Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2009, Spring: Mojave National Preserve / Day 6: Howe Spring and back by bicycle from Mid Hills campground, Mojave National Preserve 59
After visiting Butcher Knife Spring and Cottonwood Spring in the northern Mid Hills last year, I've been wanting to check out other springs in that area. Today I'll ride to Howe Spring, stopping at Rock Springs along the way.
I will bring six litres of water for the day and drink 4.5 of those.
32.8 bicycle miles and 2000 feet of elevation gain (and drop) that feels like less because the average grade is just two percent. I'll drop down from Mid Hills campground at 5600 feet to just under 4800 feet at Rock Springs, then up to 5600 feet again at Howe Spring.
- Morning at Mid Hills campground, Mojave National Preserve, before starting today's ride to Howe Spring
I woke up to hot sun baking the tent around 8h, but a few dark clouds, a refreshing cool breeze, and a few stray raindrops have since moved in. It's a pleasant 77 degrees right now. I slept really well last night, unlike the night before. Breakfast is again granola, tamari alomnds, tart dried plums, a couple of slices of dried pineapple, a small pot of tea and an electrolyte-replacer drink. - I ride out of Mid Hills Campground and down Wild Horse Canyon Road into Round Valley
On the way out, I stop at the entrance kiosk to adjust my seat. These first few miles are fun today, but they can be quite a chore in the uphill direction with a fully loaded 10-ton bike. - Windmill near the junction of upper Wild Horse Canyon Road and Black Canyon Road, Mojave National Preserve
There is a lot of private property in this area and it looks like this windmill might still be in use. - I ride almost two miles north on Black Canyon Road before turning right on a shortcut road that I've not ridden before
The shortcut to Cedar Canyon Road will remove about a mile of riding and 100 feet or so of descent and elevation gain. Unknown roads like this one are best taken in the downhill direction the first time in case they turn out to be impassable. - Just off Black Canyon Road on the shortcut road lies a campsite with a juniper tree
The woman that I met driving an RV on the way up to Mid Hills campground a few days ago asked me if I knew the whereabouts of a particular campsite in this area. I didn't, but this must be the one she was referring to. This location is noisy with bird activity, especially quail. - Beyond the campsite, the Black Canyon-Cedar Canyon shortcut road deteriorates
It's a fun mountain-bike ride, at least in the slight downhill direction that I'm travelling, but a motor vehicle would require a four-wheel drive and high clearance. - I see Cedar Canyon Road just down the hill
The Black Canyon-Cedar Canyon cutoff road is only about 3/4 mile long. I'm enjoying it enough that I wish it were longer. - I arrive at the junction of Cedar Canyon Road too soon
I see another track heading up on the other side of Cedar Canyon Road, and maybe a campsite. I think I'll ride up there and check it out. - This appears to be an old alignment of the Mojave Road, running parallel to Cedar Canyon Road
This road, still occasionally used, isn't marked on any of my maps. I'll ride up and see how far it goes. - And there is a nice secluded campsite up here, again with a juniper tree
This would be a great place to camp, with the view of Pinto Mountain in the background. But there's no water source nearby. - I continue along this stretch of the old Mojave Road, wondering how much further it goes
Hopefully the road won't prove to be a dead-end that will force me to backtrack. - This old segment of the Mojave Road abruptly ends when it reaches a fence and turns 90 degrees to the right
It apparently leads back to Cedar Canyon Road. Perhaps the reason that this stretch of road ceased being part of the Mojave Road at some point in history is due to the private property on the other side of the fence. - Here's the road that hugs the fence and connects this segment of the old Mojave Road with Cedar Canyon Road
Cedar Canyon Road intersects in the low area ahead. This road continues onward to who-knows-where; it doesn't appear on my maps. This is one instance where I wish I had loaded aerial photos of the area into my Delorme GPS. - I ride about three miles down Cedar Canyon Road toward Watson Wash
Despite the washboard surface, Cedar Canyon Road is the main east-west artery in this central part of Mojave National Preserve. A few motor vehicles pass me along here. - I turn at the short road leading to the historic rock house above Rock Spring, Mojave National Preserve
When I visited this location in 2006, the area was closed and work was being done to the old rock house. It's open now, so I'm anxious to see what there is to see. - Mojave National Preserve's Bert Smith Rock House has been meticulously restored
