Southern California - Touring along Interstate 10 in CA

Part of a ride I am planning goes through LA and over to Arizona. We have the adventure cycling map for San Diego through Tempe AZ. We'd rather not go all the way down to SD so we're thinking of riding along I10 (side roads) from Indio to Blythe. This section of the road seems to be complete desert so I am wondering if anyone has experience riding along this route.

I believe that there are two gas stations along this 100 mile stretch and that we could get water there, but I'm unsure about camping, I'm doing some research about the area but I thought I might as well see if anyone here had biked this route.

dunno about along the 10 from indio to blythe. it's all mojave/sonoran desert there, so i imagine freecamping opportunities are fairly good if you don't require stuff like toilets or water or a shower.

if you felt like perhaps spending an extra day or two visiting and passing through joshua tree, i could tell you a bit about that. there's supplies in twentynine palms, a small truck stop/store in vidal junction that closes at 8:00 or 9:00, and about 90 miles of shadeless desert in between. carry an asston of water and plan on suffering if it's hot or sunny. you can freecamp in vidal junction, but there will be loud trucks idling and pulling in/out all night. from there, you can go down through parker and connect with the southern tier, if that is what you want.

we thought about going up to 29 Palms and then down through JT but it seemed like maybe a bad idea prolonging that extreme desert stretch. The plan right now is to camp in JT one night at the campground around 10 miles from the Southern edge of the park.

How much water were you carrying biking through JT?

I've been to JT once but only the Northern end of the park near 29 Palms.

I've driven that stretch a lot. In fact, I just drove to Phoenix this weekend. Saw at least five people with touring rigs riding on I-10 between Indio and Blythe. Seems to be a wide enough shoulder so it's reasonably safe.

There are two gas stations -- Chiriaco Summit and Desert Center. Two rest stops that I recall - one just outside of Indio, the other just outside of Blythe. No camp sites, but there's plenty of desert in which to pitch a tent.

we thought about going up to 29 Palms and then down through JT but it seemed like maybe a bad idea prolonging that extreme desert stretch. The plan right now is to camp in JT one night at the campground around 10 miles from the Southern edge of the park.

How much water were you carrying biking through JT?

I've been to JT once but only the Northern end of the park near 29 Palms.

i arrived at the northwest entrance to joshua tree (quail springs road) in the late afternoon and brought 9 liters to camp and to dayhike and cook/drink the next day. the next day, i rode down to 29 palms, filled up to about 12 liters, and headed to vidal junction. i drank it all before sunset as it was a dangerously hot, sunny, and miserable day.

i don't know what it is like between jt and desert center. it looks a lot shorter on the map than 29 palms to vidal junction, and i'd bet that desert center has more services than vidal junction. from tinrobot's description, it sounds like a much more comfortable route than 29 palms to vidal junction and if you come from yucca valley, it looks like you get to ride through more of joshua tree. or were you thinking of going from indio to jt to desert center?

I've driven that stretch a lot. In fact, I just drove to Phoenix this weekend. Saw at least five people with touring rigs riding on I-10 between Indio and Blythe. Seems to be a wide enough shoulder so it's reasonably safe.

There are two gas stations -- Chiriaco Summit and Desert Center. Two rest stops that I recall - one just outside of Indio, the other just outside of Blythe. No camp sites, but there's plenty of desert in which to pitch a tent.

Thanks for the info, do you remember if there is water available at the rest stops? We were thinking that we would have to be on side roads but you seem to be saying that people were biking on I10. I've never driven past around Palm Springs on this road so i'm not really familiar with it. Just riding on I10 would make the planning easier.

i arrived at the northwest entrance to joshua tree (quail springs road) in the late afternoon and brought 9 liters to camp and to dayhike and cook/drink the next day. the next day, i rode down to 29 palms, filled up to about 12 liters, and headed to vidal junction. i drank it all before sunset as it was a dangerously hot, sunny, and miserable day.

i don't know what it is like between jt and desert center. it looks a lot shorter on the map than 29 palms to vidal junction, and i'd bet that desert center has more services than vidal junction. from tinrobot's description, it sounds like a much more comfortable route than 29 palms to vidal junction and if you come from yucca valley, it looks like you get to ride through more of joshua tree. or were you thinking of going from indio to jt to desert center?

I found a Hi-Low graph of the temperature in Desert Center, in April it doesn't seem to be getting to 90 yet... so maybe it won't be tooo hot.

http://epic.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/92239

We were thinking of indio to JT to Desert Center, but it would be fun to go up to Yucca Valley and then down through JT. the 9 and 12 liters were just for one person I'm assuming. Also what month was this?

You might want to look into the route the RAAM riders take through So Cal and into AZ. Perhaps there's some useful info there: http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/subwebraam/raam.php?N_webcat_id=7

Good luck!

I found a Hi-Low graph of the temperature in Desert Center, in April it doesn't seem to be getting to 90 yet... so maybe it won't be tooo hot.

http://epic.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/92239

We were thinking of indio to JT to Desert Center, but it would be fun to go up to Yucca Valley and then down through JT. the 9 and 12 liters were just for one person I'm assuming. Also what month was this?

this was late may/early june of 2006. yeah it was just me. not a good time to travel this area. it was waaaay over 100. it's 100 at like 9am. freaking savage land. no wonder no one lives there. i should have got a better light and rode at night.

the yucca valley to chirlaco summit route sounds like it would be really worthwhile. i'd be interested to know how it works out or what others have experienced.

i think temperature measurements are made in the shade, of which there is little to none. if the measured temperature is 90, it's probably like 100 or 110 or 6000

But . . . San Diego is great . . .