US-Canada-Alaska-Australia Route Planning
 

Hello Everyone,

I´m new to the Forum - will therefore start with a short intro :)

Born 1982 - German (born, raised, still live here) - started with motorcycles in 2007 touring Europe during holidays, added a WR250R in 2021 to get away from the tarmac - worked out very well - toured parts of Europe on the TET and read tons of books on motorcycle RTW travels over time

So here I am - in the early stages of planning my own first overseas motorcycle travel

Good thing - I already know what it want to see - NA (the US, Canada, Alaska) and OZ (been there 3 times already so i know the place a bit, but only the coastline from Adelaide to cairns)

and which bike to take :) - the WR of course - i spend some time to do the overland mods and now it´s the perfect bike for me as the 250cc slow me down a bit (in the past I struggled in keeping the pace down during travels, the touring with the WR has been so much more relaxing so far because speeding is just not possible) - and i gives me the freedom to explore the off roads (i attended several offroad trainings by the time and did TET in Poland and Hungary ... will keep working on that but i get along very well already)

So now I´m trying to figure out the 1st Draft of the route to take a bit more in detail

For the NA part I like to follow a route similar to the one described by Frank Stelges (https://www.stelges.de/X-USA_07.html) which he did in 2007 - starting in the Northeast - going down to the Keys - crossing up north towards Canada, then Alaska and back to the US to finish at the Westcoast (he went back to New York)

As every traveler I try to pick good seasons for the respective region - because I just want to have a good time on the road - no need to produce click bait YouTube stuff while touring in extreme winter or summer - just a relaxed journey :)

so, my current idea is starting in New York 1st of April - take a month down to the Keys, make it into approx. the middle of the states during May, into Canada end of June - arrive in Alaska by end of July, spend august there and then head south towards LA - approx. be there in October

that's approx. 7 Month for this part - there is room in my planning to extend this if needed - I plan to spend 18 month on the road in total - but October is already late for the west coast ? .... this is the first point I came across were I struggle in my planning - and where I need advice - should I start the whole trip earlier (in march? - but then weather on the east coast is a gamble) - should I speed up in the middle of the US ? .... or is the rough plan ok and I´m overthinking ?
:)
From there the plan is to fly the bike and myself to Sydney (I plan to do every transportation during the trip by plane - also from Germany to the US and also back from OZ as I just can´t get along with the disadvantages shipping causes - and I can afford the plane)

So I will be in OZ lets say from somewhere in November on ... maybe end of November

In OZ I got friends in the Barossa where I like to spend Christmas and new year - so I will skip Victoria as I already know it and head on from Sydney to Adelaide Beginning of December and basically spend December around Adelaide.

Then I like to follow the foot steps of Rainer rawer (Rainer's Australien Abenteuer Outback-Guide: Routenliste) - head west in January, then north in February - explore the famous outback tracks (canning stock, French line etc.) in march, head north in April and carry on via cape York in may - strolling down the east coast approx. June/July

I would be very happy if I can get advice regarding this Drafted route in order to avoid mistakes already been made in the past - I´m full aware that there will be several things which will not work as planned an I´m fine with that - but it would be good at least to exclude the well known stuff I´m not aware of by today :)

Thank you very much for you attention and maybe advice

Cheers, Jonas

Hard to make out what you’re trying to see or do on the North American portion of your trip, and therefore hard to critique or offer suggestions. I’ll offer just two observations: you’re spending a month or two touring the least interesting parts of the US (least scenic as well as least interesting riding) while skipping quite a lot of what’s special, even unique. I’d try to add in some of New England while making a point of short-shifting the mid-Atlantic, Mid-West and south, and I’d certainly not miss the Four Corners region while angling up toward the Canadian Rockies. All IMHO, of course.

Hope that’s helpful.

Mark

Hi Mark,

thank you very much for your feedback - i should have mentioned that the google maps stuff is just for me getting an rough idea of the route - i just entered some turning points and dragged the route into place somehow - so nothing accurate - only visualization

I did this because by today my focus is to align the basic route with the good riding seasons for the respective region - after that i will go into detail and include the places i want to visit - like national parks etc.

But you´re right - maybe i have to bring these two things togehter and have to be more accurate on the route itself by now already ... I´ll check out on new england and the four corners region

Thx a lot !

Cheers

Definitely second Mark's recommendation to add in some New England. The coastlines there are gorgeous, with lighthouses, lobster shacks, and beautiful scenery. Even just a week exploring places like Acadia National Park or Cape Cod would be memorable.

