Originally Posted by
rodar y rodar
Two rides I really want to do while I`m down there are Titus Canyon and the Wildrose-Panamint-Townes Pass loop. I`m thinking two days for each of those rides should give me enough time to do them without a big hurry. For Titus, that two day guestimate would be in the event that I do it as a loop from the Furnace Creek or Stovepipe Wells area- if I come out of Beatty, I`m thinking 1.5 days from the highway cutoff to Emigrant or Stovepipe. Reasonable?
As background, I live down here. I also assume that you have not experienced any part of Titus Canyon. I drove thru there about 6 weeks ago with my buddy in a 4-wheel drive HIGH CLEARANCE truck, and it took us 5 hours. We also stopped at Leadville for a short break which added another 20-25 minutes. That road is not very hospitable to bicycles, cross or mountain; barely hospitable to vehicles! There are long sections of loose gravel, and stiff climbs - you climb to +5500' twice before descending back to DV proper. I use a cross bike on most BLM-bladed gravel roads in the area, and would not even consider doing Titus on a bike. On your proposed Wildrose/Panamint/Towne Pass loop, there is a section of gnarly, unpaved road south of the Wildrose campsite area, coincidentally where the road name changes to Wildrose Canyon Rd [from Emigrant Canyon Rd].
You don't mention whether you are aiming at riding paved routes, or heading for the gravel.
But it would be even better if I could manage both of those rides PLUS a big loop all the way down to DV Junction and up through Amaragosa Vy to Beatty. That adds a lot as its own loop, though it would cut the extra time required for Titus Canyon by a little bit. I think that would be possible if I had great conditions, but my understanding is that I might well have wind troubles and could find my week over before I got back to Beatty (or wherever I`m parked). That`s too much for a one week trip, isn`t it?
I've ridden the loop from Beatty, over Daylight Pass, down thru FC and then back to DV Jct and onward thru Amargosa Valley/Lathrop Wells, returning to Beatty. The only sketchy part of that route is the Lathrop Wells to Beatty section which is on US95, a 2-lane *70 MPH* highway which has a fair amount of truck and RV traffic, and NO shoulders whatsoever. A very dangerous piece of road, whether you're driving it, or cycling it.
I also see that Furnace Creek area has a lot going on this year, which might add to the general confusion and make it harder to get things done in general. It looks like the visitors center was closed a few months ago for remodelling and a temporary one set up in another location, also supposed to close the FC campground in Feb for several months worth utility work. Man, that combo makes me want stay clear of the whole mess and keep it on the boondocks as much as I possibly can. Unless I`m overthing the situation
The most important thing to keep in mind is that if you aren't carrying "it" with you, then you are not going to get "it" just any old place in the valley. The "it" can be food, water, spare parts, whatever. Most of the campsites do not have water sources. You will need to be in Stovepipe, or Furnace Creek for water sources. The food situation can be as inexpensive, or as expensive as you make it. There are "cheap eats" available in both locations.
There is always some sort of event going on in DV during the cooler months. But, to me anyway, it never seems crowded. As for the visitor's center, the newly refurbished building is slated to open this month [Jan], about 6 months ahead for schedule; I just got the notice from the DVNHA yesterday.
YMMV
-dg