Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2008: Mojave National Preserve Mountain-Bike Camping and Hike / Day 10: Nipton to Keystone Canyon, Mojave National Preserve, via Ivanpah Road 47
I leave pavement and civilization again today.
I ride from Nipton at 3000 feet, crossing the low point of Ivanpah Valley at about 2650 feet, then I climb Ivanpah Road to the mouth of Keystone Canyon at about 5300 feet.
My rear rack breaks around mile 20 on Ivanpah Road. Now what? 28.2 bicycle miles today.
Before packing up, I inspect some crusty splatters on the back of my tent that I forgot about
OK, everything out of the tent, time to pack up and leave Nipton!
A semi-final visit to the Nipton quonset-hut shower building before heading out
One of the final things to do before leaving Nipton is to replenish my water supply to full capacity at the outdoor sink
Away again I go on the open road, leaving Nipton behind me
I head west across the Ivanpah Valley on Nipton Road
I've made my left turn on Ivanpah Road, which heads south for three miles
Three miles down Ivanpah Road, I reach "the big curve"
I'll continue straight past the junction here of Morning Star Mine Road
Heading across the valley on Ivanpah Road, the road is big, empty and quiet
A number of datura plants grow on the shoulder of Ivanpah Road
I stop near the top of the Ivanpah Road hill just before the train tracks to enjoy the views behind me
I approach the train tracks that cross Ivanpah Road
The signs behind me warned that the road would turn sharply to the left after crossing the tracks
A single abandoned house is all that remains here at the former settlement of Ivanpah
I've read that this house was once used as a general store and is now owned by the National Parks Service
This building...
A closer look reveals that the front door has been pried open
Other outbuildings, such as this antique trailer, are to be found on the property
I ride another 2.5 miles up Ivanpah Road, climbing 400 feet in the process, and then the pavement ends
Warning to me: "Rough Road Next 23 Miles"
I stop to look at a road that leads into the former Vanderbilt Mines area
A little further, I pull over to eat a Clif bar and enjoy the views; something on my bike has started to rub loudly
Once I adjust whatever it is on the bike that needs adjustment, I'll ride up this gentle roller into the New York Mountains
Ugh: my rear rack has broken, just above the bolt that attaches it to the bike frame
I impress myself and cobble a vertical brace for the rack from two spare support bars that I've been carrying around for ages
Well, after my one-hour delay, I've remounted my saddlebags and have decided to continue on 7 miles more to Keystone Canyon
As I pedal my way gently up Ivanpah Road on the compromised 10-ton bike, I stop briefly at the little road to Bathtub Spring
Another point of interest to my left on this stretch of Ivanpah Road is an old railway grade, abandoned long ago
Some of the old railway grade near Ivanpah Road has been washed out
I continue rising slowly up Ivanpah Road into the New York Mountains
I'm almost at the summit of Ivanpah Road now as I enter a low pass in the mountains
Ivanpah Road passes through a slot in the earth near the summit
Once over "the summit," Ivanpah Road heads straight toward the New York Mountains
To my left is the settlement of Barnwell, once named Manvel
It's hard to tell from a distance if this property at Barnwell is still inhabited
A mile after Barnwell, I turn right on the little road to Keystone Canyon, which immediately splits
As a bicyclist, I can choose to ride on either side of the road to Keystone Canyon: do I choose sand or rocks?
The sand that I liked for a moment on the road to Keystone Canyon disappears and the road is just rough now
The road forks again after 2/3 mile and I stay on the right fork toward Keystone Canyon
Some of the bumpy road is ridable, but I walk the bike because something is rubbing again in the area of the rear rack
After about two miles on the deteriorating road up Keystone Canyon, I reach a wash-out
The old road isn't getting any better as it makes its way up Keystone Canyon!
I don't spot another campsite nearby, so I return to the 10-ton bike back at the wash out
I drag the bike over to the nearby campsite and this happy camper calls it a day
Time to unpack and set up camp in this high-desert area whose landscape I like so much
Mojave National Preserve map: day 10: Nipton to Keystone Canyon via Ivanpah Road