Also agree on shortening up the middle stretches. Have you thought about going directly from the Keys up to Tennessee/Kentucky? The folks are friendly there and you can hit places like Great Smoky Mountains NP. Then swing up to the Rockies through Missouri and Colorado - really stunning rides there.

Hey There,

Thx a lot for the recommendations - i´ll check out new england for sure ! ..... problem is there is so much to see in NA - I´m afraid seasons will get in my way if I extend my stay further than November or start it way earlier than march .... its really hard to figure out a good compromise to see the US, parts of Canada and Alaska in 9 Month - AND - combine all that in a doable route ...

thx to you all for the recommandations, really helps a lot

cheers

Yes. Just as with any other continent, in 9 months you’ll miss all sorts of great places and activities. I’ve spent a total of 18 months or so in Africa and have barely scratched the surface; about the same in Latin America and have barely begun. I’ve lived in the US and Canada my whole life and have spent more than 5 full time years wandering around by various means here. It’s not as easy to find new places as it used to be, but there’s still a lot that is fresh and interesting.

My suggestion would be to look for the places that are unique to North America, i.e., not found elsewhere. Lots of room for differing opinions about what qualifies—and for different interests—but that does tend to reduce possibilities and make planning easier. In the end, 9 months will never be enough—nor will two years, or four, so you’ll either return for more at some point or spend the rest of your life listening to people tell you about all the stuff you should have done instead.

word ...... i really belive that sums it up best....

thing is I´m not the person focused only on the typical bucket list sights ... my main intention is to have just a good time over there with my bike strolling around and get in contact with the locals and the land

so maybe i just define start/end time and place and go from there... that beeing said I still think that the rough plan - start in NewYork in march, be in prudhoe bay by august and finish in Frisco in november will be my frame for this visit....

Mark can you recommend some of those places which come to your mind when you think about places that are unique to North America, i.e., not found elsewhere ?

thx a lot

cheers
Jonas

So not riding, not scenery, not high culture, not history? “Ordinary” people? “Ordinary” sights and landscape?

I don’t really know how to answer that. You must have SOME specific interests, otherwise almost anyplace is as good as anyplace else, as long as the locals are friendly—for which I’d just try to stay where the sun is out, steer clear of high tourist seasons, and these days never ever talk politics.

But if I was answering on my own behalf—as a searcher for what is extra-ordinary, not mundanities— I’d say Yellowstone and Yosemite are unique (or very nearly so), as are the Canadian Rockies parks/Icefield Highway, along with the Coast Redwoods and Four Corners region. Alaska, too, of course, although much of it really requires getting off your bike—Denali as far west as the buses will take you, Kennicott, parts of the Kenai, the mining roads past the Stuart/Hyder and the Salmon Glacier the Haul Road. On the latter, for example, stop just past Atigun Pass, ford the river and head up the obvious valley until you run out of steam. Bears, caribou, dall sheep, moose, bears, fields full of shed antlers, eternal daylight in high summer plus fantastic fall colors for a brief moment or two before it starts snowing. Although it might do that in August, so pay attention.

Note that for the above I’d make a point of early or late season in every case except Alaska/Yukon/NW Territories/Northern BC—and that’s only because you’d probably prefer to miss any significant winter weather.

Hope that’s helpful, and hope your planning serves you well!

Mark

A couple of reactions:

1) why not zigzag through western USA and end up in Alaska and then ship from there to Australia? If you start a little earlier you can be in Alaska in September, which is still pleasant.

2) In Australia you have left out Karajini and the Gibb River Road, which are highlights in my view.

thank you very much again mark ! - I found lots of inspiration for my route following your suggesstions - and also travel reports - that was very helpful

I think I will concentrate on the west - mid-west US, canada and alaska - create like a loop tour and leave east coast and south US for next time...

greetings from germany

Cheers Alan,

thx for your reply !

.... I also came to the conclusion to limit the scope of the journey to be more flexible and to make it a more relaxed experience...

I will have to decide wether I Fly in and out to canada or the US - i´ve read its more relaxed entering Canada with a vehicle via plane - will have to check on that - I´d like to create a loop and fly in and out at the same location - makes the whole organisation easier and I can reuse my crate for the bike....

For OZ the same as for NA - the google thing was more like an experiment to get a rough picture

:)

thx again - If you have suggestions for OZ route let me know

cheers Jonas

Rather than get into a lot of detail I thought I'd share a link to our long trip in Australia - have a browse and it may give you some ideas. There's a map in the last post.

