Enjoy adventure on an AMA Grand Tour
The 2020 AMA Grand Tours are under way so plan now to take part in some of the most interesting and scenic rides on the planet.
The riding events allow you to ride to checkpoints at your own pace. Each AMA-chartered organizer sets the tour routes, checkpoints and rules.
Jan. 5-Dec. 20: AMA District 2 Polar Bear Grand Tour. If you live in the Northeast and want to get out and ride, join riders starting in the winter season, where they ride to points each Sunday within New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut. Of course, the rides continue year-round, but they start in the winter. (www.polarbeargrandtour.com)
Jan. 15-Nov. 30: The SCMA USA Four Corners Tour AMA Grand Tour offers two different USA Four Corner Tours: the “Regular” and the “True X.” The organizer will send a package containing the materials for the ride you choose. The organizer will review your completion of either ride once they receive your finisher’s package. (www.sc-ma.com/rides/usa-four-corners-tour-site)
Jan. 15-Nov. 30: The SCMA USA 15 Best Roads Tour. This challenge started in the spring of 2011 after the AMA published a “Best 15 Roads” article in “American Motorcyclist” magazine. Two riders took the challenge that year: Kathy and Larry Lamarche from Canada. Since then many riders have accomplished the feat. The list was updated in 2016 with three replacement roads and a route change to an existing road group unit. (www.sc-ma.com/rides/best-15-parent/best-15-us-roads-challenge/)
Jan. 15-Nov. 30: The SCMA California Adventure Series. The California Parks Adventure challenges riders to visit all the National Parks in California. There are now 25 National Park sites stretching from Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma in San Diego to the Lava Beds and Redwoods in northern California. The 25th and newest park, Caesar Chavez National Monument, was created October 2012. The challenge is to ride to each park within a calendar year and document that visit with photograph and a stamp from the visitor center in your SCMA Passport. (www.sc-ma.com/rides/california-parks-adventure/)
There’s also the California Missions Tour. The 21 Spanish missions established from 1769 to 1823 extend from the coastal seaport of San Diego to the Sonoma Valley. For the California Missions Tour, riders will add a photo of themselves at each of location in their passport book purchased from SCMA detailing all 21 locations. Riders then submit the completed passport and attend an Annual Awards Banquet where SCMA will present them with a CA Missions pin and plaque. (www.sc-ma.com/rides/california-missions-parent/california-missions-tour/)
April 1-Oct. 31: Tour of Honor. This unique grand tour has riders take any route they wish to stop at seven memorial sites in each state. Riders can visit as many selected memorials as they choose, meaning they can complete one state or many! After registering and receiving their rally flag, they will travel to the sites and photograph the flag with their motorcycle at the memorial. Visit any seven memorial sites to receive a finisher’s certificate. (www.tourofhonor.com)