“It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter.”  John Muir, conservationist

As one of North America's Seven Wonders, Yosemite National Park has become an adventurer's dream destination. With over 700,000 acres to explore, I knew I wanted to do it cageless—take in the whole experience of the road through Yosemite on two wheels.

Here are some of the details of my Yosemite motorcycle ride and how I prepared for the trip.

Packing

Packing is always challenging on a motorcycle. Since my purpose has always been to take long trips and go camping on two wheels, I have equipped my Honda Rebel 500 with saddle bags and a sissy bar. Something to always take into consideration while packing is the weight and balance of your cargo; you can’t fill one saddle bag with rocks and the other with paper or you'll be off balance, and it can be an uncomfortable and even dangerous ride.

In addition, when strapping cargo onto your rear fender and sissy bar, keep in mind the wind and bumps along the way and secure everything down wisely. (Don't want to lose your motorcycle camping tent en route!) Unfortunately, I did lose my lucky fox tail on that trip; I should’ve just zip-tied it. P.S. Zip ties are your best friend; always keep some around!

Route from San Diego to Yosemite

I mapped it out at 444 miles and eight hours of ride time, with three planned gas stops. To get there at noon, I had to leave no later than 2:30 a.m. for my first stop in Escondido, CA to meet up with my friends and KSU ("kick-stands up" for you newbies) at 3:30 a.m.

Going up the 5 Interstate, we then took Highway 99, followed by Highway 41, which ended at the south gate entrance to Yosemite.  

Arriving in Yosemite

From the south gate entrance to Yosemite Valley, it is just about 30 miles of winding roads, which turned out to be one more hour of riding before we could see what Yosemite was actually all about.

While riding through the roughly ¾-mile-long Wawona Tunnel, the landscape that we saw as we came out the other side more than explained why it's called the famous “Tunnel View,” and it was beyond breathtaking. 

Riding into Yosemite Valley was an experience like no other. It was hard to keep your eyes on the road when you saw El Capitan. Just imagine riding by a rock that's 3,000 feet in height!

Boondocking

Due to COVID-19, little to no camping was allowed at the national park. All available camping was an hour outside of Yosemite Valley, and most campsites were down off-road trails. After some research, I came across this popular boondocking spot where two riders had left reviews, so I knew it would be moto-friendly. Being only a couple of minutes from the south gate entrance to Yosemite, it was perfect. 

Riding to Tenaya Lake

After a great day of riding different areas of Yosemite and visiting its largest lake, Tenaya Lake, it was time to head back to our camping spot, which was two hours away. Along the way, I started seeing brush fires in the mountains, and by the next day, haze was covering the whole area. It was time to head south to get some fresh air.

Taking the Trip down to Sequoia

The next stop was Sequoia National Park, only 173 miles from Yosemite and roughly a four-hour ride. Home of the tallest trees in the world, this was a stop I had to make, even if it was just for a few hours. 

On this ride through the park, I decided to skimp out on the ticket and be my friend's passenger, something I don't ever do. A little nervous about not being the one controlling the bike, I did my best to assist with the 10mph twisties. 

Heading home through Route 66 (One Last Stop)

There was still too much to see on our way back home to San Diego, but there was one last stop I had to make to cross it off my bucket list: Good ol' Route 66. Being in the desert in August, the weather was a pleasing 110 degrees Fahrenheit. But it was definitely a worthwhile detour.

From the coast of San Diego to the wonders of Yosemite, there is no other way I would have rather done this trip than on my motorcycle. Of course, long trips aren’t for everyone, but I would definitely recommend at least renting a motorcycle for a day trip through Yosemite to see the park with the sense of freedom that only a motorcycle tour can provide!