Suggestion - fly into Calgary or Vancouver, loop up to Alaska and back down through Yukon and BC, then follow the Rockies south into Arizona, Utah etc, and fly out of Los Angeles to Australia - OR Vancouver, as out of USA can be a hassle. Canada is easier.
In other words a big tall loop of the western half of the continent, and save the east for another trip.

Hello Jonas:

Apropos of shipping your moto by air from North America to Australia, here are some things to think about:

1) Anchorage, Alaska is a major air freight hub - one of the largest air freight hubs in the world - but there are no direct flights from Anchorage to Australia. This means your moto would have to be transferred from one aircraft to another somewhere in Asia. That increases the risk of screw-ups, and also will increase the cost of shipping. You will need to crate the moto if you ship it out from Anchorage.

2) Air Canada flies direct from Vancouver to several cities in Australia. Air Canada is also experienced shipping uncrated motorcycles, they have a program specific to shipping motos, although I don't know if they include Australia in that program. Might make sense to investigate shipping out of Vancouver. If your trip ends in Alaska, there are lots of ferries you (and your moto) can take from Alaska to ports nearby Vancouver (e.g. Seattle, or Ketchikan, or Prince George). The ferry trip down the west coast from Alaska to southern ports can be spectacular depending on what route the ferry takes.

3) Importing a foreign moto into Australia, even for temporary tourist purposes, is going to be a major PITA. You will need a carnet (expensive) and you will also encounter very strict agricultural inspection regulations that will probably require you to have the moto steam-cleaned or otherwise sterilized either prior to or upon arrival. There will also be the challenge of getting the moto insured in Oz. Do your homework carefully on this topic, I think you will probably discover that it will be cheaper to just buy a moto in Australia & sell it (or discard it) when you are finished, rather than paying two air freight trips (inwards & outwards) and paying for the carnet, the agricultural protection measures, etc.

Michael

Only going to add that Ketchikan is landlocked (although you can ship there if you want), and nowhere near Vancouver. Prince George is far inland, but Prince Rupert is on the Alaska ferry route. However, last I checked stops here were infrequent at best, and it's 1500 km by road to Vancouver (as it happens, via Prince George). And the terminus of the Alaska ferry system is Bellingham, not Seattle.

Taking ferries in one direction is fine, but it's expensive and requires some advance planning, especially if you want a cabin or plan to get off and back on again at various ports.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Good advice, however it's worth considering taking the bike. A CdP is indeed expensive for USA- or Canada-registered bikes/vehicles, however less so in many other countries. Check with ADAC for costs.

The inspection entering Australia is rigorous however we had out vehicle "deep cleaned" before shipping and it was released with no further cleaning needed on opening in Brisbane.

We found that navigating the state/territory-based insurance challenges was not easy but finally found that insurance in one state/territory covers you for all of them, and once we realised this bought insurance in Queensland with no problems.

We found (seafreight not airfreight, 4x4 not bike) that it was financially better to ship our own vehicle than to buy/sell in Australia. This may not be true airfreighting a bike.

Hi Alan,

This would be very nice thank you very much !

thx for suggesting Calgary - this option was not on my list - I was focusing on Vancouver - but will check Calgary too

fly in/out from/to canada is the first fixed step because entry/leaving is easier compared to US - will choose same entry/exit location to reuse crate - as crated air is cheaper an safer and allows to place certain luagge in the crate too

second i fixed is the area - create a loop from my starting point covering west US / Canada / Alaska - as I plan to start in March/April 2025 it will be going down to the US first and loop up to alaska via canada in June/July - going back down south in september and leave in october from canada to OZ

thx to all the lovely people here for the input !

Hi Michael !

