burningredphoen

has anyone attempted this? i recently took a car ride, and didn't see much cyclists...it seems like a long lonely road out there, which im thinking of doing when the weather decides to get a little more pleasant, maybe 60's in the day and 40's at night for a week would make it a nice trip.

calamarichris

That sounds like a rich flavor of hell.
Fort Irwin Road is your only respite from Interstate 15, but even there the auto traffic will be traveling closer to 100mph than to 60. Sure, the road quality isn't bad, but there is a LONNNG way between water stops. Driving it's one thing, but pedaling across the featureless, scenery-free desert? I'd almost rather ride my rollers and watch TV for a few days.

bigtempo

that would be more of a mental challenge.

I think I would rather go from Blythe to Henderson/Vegas along the 95 and go by the Hoover Dam and then around Lake Mead some.

ovoleg

theres an offroad MTB route i heard of, I've been wanting to do it.

jabantik00

i rode from oceanside to vegas and beyond (to alamo, the et highway, tonopah, yosemite, bay area) in 2008. i went by way of anza, 29 palms, mojave via kelbaker road, and along 15 and frontage roads to vegas. i went in july and it was ****ING HOT. these can be some of the hottest places on the planet at certain times. i had to rest/nap during the day and ride at night during the mojave parts. there isn't much service between 29 palms and mojave. there are vending machines at roy's (amboy route 66) if you got 1s and/or loose change.

i also did 29 palms to vidal junction during my 2006 tour and it was similarly hot and remote

DScott

A much more satisfying ride would be up the 14 and then the 395 to Bishop. Here's more info as provided by someone who did that this summer: https://www.socalbikeforums.com/showthread.php?t=5641

snowman40

Having just driven out to 29 Palms and back in one day, I think that is nuts to do by yourself but to each their own...take lots of water.

calamarichris

I've always wondered how you got so... interesting. Now I know.




It does get hot there in the ^*%$# summer though. Once when I was motorcycling across the Mojave I saw a bank sign in Quartsize that said 128 degrees.

surfrider

I did it back in 1997. Road from the mouth of the Santa Ana River up to San bernardino, over the CAjon Pass and out to Barstow, from Barstow to Baker, Baker to Primm (NV), then on to Las Vegas. I did it in late April during the week to avoid the weekend tourist traffic on I-15 and to get some cooler weather (it got up to about 80F), but there's also constant wind at that time of year - not strong, but constant and annoying. I also went out the weekend before the trip and stashed a few gallons of water in a few strategic locations. Also did it as a 'credit card' trip (staying on hotels) so the weight on my bike was pretty minimal. Flew back from Las Vegas; cost for the bicycle air transport was only $25 (including box!), but I'll bet the airlines won't be THAT accomodating these days! Truckers were pretty cool too, car drivers the worst.

Law enforcement on I-15 - I got stopped three times by the CHP and the officers were real pricks, even though they are aware bicyclists can use the interstate highways when there's no other reasonable roadway. The Nevada Highway Patrol was a very different story; really accomodating. Got stopped once on the grade outside of Primm and, while the offier was concerned, he was really accomodating - he gave me really good directions on where to get off before Vegas (my maps were not as accurate as I thought due to Vegas' building boom). Mucho props to the NHP!

Desert scenery boring? Hell, I love it! Love the stark beauty of the place, especially at sunrise and sunset when the shadows get long and the constrasts in the landscape really stand out.

Don't listen to the naysayers, I say get out there and go for it. Plan carefully, map it out in detail (there are some long uphill grades out there), be conservative on daily mileage, and you'll have a memorial trip you can feel good bragging about. Its a great trip.

Hillbasher

Any chance you are looking for company on this? As long as I know far enough ahead of time, I could get the time off work and give you someone to talk to.

sd_mike

Get a San Bernardino County AAA map. They show good detail of the roadways in that area. I-15 isn't the only way. You can go from Hesperia to the Nevada Line and maybe take a few miles of freeway. Basically, you'd follow old US 66 (National Trails Highway) to just east of Barstow, then a couple miles of freeway, then National Trails Highway east to just past Amboy, then Kelbaker Road north to Cima Road, then Cima Road to Morning Star Mine Rd, then Ivanpah Rd, then Nipton Rd, then Nipton Rd to I-15, then I-15 north to north of Primm (old Stateline), NV to the second exit in NV. There, you take NV 604 (old US 91/466 and Las Vegas Blvd). Pretty easy from there.

The route takes you through the Mojave National Preserve. Kelso, where you meet the Cima Rd, is a good place for water and I think now has food. Your only real alternates are old US 91 (Yermo Rd) along I-15, but that only goes as far as Field Rd, and way east to US 95, which is very busy.

umd

Wow, that ride would suck.

GP

Yes. If you want to do big distance, go north/south. The weather is better and there are more services.

There's a reason you don't see a lot of cyclists in the desert.

deitman

If you're into that type of ride....try the Furnace Creek 508...or help out with AdventureCorps and volunteer for the race.

There's also a couple of double centuries/centuries out Death Valley...the doubles sell out minutes after they're posted.

Doing it unsupported...solo...if I'm not mistaken aren't there some stretches along I-15 with roadwork and no shoulder? Otherwise you'd be stuck on rarely traveled side roads with no cellphone coverage and weaving your way through the desert and adding about 20% to the ride.

But, then again, its probably doable.