Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2007: Death Valley National Park bikepacking / Day 5: Furnace Creek Campground to Monarch Canyon, Funeral Mountains 30
After the slow, scenic ride up to about 3700 feet near Daylight Pass, I descend a few hundred feet into Monarch Canyon on dirt roads.
Today I'm experiencing intermittent pain in my right knee that I've never had before. Perhaps it's caused by yesterday's hike (I don't usually do much walking).
I'm carrying two gallons of extra water in case the spring in Monarch Canyon turns out to be dry, which is making the uphill ride more demanding.
31.7 mostly uphill paved miles
- I pack my Furnace Creek camp site into the saddlebags of the 10-ton bike
I started the warm morning a little while ago with a ride over to the general store and café to eat breakfast and buy a few supplies. When I left for the café, I bid goodbye to last night's campers from Los Angeles, and when I got back to pack up, they had left. - The 10-ton bike is ready to leave Furnace Creek
I'm expecting to use my water purifier to get drinking water from Monarch Spring and stay two nights up there. I checked in at the ranger station and was told that the spring recently had a bit of water coming out of it. Nonetheless, I've filled my extra two-gallon water bag just in case the spring up in Monarch Canyon turns out to be dry. - Leaving Furnace Creek campground and heading north on Highway 190
I'll start my climb out of Death Valley about 10 miles up the highway, on the Beatty Cutoff. - I'm here at the beginning of the Beatty Cutoff
It's a beautiful day, probably in the high 80s. - A couple of motorcycles speed by
... on Highway 190 near the Beatty Cutoff. - Starting up the Beatty Cutoff, the gradual slope of the road makes it look flat
But my pedalling legs are quite aware that I'm going uphill now. - A few dips in the road create very brief downhills on the way up Beatty Cutoff
I take a couple of short breaks because my right knee is giving me a little pain. Whenever I stop pedalling, the pain stops too. - A sharp turn in the Beatty Cutoff road on the way up
Monarch Canyon, today's destination, is somewhere up in the Funeral Mountains that lie straight ahead, a bit further to the left. - Looking back down to Death Valley from around 1000 feet elevation, near Keane Wonder Mine
I've just reassured myself that I am indeed slowly rising out of Death Valley. My camp site on Gold Valley Road a few nights ago was somewhere up high in those distant mountains in the centre-left of the photo. - I'm getting a few raindrops from the clouds passing over the mountains ahead
A few murky clouds have been moving around the valley all morning, but they weren't dark enough to look like possible rain clouds until a few minutes ago. Ahhh, that special aroma of rain hitting warm pavement and the desert floor. - The rain clouds are moving around quickly
The view of the mountains ahead keeps changing as the clouds roll by. The rain is still light enough and warm enough that I haven't put my raincoat on yet, but I wonder if I will need to shortly. - I look back down behind me again to Death Valley
The raindrops have ceased! More importantly, my sore knee gets another short break. - Getting closer to Hell's Gate (where Beatty Cutoff ends at Daylight Pass Road)
Even though I can't see where my road is going, from my maps I figure that Hell's Gate is straight ahead in front of those mountains. As for Monarch Canyon, today's destination, it's somewhere up in the mountains to my right. In fact, there's a trail (not open to bikes) near here that goes from this road to the base of a cliff above which Monarch Canyon ends. - Hurray, I've made it to Hell's Gate at 2000 ft and look back down into Death Valley
I'm full of joy now that my first big goal of the day has been reached. Still, I don't know why the 2000-foot climb up Beatty Cutoff over 10 miles felt so slow and tiring. The landscape was gorgeous, the road was paved, and it was never steep. Perhaps it's just my sore knee and the weight of the extra water that I'm carrying playing tricks on my mind. Maybe I just need more sleep. My arrival at Hell's Gate has an unexpected finishing touch. Just as I'm creeping up over the final crest of Beatty Cutoff at the junction of Daylight Pass Road, two tourists taking landscape photos run out into the middle of the empty road to photograph me with Death Valley behind me and wave me on to the finish line! I have to laugh, pleased that our activities created memorable events for each other. I stop and chat with them, a Dutch couple, also bicyclists. They're on their way down Daylight Pass Road toward Stovepipe Wells, which will be my route in a day or two. They tell me that it rained heavily when they were passing through the Funeral Mountains a little while ago. I hope I don't run into that as today's ride continues. - I walk up Daylight Pass Road a bit to get a view of the Hell's Gate entrance to Death Valley National Park
