Making A Trip Up North

[RSD1]

Greetings to all.

While the weather is still cool, I am thinking about making a trip up north on my bike for about a week.

I would plan to drive from Bangkok to Kamphaeng Phet first to split up the drive to the north.

I would like to avoid congested areas when I get up north as much as possible though so I am thinking of avoiding Chiang Mai all together and I don't really want to drive all the way west to the Chiang Rai area.

I have heard good things about driving around Nan province and the area around Nan. I have been to Nan before once or twice and I liked it, but never on a bike.

I am also hoping I can find some hotels to stay in along the way that have covered and/or secure parking so I can park my bike without having to worry about it. I also suspect by choosing more rural locations to spend the nights that the hotels will have more space and less cars crowding up their parking areas.

I had thought about doing the loops to Mae Hong Son and Pai. But those roads are very twisty. I would like some nice mountain roads, but nothing over the top in terms of difficult turns. Finding some nice mountain roads is my main objective, but I don't really want anything seriously twisty that is going to push my riding skills to the limit of possible danger.

A friend suggested I drive from Kamphaeng Phet right to Lumpoon. Spend a night there and then head over to Nan and/or maybe make a Doi Intanon loop from Lumpoon first and then back to Lumpoon and then over to Nan the next day or so.

Anyone who has ridden any of these roads and/or done some loops in these areas who could share some knowledge and experience on roads and possible places to stay would be much appreciated.

I am basically looking to do some riding in the hills of northern Thailand on some nice roads. Not too twisty and challenging. With some decent places to stay along the way where my bike wont possibly get banged up in a parking lot with a lot of other small bikes and cars. Would like to avoid densely populated areas and places that are big on the tourist maps too. I am needing a break from the city and wanting some nice time outdoors so that is why I am also interested in going to places that will be filled with Bangkok people on their winter holidays.

I also heard the GT-Rider forum would be a good place to post my questions, but I was not able to figure out how to sign up for an account on that site so eventually gave up.

Cheers to all...

Edited December 22, 2015 by RSD1

[PoorSucker]

http://www.gt-rider.com/tour-options/chiang-mai-thailand/touring-loops-day-rides/phrao-chiang-dao

[recom273]

When you log onto GT riders homepage there are two little heads in the right hand top corner - click that and a drop down appears - then click register and enter your details in the following page.

[Gnasher328]

Hi, you'll love it.

Avoid the C'Mai - Pai rd, horrible roadworks. There is another way via Samoeng but some of the road is unsurfaced.

Lots of sharp bends and steep hills on most interesting roads, just take it easy and be in the right gear to pull you up and round without stalling and dumping it;

Not difficult to find accommodation, 'resorts' are becoming popular, eg I found two in a tiny town on the 106 called 'Li' - older one is better @400Bht.

Have never found security a problem away from cities - Thais are generally very honest, safer than most Western countries.

OSMAND mapping for Android has lots of offline info, accommodation, food etc.

[Bredbury Blue]

Up the 21 to khao kor...explore khao kor area..along the 12 to Phitsanulok..either continue across to Sukhothai or return down the 11

[happysoul]

Hello,

A nice loop in Chiang Dao is to go to arunothai, doi angkran and then down to fang and back. The doi angkran fang is steep. If you don't like downhill then do it the other way round.

You can extend it from arunothai by going to wieng haeng. It's all on Google maps. Nice mountains, hill tribe villages and scenery.

Traffic should be ok, just watch for the krung thep manakorn guys. They are not mountain drivers.

[villagefarang]

Chiang Rai is North and a bit East, not West and would work well in conjunction with Nan. The road from Nan to Chiang Kham and on to Chiang Rai perhaps past Phu Chi Fa is quite lovely. Good luck trying to find an undiscovered place to visit during peak season and one that Thai people from Bangkok don't know about.

Edited December 28, 2015 by villagefarang

[RSD1]

Hi, you'll love it.

Avoid the C'Mai - Pai rd, horrible roadworks. There is another way via Samoeng but some of the road is unsurfaced.

Lots of sharp bends and steep hills on most interesting roads, just take it easy and be in the right gear to pull you up and round without stalling and dumping it;

Not difficult to find accommodation, 'resorts' are becoming popular, eg I found two in a tiny town on the 106 called 'Li' - older one is better @400Bht.

Have never found security a problem away from cities - Thais are generally very honest, safer than most Western countries.

OSMAND mapping for Android has lots of offline info, accommodation, food etc.

Thank you everyone for your great feedback.

@Gnasher328, Thank you, yes, I heard from someone who drives a minivan in the north that the Chiang Mai to Pai road is under heavy construction and should be avoided for the time being. I have also been through Samoeng in a car before. Not a route I think I would favor at this point.

Also, as you said, steep roads with sharp turns pose the risk of dumping it, even in the right gear sometimes if you come upon a sharp, unexpected/unfamiliar corner. So was hoping to avoid roads with too many hard twisties, but I guess it can't really be avoided in the north.

I was actually planning to start my trip middle of last week, but as the weather heated up again heavily in Bangkok and the central plain, I decided to wait a bit longer to see if the weather will cool down again. Now that we are into the new year period where the roads and hotels up north are heavily occupied by Bangkok tourists, I decided to put the trip on hold until just after the new year. If the weather drops down again at the beginning of January (after all the new years travelers have returned to work) then that is when I will get going.

Everyone, please keep the ideas coming though if you have any other thoughts on roads, places to stay, etc. Really appreciate it.