The rock house was built by a World War I gas victim named Bert Smith, who homesteaded here in 1929 and didn't expect to live long. However, he lived in the house until 1954. - The Bert Smith Rock House sports deeply recessed windows and an unusual lack of a roof line
I spend some time peering through the heavily screened windows and see that the interior has been restored as nicely as the exterior, complete with a few furnishings. The rock fireplace looks as interesting inside as it does from the outside. - Behind the Bert Smith Rock House is a recently built trail down to Rock Springs, Mojave National Preserve
I check my maps, and Rock Springs sits a 1/4 mile down the hill, so I decide to ride down via the road into Watson Wash instead of hiking down to Rock Springs on the trail. - I ride down into Watson Wash on the short segment of the old Mojave Road near the Bert Smith Rock House
This little piece of the old Mojave Road is well-worn and used often by four-wheelers who travel the historic cross-Mojave route. - I park the bicycle where the spur road ends near Rock Springs and go for a walk
I'm at the lowest elevation of today's travels, about 4800 feet. - I approach Rock Springs, Mojave National Preserve
A trickle of water emanates from Rock Springs and dries up. Hmmm, is there any real water here? - There doesn't seem to be much here at Rock Springs right now but mud, flies, and a lot of animal excrement
A lot of the mud here at Rock Springs seems to be liquefied animal excrement; I'm glad I didn't arrive here in need of water. Under such conditions, it's no wonder there are so many flies here. - It turns out that a very small pool of water does exist here at Rock Springs after all
My MSR water filter could take care of this if I had to filter water here, but I'm glad I don't need to. I have filtered worse water than this, such as at Mid Hill's Cottonwood Spring last year, which had even less water than this. - From Rock Springs, I walk back down to my bike parked in Watson Wash
Rock Springs is one dirty water hole. Perhaps it's not so bad earlier in the year when there's more surface water to disperse the animal droppings. - Back on the bike, I return to Cedar Canyon Road and turn right to head north on New York Mountains Road toward Howe Spring
There are actually two New York Mountains Roads: one on the west side of Watson Wash and one on the east side. I've ridden the one on the east side, but not the one on the west that I'm riding today. - West New York Mountains Road, heading toward the east end of Pinto Mountain
I pass a few solar panels that must belong to someone or something. - Mailboxes along west New York Mountains Road, Mojave National Preserve
A few people do live out here; it's not just a national park. - So far, west New York Mountains Road is well packed, but with a layer of sand or gravel on the surface
A mountain bike is pretty much required here due to the sometimes-slippery road. - The main New York Mountains Road continues to the right
I follow the lesser left fork here to get to Howe Spring, which is at the base of the Mid Hills straight ahead. - The road to Howe Spring, Mojave National Preserve, gets narrower
The sand on the road is usually not very deep, so I just ride through it. - The road to Howe Spring has deteriorated enough that I know I'm near the end
Four-wheel-drive vehicles obviously drive over these low rocks in the road ahead, but I get off the bike and walk. It's easier. In fact, I'll park the bike a bit beyond here and start walking. - I walk up the dry wash toward Howe Spring, Mojave National Preserve
What will I find? It's looking rather dry around here so far. A covey of quail scatters when they detect my presence. - Dense greenery grows around the wash at Howe Spring, Mojave National Preserve
There might not be any water here today, but the greenery says that there has been plenty of water here occasionnally during the past few months. - The Howe Spring area looks a bit like the Eagle Rocks area, but the pinnacles aren't as big or numerous
I keep walking up the wash, following the green and watching for snakes. - Howe Spring wash is dry, but I discover some piping that leads up to a water tank
Maybe there's water up there... - Howe Spring has no running water right now, but the well here (which is perhaps the spring) contains a fair amount
The timbers around the top of the Howe Spring well apparently burned during the 2005 "Hackberry Complex" brush fires. The water looks a bit murky, but with a bit of effort, I could probably get down to it and filter some if needed. - The Howe Spring water tank is empty
From the appearance of the broken pipes scattered in the wash below, the Howe Spring water tank probably hasn't been operational in years. - This looks like some kind of scrub oak growing here at Howe Spring, Mojave National Preserve
Oak trees don't usually grow in the Mojave Desert except at higher elevations like here in the Mid Hills. - Looking east from Howe Spring across Fourth of July Canyon to the New York Mountains
