Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / Spring 2012: Mojave National Preserve Bicycle-Camping and Hiking / Day 6: Gold Valley and Black Canyon bicycle ride from Mid Hills Campground, Mojave National Preserve 28
A fun mountain-biking day without the weight of all my gear, for the first time on this trip, with a stop at Hole-in-the-Wall to recharge my phone. Perfect weather: 82F at Cima. 27 bicycle miles, plus 1.5 hiking miles near Rustler Canyon.
Desert marigolds along Wild Horse Canyon Road (I stay camped at Mid Hills Campground)
I leave Wild Horse Canyon Road and head down Gold Valley Road
Here we go, riding down Gold Valley Road, Mojave National Preserve
Small blue flowers along Gold Valley Road, Mojave National Preserve
After some nice gentle rolling, Gold Valley Road passes through an old range fence into the next section
Cows graze by an old burned juniper tree in upper Gold Valley
I pause at the summit of Gold Valley Road to enjoy the views before starting the downhill ahead
Guzzler and Paper-bag bush at the summit of Gold Valley Road, Mojave National Preserve
Gold Valley Road is rutted and downhill, essentially a perfect bicycle trail with no traffic
Water tank and windmill on Gold Valley Road, Mojave National Preserve
I take a break when I reach the Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Centre, which is closed during the hot months except on Saturday
I decide to go for a short ride over to the Rustler Canyon area and explore a few roads I've not taken before
There are a couple of different types of Cholla cacti here in the area just south of Rustler Canyon
I reach the end of the dirt road, just south of Rustler Canyon, and park the bicycle
I try my cell phone here just south of Rustler Canyon and it works
As I prowl around the hills here, I look over toward Grass Canyon, the next canyon over
Lots of barrel cacti grow here in the hills near Rustler Canyon and Grass Canyon
I climb up a couple of hills near Grass Canyon at a leisurely pace, with no specific goal in mind
The views from here are excellent, and I can almost see down to the old Route 66 area from here
After my walk around the bottom of Grass Canyon, I ride a few miles down Black Canyon Road to the Cave Spring area and pull over
The 13-mile ride back to Mid Hills Campground up Black Canyon Road starts on pavement
After about 3.5 miles, the pavement goes away; Black Canyon Road turns to dirt on the way back to Mid Hills Campground
Twin Buttes and Table Mountain: I've ridden past them many times around sunset while camping at Mid Hills Campground
A motor vehicle pulls over while I'm taking photos by a big, old corral in the Gold Valley Ranch area: I meet Russ
The sun starts to go down as Black Canyon Road winds its way through the pass
It gets dark just as I approach Wild Horse Canyon Road for the final couple of miles back up to Mid Hills Campground
Gold Valley bicycle route
Elevation profile of Gold Valley bicycle ride