Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2000: Mojave National Preserve Bicycle Camping Trip #2 / Day 4: Mid Hills Campground to Nipton via Death Valley Mine Road 16
I wake up at 7h and decide to get up this time, instead of rolling over to get more sleep as I would usually do. It will be mostly downhill today from 5500 feet at Mid Hills to about 3000 feet at Nipton, woo hoo, I'm excited about that!
The slow, rough and remote Death Valley Mine Road near Cima is quite beautiful as it passes through a Joshua tree forest.
I reach full speed zooming down the paved Morning Star Mine Road.
40.7 miles, 3:25 hours, 38.5 mph max speed, 11.9 mph average.
Leaving Mid Hills Campground
Heading back down the upper part of Wild Horse Canyon Road with a great view of Round Valley beyond
Descending Black Canyon Road to Cedar Canyon Road at the bottom
Stopping under a Joshua tree on Cedar Canyon Road
Now on Death Valley Mine Road, I cross the junction of the old Mojave Road
Death Valley Mine Road is almost just a trail in places
Death Valley Mine Road is also rocky in places
At the end of Death Valley Mine Road, I hit patches of deep sand on the Cima Road
Beautiful open views across the Joshua tree forest on the way down to Cima
I reach the pavement of Kelso-Cima Road and the Cima Store
Close-up of the Cima Store and post office
Beginning the ride down Morning Star Mine Road toward Nipton
Grand views of the Ivanpah Valley open up as I descend Morning Star Mine Road
At the bottom of my glorious downhill on Morning Star Mine Road, I meet the junction of Ivanpah Road on the way to Nipton
Heading down Nipton Road for the last five miles before reaching town (that blotch of a few buildings off in the distance)
Full moon over Nipton