 feet tall, and also worth a visit. As you leave S. P. Dinsmoor’s Garden of Eden in Lucas, Kansas, you’ll need to ride 980 miles or 17 hours west after returning to US-50. 

5. Arlington National Cemetery — Arlington, Virgina

Leave behind the enigma of Serpent Mount and journey into solemnity by paying your respects at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. This 600-acre hillside cemetery houses the remains of over a quarter of a million soldiers, sailors, and public servants.

Arlington National Cemetery doesn’t owe its renown to size alone: the identical white tombstones form unbroken rows which go on for miles amidst a sea of well-trimmed emerald grass, adding a classical, funereal atmosphere to the cemetery. One reason why you might want to visit Arlington even if you don’t have relatives buried there are the graves of prominent public servants and figures, including John F. Kennedy, his wife Jacqueline Kennedy, and his brother Bobby Kennedy. Civil War buffs will be pleased to know that Arlington House, the pre-war home of Robert E. Lee, lies on the premises. 

This neoclassical manor offers unbeatable views of the National Mall in nearby Washington, D.C., and the architect of the U.S. capital, Pierre L’Enfant, lies buried there. Under a mile from Arlington House sits the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, dedicated to all missing war dead, where a continuous U.S. Army honor guard changes every half or full hour, depending on the season.

Close off your road trip on US-50 with a 420-mile, 8.5 hour journey from Serpent Mound to Arlington National Cemetery.

That ends our survey of the Loneliest Road’s chief attractions. There’s much more to see and even more to do, especially if you plan on taking your motorcycle rental for a spin at either end of the Loneliest Road. San Francisco fans have a variety of scenic routes to choose from, while D.C. visitors will be surprised to find that the motorcycle routes around the nation’s capital are just as awe-inspiring as its monuments.

When it comes to renting a motorcycle for this solitary road trip, make Riders Share your go-to resource. In an age of lockdowns and quarantines, traditional, indoor motorcycle rental operations require too much risk for too little reward. Search for a street bike, make a booking, and rent directly from a fellow rider.