Idaho has some of the finest motorcycle riding in the American West. For two wheel travel you can’t beat the scenery, diversity of terrain and the sheer ability to get away from civilization. Idaho Falls is a great departure point because of the easy-to-access airport and for its proximity to so many great places to visit.
If you are into nuclear history, submarines and lava fields, the Craters of the Moon loop is a terrific choice for a ride. It’s a loop tour of about 350 miles or you can ride it as an out and back, and both ways are on pavement. My suggestion would be to gas up and get lunch in Arco, then eat picnic style at Craters of the Moon.
Get an early start from Idaho Falls because it’s a full day of riding. An hour from Idaho Falls is the Experimental Breeder Reactor I (EBR-I) on Route 20, and if you’re an atomic fan you’ll definitely want to stop here for a tour. EBR-I was the world's first electricity-generating nuclear power plant. Decommissioned in 1964, it’s the only place in America you can see four nuclear reactors including two aircraft nuclear propulsion prototypes. EBR-I is open to the public from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend and admission is free.
Arco, Idaho was the first community in the world ever to be lit by electricity generated by nuclear power. The USS Hawkbill (SSN 666) is planted here. Arco was where nuclear propulsion for submarines began, so it makes sense that there s a "Submarine in the Desert" there. At the submarine there is an excellent display of the history of nuclear submarines, and it’s often manned by men who served on such submarines, if not the Hawkbill itself.
Craters of the Moon National Monument is only a short distance West of Arco. The Monument has excellent examples of almost every variety of basaltic lava and there’s a seven mile loop you can ride through the eerie, inhospitable landscape from with the Monument got its name. The Monument and Preserve encompass three major lava fields and about 400 square miles of sagebrush steppe grasslands, and along Route 20 you’ll be riding down along beside one. Make sure to stop at the overlook just west of the park entrance to survey the entire area—it’s worth getting off the bike.
You have two choices to get back to Idaho Falls. The first is to head back East and retrace your ride back through Arco and take the long way back via the St. Anthony Sand Dunes and Rexburg. If you choose this way back to Idaho Falls be sure to stop at Nielsen’s Frozen Custard store, Idaho’s only source for this sweet treat.
The other option is to head West from Craters of the Moon National Monument and ride a big loop--Route 20/26 which eventually joins Route 93 South, which will take you to Shoshoni take Route 25 for the scenic route or hop on to Interstate 84 if you want to bang out some highway to get back to Idaho Falls. Both routes head east towards American Falls, where you will eventually meet up with Interstate 86. In Pocatello once again you have a choice - Interstate 15 or Route 91 north. Both bring you back to Idaho Falls.
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