A left turn on Beatty Cutoff behind the rock heads down into Death Valley on the road I just came up. - I begin the trudge from Hell's Gate up Daylight Pass Road
A sign tells me that Beatty, Nevada is 19 miles away. But I won't be going that far. I'll just be riding 3.4 miles on paved Daylight Pass Road from here at 2200 feet to the beginning of the dirt road toward Monarch Canyon (Chloride City Road) at about 3500 feet. - A bit above Hell's Gate, I turn back to see how much I've climbed since my rest stop there
Yes, I have risen. Yes, this is steeper than Beatty Cutoff was. Yes, I'm glad that endorphins have kicked in because I don't seem to have much real energy left and I'm not there yet. It's a beautiful day. - An old rock wall along Daylight Pass Road
Points of interest are important for the slow-going uphill bicyclist. - Sign for Corkscrew Peak, a popular climbing destination
Excellent, another point of interest (and excuse to take a break). - Higher yet above Hell's Gate, I look back behind me again as I approach 3000-feet elevation
Yes, I'm still rising. I notice that I'm getting a bit fatigued and wobbly on the steeper parts of the road here. There's practically no shoulder on parts of this fast-speed road and it would be unsafe to ride so close to the edge that I might slip on the edge of the pavement and fall in front of traffic coming up behind me (I've seen this happen). So I ride here out in the traffic lane a bit, being careful to give myself enough space to ride safely (with my wobbles), which forces cars to pass me widely. - I know I'm very close now to the road toward Monarch Canyon (Chloride Cliff Road)
I've read that the little dirt road that I'm looking for has no sign (except for a little jeep sign), so I know what to watch for. - Ah! There it is, the gravel road toward Monarch Canyon (Chloride Cliff Road)
The gravel road toward Monarch Canyon (Chloride Cliff Road) leaves the highway near Daylight Pass and the Nevada border, but is still in California. - Signage at the entrance of the road toward Monarch Canyon (Chloride Cliff Road)
All that's here is a small "4x4 high clearance needed" sign and a jeep graphic. - I'm so relieved to reach "the crest" on Chloride Cliff Road
Finally, after 25 miles of uphill riding today and gaining nearly 4000 feet in elevation, the road toward Monarch Canyon starts to go downhill! - The final two miles or so of today's ride are downhill
I leave Chloride Cliff Road to head down the dead-end road into Monarch Canyon. - Riding down Monarch Canyon Road in search of a camp site for a night or two
I'm in awe; it's very scenic up here. I wonder if I'm the only person around. - Just before the end of Monarch Canyon Road
I choose a camp site near the end of the road that is semi-sheltered by an adjacent short rock wall. I can tell already from the wind blowing down this canyon that any kind of windbreak will be helpful. - Home for the night is Monarch Canyon
The tent is set up near the end of Monarch Canyon Road and I'm about ready to make another add-water-to-bag backpacker's meal. Supper will be served with a glass of wine! - A side canyon just around the corner from my camp site in Monarch Canyon
If I were to camp here multiple days, this would probably make for an interesting day hike leading up around the area of Chloride Cliff Road. - Though concealed in this view, the tent sits behind a small rocky outcrop in the centre of this photo in Monarch Canyon
The road into Monarch Canyon may end here, but Monarch Canyon itself continues another mile and a half or so behind me. Walking further down the canyon in search of Monarch Spring will be tomorrow's adventure. The wind is quite strong up here tonight. Right after sunset, a two-hour rain storm kicks in just as I'm about to prepare my add-water-to-bag backpacker's meal. I have to put on my rain gear when I step outside to boil my water. A bit of water starts to get in my tent around the edges after a while, but nothing too serious. Fortunately, the wind dies down to a tolerable level around midnight, so falling asleep is easy.