Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / Spring 2011: Mojave National Preserve and area bicycle camping / Day 6: Bathtub Spring Peaks (New York Mountains) and Willow Wash hike, Mojave National Preserve 92
I've often looked at this part of the New York Mountains while passing by, but hadn't explored any of it on foot.
I prepared a route through the area and loaded it into my Delorme GPS to follow as a guide, expecting to make a few changes along the way, depending on topography and time constraints.
Perfect hiking weather again and, like yesterday, I'll see no people today. I'll drink about 3.5 litres of water, eat one energy bar, plus some chocolate, almonds and dried apricots (not quite enough food, really). 13.4 hiking miles and about 2300 feet of elevation gain.
Morning #2 at the end of Castle Peaks Road is warm and sunny
Insect webs (caterpillars?) on a Desert almond bush near my tent
Today's hike begins by walking about 1/3 mile down the non-Wilderness section of Castle Peaks Road
I veer to the west (right) when I reach the dry reservoir 1/3 mile down Castle Peaks Road, instead of staying on the 'main road'
I hike past another set of Wilderness markers on the west side of the Castle Peaks Road dry reservoir
A few Mojave asters are still blooming in this joshua-tree forest
The former ranch road cuts across a wide-open area in the New York Mountains foothills
I reach another dry reservoir with a Desert four o'clock blooming on the "shoreline"
I've seen these tiny pink flowers so many times, but can't remember what they are
Miniature high-Mojave flower garden
I start walking up a wash away from the dry reservoir and inadvertently scare a few quail into a joshua tree
I'm heading up a small drainage now toward that rounded hill on my way to the Bathtub Spring Peaks area
Does one ever see enough scarlet Indian paintbrush while hiking in the Mojave Desert?
The drainage wash has fizzled out and I find my self hiking uphill and cross-country amidst some gangly joshua trees
To my surprise, the crest of this anonymous wash in the New York Mountains foothills overlooks some of the Ivanpah Valley; wow
From this overlook above Ivanpah Valley, I'll hike to my left a bit to avoid the gulley, then to the right up the big hill
When I reach the base of the higher hill ahead overlooking Ivanpah Valley, it doesn't look like it will be as steep as expected
Climbing this hill toward the Bathtub Spring Cliffs requires some care to avoid the rocks and ground-hugging cacti
I'm high enough now that I can see behind me to the Castle Peaks (center-left) and the Castle Mountains (center-right)
I arrive at the top of the hill, which I'll call 'Bathtub Spring Peak,' since it has no official name
From this spot on Bathtub Spring Peak, I get a view of Cima Dome's distant, gentle curve that I haven't had before
It's a steep drop from Bathtub Spring Peak down to the badlands below
I'll walk over to the high point of Bathtub Spring Peak, that big rocky lump ahead
Looking across Ivanpah Valley from Bathtub Spring Peak, I can make out a distant road leading up into the Ivanpah Mountains
Willow Wash, where I'll be hiking in a while, is in front of that hill in the middle ground
Another steep drop on the north face of Bathtub Spring Peak
Looking back from Bathtub Spring Peak, I can see over to the Castle Peaks pinnacles where I hiked yesterday
Walking along the crest of Bathtub Spring Peak, I begin thinking about the next part of today's hike
From the west end of Bathtub Spring Peak, I can see clearly down to Ivanpah Road, and over to the New York Mountains peaks
I examine the southward view from Bathtub Spring Peak, since this will be my downhill route in a few minutes
One more glance from Bathtub Spring Peak toward Ivanpah Dry Lake, then it's time to start heading downhill
I begin the short steep hike from Bathtub Spring Peak down to Bathtub Spring itself, following a drainage corridor
The hike down the slope to Bathtub Spring is not fast, since it's steep, but it's enjoyable
On my way down to Bathtub Spring, I look back to hear several noisy hawks hovering in the sky
I'm almost down in the Bathtub Spring canyon now
A few barrel cacti greet me as I arrive in the Bathtub Spring wash
I always enjoy hiking down winding, rocky washes like this one on the way to Bathtub Spring, New York Mountains
Nice, a little natural arch near Bathtub Spring, New York Mountains
At the lower end of Bathtub Spring wash, a lot of small, loose rock makes hiking a little slower
I check my GPS and climb over a small hill to reach Bathtub Spring; there it is, in a wire cage!