Thx for joining the discussion - always good to hear various opinions

Very nice idea to consider ferry down from alaska to Vancouver - which I think is almost set as start/end point (have to check calgary)

I also read about uncrated air freight - but as I also read crated is cheaper - and allows you to transport stuff like Helmet or bulky things like panniers more safe and directly with the bike - so i will go for this

Air from Anchorage as you mentioned maybe not the best idea due to the non direct connection - won´t go there

I´ve already read about the measures to be taken when importing anything into OZ - But I think cleaning a bike is less a hassle then cleaning an offroader (I have an offroader too which I use properly so I know a bit about it) - will also ship with new tires mounted as they will need to be changed after NA anyway - I´ve heard this is a good idea to approach the customs super clean... and in terms of temprary import I´ve read that there are major differences in between the OZ region - I have been warned to attempt that in QL, NSW and Vic - Have been told it´s much easier in WA and SA - so I will eighter ship to Perth or Adelaide

Insurance is something I still have to figure out - I have some friends livin in SA I will ask if they can reach out for me to the companys and maybe help me with that.... as soon as I find something I´ll post it here :)

Thx again for your advices - very much appreciated

cheers

Hi Mark,

thx for the details - I will start with research on that whole ferry topic as an alternative way to go back south from alaska as I really like the idea - have been using ferry´s a lot during my motorcycle travels in europe and always enjoyed it

cheers
Jonas

Hi again :)

You´re right about the CdP - its not that bad in Germany - and it´s returned after the trip - not concerned about that

.... if you have a good advice regarding insurance covering all territory would be super kind if you could post it here ? -

... yeah cleaning is a big one - but i´m confident i´ll be able to clean the bike prior to shipping from canada spotless - will reserve enough time for this + install unused tires

greetings from germany
Jonas

Lots of good infos. My two cents worth
- March/April in the North-Eastern USA can still be pretty chilly
- CDP from the ADAC is no problem at all and not very expensive
- OZ in summertime can be VERY hot. The locals usually travel around their country during their winter.
- Dunno about temporary imports in the mentioned OZ states. Perth was ok for me, though still a PITA. Make sure to print the government regulations on temporary imports BEFORE you go to the Perth licensing office. The guys told me I had to register my bike in OZ before I could travel there. This is not correct.



By the way - where are you based? Far away from Munich?
Enjoy your planning process :D

Hey there,

And also thank you for joining :)

Yeah I still have to think about the time when to start ... NorthEast is off the schedule but pretty sure it´s equal in NorthWest and Vancouver around March .... maybe I move a bit towards April :)

Agree on the Cdp thing - no issue

And yes - for OZ i will have to figure out when to go where - found good advice on that topic on the website of rainer rawer - also lots of track info ... I will adjust accordingly to avoid heat/rain in the respective regions :)

... based in Dresden - Saxony - so not too far away

cheers
Jonas

I know you have friends in Australia and a lot of people will disagree with what I’m going to say but, in my opinion, there is a lot of time wasting there.
There is a lot of nothing and it all looks pretty much the same ie the mountains in Victoria look the same as the mountains in NSW and Queensland. The coast is the same. You can be in a country town in WA and ride over 4K km to a country town in Queensland and the people will look, dress and sound the same. The architecture will be the same and so will the food - and that 4K km ride is a lot of nothingness on a 250 - at least I did it on a 500 :mchappy:

I appreciate we’re spoiled in Europe and there’s no other continent with such diversity in close contact but to be in touch with locals and the land I would not choose one of the most baron, sparsely populated and richest countries in the world.

I don’t know your history, or where you’ve been already - but my choices for your kind of trip and time scale would be
Alaska to Patagonia.
Circumnavigation of Africa - perfect for a WRR
Through the Stans to Mongolia

Wishing you a great trip bier

Oops - didn't include the link. It occurs to me to add the blogs for Canada and South America

Here’s the 2010-2011 South America trip:

Sur América contra el reloj


The 2019 Australia trip:

Discoverthedreaming


The Canada trip

https://aroundcanada2022and2023.blogspot.com/



Most of the posts are in both English and Spanish - scroll through them to your preferred language.

We have individual posts in another blog from shorter trips in America (more in Argentina and Brazil, Central America, and North America) if there are specific focussed questions.

@FlipFlop my friends had the same warnings in respect to the landscape of OZ. And yes, I'm a South African expat and I love the diversity of Africa in every aspect.
None the less - I enjoyed cruising through OZ. I loved the endless horizon, the emptiness, the vast landscapes. I loved the contacts with the locals, probably because they have a very similar mentality as the South Africans :innocent: I did at least 25 kkms there and was never bored.


When you live in densely populated Europe it is so relaxing to travel in countries like OZ or the Americas ..... :mchappy:
Oh, and not to forget the barren lands of Namibia. Fantastic riding in a region full of emptiness. Same applies IMHO to the OZ Outback ;o)

Yes - we drove 45,000 km and could happily go back and do another 45,000 km.