A few houses are visible off to the right, down in Fourth of July Canyon. Close to here are the remains of an old corral that I'll walk past in a few minutes. - A firecracker penstemon blooms for the hummingbirds, in the rocks at Howe Spring, Mojave National Preserve
I never get tired of seeing these penstemons. I planted a few of these perennials in my garden in San José, but they only grew and flowered for one season. - When I reach the old corral at Howe Spring, I realize that it's completely burned
I was wondering why it looked rather thin from the rocks up above. A dry cistern sits patiently nearby. - I retrieve the bike and start riding back down Howe Spring Road
From here at about 5600 feet elevation, it will be a very gradual 800-foot downhill over about six miles to the bottom of the road in Watson Wash at about 4800 feet. - Riding away from Howe Spring, I find myself thinking that, yes, it would be worth camping here one day
Beyond the pleasure of touring and sightseeing, I came here today to check out water availability and the suitability of the area as a possible home base for a hike on a future Mojave National Preserve trip. - I come upon a severe wash-out and figure that I must have made a wrong turn; I didn't see this on the way to Howe Spring
There are a number of small roads in this area that connect to each other. I check the recording on my GPS and verify that I did in fact make a wrong turn, so I turn around and get back on track. - Howe Spring Road dips into several sandy washes as it hugs the west side of Pinto Valley
I'm riding at 10-15 miles per hour along here, and I must say that it makes for a nice mountain-bike ride. - This long, straight stretch of Howe Spring Road makes me feel like I'm somewhere other than the Mojave Desert
Even though Pinto Valley isn't flat, it can feel like riding across a prairie due to the openness of the terrain. - New York Mountain Road dips down into Watson Wash at around 4800 feet elevation
The pale green of the sagebrush down in the wash takes on an almost teal-blue cast in the late-day sunlight. - I ride briefly through the sagebrush in Watson Wash, then rise out of the wash after turning onto Cedar Canyon Road
It will be pretty much all uphill from here at 4800 feet back to my Mid Hills campground site at 5600 feet. - I stare at this unnamed mountain just south of Cedar Canyon Road while riding past it
This mountain is probably rarely visited and would make for an interesting short, steep hike. Mojave National Preserve should have a slogan like "Land of Nooks and Crannies" due to the endless quantity of features like this to explore. - Cedar Canyon Road turns and heads briefly north toward Pinto Mountain before resuming its westward trek
Hey, I've photographed this before! Here is how it looked here in November 2000. - Cedar Canyon Road crosses a cattle guard and offers a detour for those not wishing to cross the cattle guard
Cattle guards aren't that awkward to drive over, but judging by the well-worn tracks around this one, some people have a need to avoid them. - I leave Cedar Canyon Road and ride up the 3/4-mile-long shortcut road to Black Canyon Road
I came down this shortcut road earlier today, but I've had to look closely for it on the way back to Mid Hills campground, as I had never noticed this road during my previous rides on Cedar Canyon Road. - The ride back up the Cedar Canyon-Black Canyon cutoff road is slow, but easier than expected
The grade is not steep and my oversized Serfas Swoop tires really help maintain traction on the awkward surface. A lot of the grass-like wands growing along here are desert mallows which would have been covered with bright-orange flowers a month ago. - After the cutoff road, I ride 1.5 miles up Black Canyon Road, then the final two hilly miles up to Mid Hills campground
Of course I like this flat stretch of Black Canyon Road here where it passes through Round Valley. - This recycling bin at Mid Hills campground takes on an incredible intense blue colour in its stark surroundings
Adding to the effect is the attenuated lighting caused by the patch of grey clouds that have been floating around all day. Mid Hills campground is unoccupied again tonight, except for me and one other party (hurray again!) - Back at Mid Hills campsite 22 after my ride to Howe Spring, I take a break before settling in and preparing supper
Supper will be Mountain House Sweet and Sour Pork (excellent as always), plus Trader Joe's turkey jerky and some tamari almonds. - This evening's clouds make for a colourful sunset at Mid Hills campground site 22 after the ride to Howe Spring
It's quiet again, not much wind tonight and I listen to the song of crickets throughout the evening. A few moths flit against my tent after dusk when I turn on the flashlight lantern suspended from my tent's ceiling. A pinyon jay squawks in a nearby tree. Life is simple. - Bicycle route from Mid Hills campground to Howe Spring (Day 6)
- Elevation profile of today's ride from Mid Hills campground to Howe Spring and back (Day 6)