Bathtub Spring in the New York Mountains is true to its name and has a bathtub, inserted into an old rusted cistern
New York Mountains' Bathtub Spring is home to hundreds of happy bees
I walk a short distance down the old road that leads away from Bathtub Spring to meet the old Ivanpah railway grade
I pass a patch of those tiny purple flowers I've been seeing occasionally
I arrive at the bottom of Bathtub Spring Road and exit the Wilderness boundary
Here I am now at the old Ivanpah railway grade, which I never got around to visiting while passing by on previous trips
It obviously required a lot of work to slice the old Ivanpah railway grade through the hills a century ago
Piling the earth for the raised Ivanpah railway bed in low areas would have been as much work as cutting through the hills
As I continue hiking along the abandoned Ivanpah railway grade, I notice that the road deteriorates
I've seen a lot of lizards scurrying around today, and finally I manage to photograph one!
Vegetation is slowly encroaching on the old Ivanpah railway grade
On some stretches of the abandoned Ivanpah railway grade are good views into the old Vanderbilt mining district
Ooops! A total wash-out of the old Ivanpah railway grade
I climb back up onto the Ivanpah railway grade after the wash-out and it's another slice through the rocks
After a fun, level half hour on the old Ivanpah railway, it's time to climb down and hike cross-country over to Willow Wash
But first, I'll stop to finish off this last delicious piece of orange-flavored chocolate
Purple phacelia flowers (Desert canterbury bells) as I approach Willow Wash
I'm now in Willow Wash, Mojave National Preserve, at the lowest point of today's hike: 4175 feet elevation
As I slowly gain altitude in Willow Wash, I turn back for a view across Ivanpah Valley to the blue curvature of Cima Dome
A few desert sages (Salvia dorrii) are still flowering here in Willow Wash
I notice what looks like an old metal cistern buried in the sands of Willow Wash
A little further ahead in Willow Wash is a small rock ruins, probably another extinct cistern
I pass through a grove of Desert willows (Chilopsis linearis), which is likely what Willow Wash is named after
According to my GPS, I'm not quite at Willow Spring when I pass this old corral in Willow Wash
Pincushion flowers and a few phacelias grow near the old corral in Willow Wash
Here's a defunct metal cistern in Willow Wash that has not yet been buried in sand like the last one I saw
Near the Willow Wash corral is a pile of wood and concrete debris, suggesting that a small outbuilding may have once stood here
After a bit of searching, I locate what I believe is Willow Spring, in a grassy area shaded by nearly leafless Desert willows
I open the wooden lid on the concrete cistern at Willow Spring, and a bit of water stares back up at me
Beyond Willow Spring, my goal is to hike over the hills and be back at my campsite at the end of Castle Peaks Road before dark
On the way up out of Willow Wash, I hike through the first of several small water-carved drainages in the rocks
A brilliant penstemon manages to grow in the rocks here above Willow Wash; there's barely any soil here!
It's not quite a seep, but there's enough residual moisture to attract bees at this spot in the drainage above Willow Wash
A few Cliff roses bloom in the rocky drainage leading up out of Willow Wash
I come across a rather fresh skeleton here above Willow Wash
The skeleton has been efficiently picked clean
I'm temped to try hiking up a slot in the rugged cliffs adjacent to the drainage above Willow Wash
I decide to ignore the cliffs and keep hiking up the easier route in this drainage above Willow Wash; the top is not far ahead
As I get higher, I look back (southwest) at the views behind me toward Willow Wash
I zoom in closer and, yes, there is a slot in the cliffs that I might be able to hike
I finally reach the top of the drainage and am treated to an unexpected panorama across the Ivanpah Valley
The succession of ridges visible from Dove Spring Peaks stands out in the pre-dusk sunlight; I recognize those pinnacles
Dove Spring Peaks also has views over to the high blue peaks further over in the New York Mountains
I savour a few final views from Dove Spring Peaks, then turn around and begin the hike back to camp
I hike through an upland valley on the way back to my campsite at the end of Castle Peaks Road
Within 15 minutes, the sun has dipped enough that my upland valley here is largely shaded
Still chasing sunlight, I climb over this one final hill before the short descent to my campsite at the end of Castle Peaks Road
I can't see my nearby campsite yet while hiking down this hill, but I do get a good glimpse of the Castle Peaks along the way
My cross-country hiking ends when I come down the hill and join up with the end of Castle Peaks Road and its Wilderness markers
Back at my campsite at the end of Castle Peaks Road for a third and final night, I'm thinking about supper now
Bathtub Spring Peaks, New York Mountains hiking route elevation profile
Bathtub Spring Peaks, New York Mountains hiking route