The Australia leg
 

Just on the Western Australia proposed leg, March or April are still 30-35 deg Celsius but do hit the 39’s. Don’t underestimate the dangers. Aboriginals die out there when their cars break down - and it’s their backyard :)

But the main issue is if your bike breaks in the Great Sandy / Gibson / Tanami Deserts the recovery costs will be more than the bikes value. Think of paying a tow truck for four days straight….

There’s a few YouTube vids of bikes breaking and the issues they faced getting it back.

Just one other thing, due to the costs of freight, you could buy and sell here. Just need an address to register it to and a few of us on here can help with that.

Have fun.

Hey there :)

Thank you very much for contributing to the discussion.

I´m glad you brought this up because it made me reflect about the whole idea and what i want from it for myself again - and I came to the same conclusion again....

I try to explain

I read a lot - in general - and I have read like maybe 20 books which have been written by motorcyclists - went from early stuff like Ted Simon, Elspeth Beard onwards to Dan Walsh - Chris Scott of course - J Peter Thoemig .... and loads and loads of more up to date books written by German motorcycle travelers - covering multiyear RTW trips as well as multi month adventure stuff in certain regions or continents. Plus numerous blogs from all over the world documenting the travels of people just happening right now.

Yes - I also thought about the classic routes like Alaska to Patagonia, Africa or the Stans to Australia in the beginning.... but after reading all that reports it was clear to me that i want to go to the US, Canada, Alaska, and OZ because:

I will be traveling on my own - so for me it´s clear that I must speak the language of the country - why? - Because I just don´t want to end up alone in front of my tent or at the Bar, I don´t want to talk exclusively to other travelers I will meet - I want to be able to chat with the people living at the side of the road when I stop somewhere or when I need help etc. - I know you can get around the World by pointing at things you need - but that's just not the way I want to travel

.... and as English is the only language I can speak beside German - and knowing I will not be able to learn another one - up to a level where I can have real conversations - there are only English speaking country's left :)

Another thing I don´t want to do is a) the border dance and b) the roadside police checkpoint stuff - being at the mercy of corrupt or just mean people enjoying the power they have in the situation - with no possibility to achieve justice on my own is not a situation I want to be in during my holiday ...

Plus: I want to feel safe - I can´t imagine traveling an unstable region - knowing it can all be over because some crazy warlord went mental, or some random riot is closing borders and the whole route is not working out anymore at all.....

Some say stuff like this is part of the adventure adding some spice to the life on the road - but not for me

I am aware that for many people this will sound boring, conceited ... stuffy - But for my holiday I want to go to places where chances are high that I can have - a good time - no hassle - nice landscape - wild camping

That´s why I think the combination of the US, Canada, Alaska and OZ is just perfect - for me

Thank you very much for your wishes :) I will have a blog later to keep the forum updated

cheers Jonas

Thx Alan !

I´ll check this out soon :)

Yepp I think so too...... good point

Hey Homer,

Thx for the advice ..... for the Australian part I will still have to figure out when to go where to avoid the big wet and also heat .... do you have an advice when to go to WA ? ....

I think about temporarily joining tours or team up for the tough stuff like Great Sandy / Gibson / Tanami .... read the books ... watched the vids... :)

As my time is limited and I really like to be on my own bike which I can rely on - I decided not to buy/sell locally - but thought about it too in the beginning

cheers
Jonas

We initially spent time in Queensland, NSW, SA, and WA from March to June, we were in Northern NT in July to avoid The Wet (although we plan to return in this season at some point to experience the different environment), we were in the Red Centre in August, then Queensland, back into NSW, and then into Victoria and Tasmania in October and November. Even in November the road to Cradle Mountain was closed for snow so we re-routed returning 3 weeks later.

We crossed the Simpson on our own (one other vehicle per day for the first 4 days), however in a 4x4. We saw a group of bikes heading west on the 5th day. For what it's worth I would not try any of the deserts in Australia on my own (and I have experience travelling solo on a bike in the Kalahari).

Hi Jonas

I cannot really comment on the WA stuff. WA is virtually a seperate country to us in the East.

But, there are more than enough amazing remote riding, both desert and bush, in the regions east of centre.

The attached link has the major tracks. Unless you have support, If it were me, I would look at those from Alice Springs East.

Most of those have daily travellers - so at least you can get assistance.

Have fun.

Outback tracks in Australia

https://youtu.be/kvCHXUZ2Ouc?si=cLwLcFvtbTnOw73C

Hi Jonas
Thanks for the great reply - I wish you a fantastic trip bier