Gold to Grand Loop

Routedetails

# Detailed Route Guide
- [Gold to Grand Loop - Full Route Guide](https://www.theforrestbiome.com/gold-to-grand-loop.html)

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# Route Overview

This bikepacking route travels through @point[Gold Butte](d,35292.01) and @point[Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monuments](d,88175) straddling the Nevada/Arizona border.  It does a nearly full circumference ride of Gold Butte NM taking in opportunities for side hikes at @poi[Little Finland](112035498) and @poi[Seven Keyholes Slot Canyon](108780321) as well as cultural tours of the old @poi[Gold Butte Townsite](108780326).  Take time to enjoy the dense Joshua Trees and exposed, vibrantly colorful geological formations along the route.  From here, it's a big descent into the remote and little visited Grand Canyon-Parashant NM.  You'll look at the distant @point[Grand Wash Cliffs](d,93134.23) that officially mark the end of the Grand Canyon as the stratified layers dive into the Mojave Desert at Lake Mead.  Stop at ecologically rich @poi[Pakoon Springs](108401469) before a climb up and along the base of the @poi[Virgin Mountains](108780489).  Then, climb up and over @poi[Lime Kiln Pass](115580298) where an exhilarating descent carries you to the high desert town of @poi[Mesquite, NV](108784458).  Eat some tacos and then finish the ride on the semi-paved Gold Butte Backcountry Byway that traces the banks of the @point[Virgin River](d,180755.02) before ascending back up to Gold Butte NM and finishing the route at iconic @poi[Whitney Pocket](111651797).

Gold to Grand Loop sticks to excellent backcountry dirt roads and features evenly-spaced reliable water sources.  It travels through environmentally important habitat for the Mojave desert tortoise but mule deer and big horn sheep are out here too.  Junipers and Joshua trees intermix along with creosote and yucca along terrain that ranges from 1400 to 4600 feet.  This is a great 3-4 day winter bikepacking trip close to Las Vegas and through the heart of where the Colorado Plateau and Mojave Desert meet.

## Recommended Tire Size: 2.4"-2.6"; Minimum Tire Size: 2.3"

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# Riding Seasons:
* BEST TIME: Late Winter/Early Spring (Mid-January - Early April)
* DOABLE: Late Fall/Winter (Mid-November - Early January)
* NOT Recommended: Summer/Mid-Fall (Late April - Early November)
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# Surface Color Guide
- Red = Dirt Surface (4WD, Smooth to Rough, Wide Roads to Doubletrack)
- Brown = Primitive Dirt Surface (Particularly Rocky, Rutted, and Eroded)
- Purple = Semi-Paved Road (2WD, Interspersed Pavement and Dirt, Questionable asphalt where the dirt shoulders are smoother than the pavement)
- Blue = Vehicular Pavement
- Green = Paved Bike Path

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# Surface Conditions and Route Difficulty

Physical Difficulty: 6/10
; Technical Difficulty: 4.5/10

The Gold to Grand Loop mostly sticks to well-maintained dirt roads that course across the public lands of Gold Butte and GC-Parashant.  The dirt roads run from smooth as silk and suitable for skinny tires to rocky in spurts and lightly sanded in areas.  In all, the roads vacillate between intermittent ruggedness to long bouts of fast hardpack.  Washboard is little, and the worst sections of sand/dirt are shortlived.  On average, expect excellent road conditions.  The exception to this is about four miles of dirt that climb up and over @poi[Lime Kiln Pass](115580298): this is really rocky, rutted, primitive, and will require most bikepackers to hike-a-bike.  But the views are exceptional and abate the difficulty of this crux of the route.

In inclement weather, the southeast portions of the route around Grand Canyon-Parashant NM will become @point[impassable](d,93241.77), due either to washouts, flash flooding, or rare sections of peanut butter mud.  Stay safe and stay out of washes or low areas at those times.  During fall/early winter, most of the roads along the route may be more eroded and rocky due to the summer's monsoons.  Expect the best road conditions in late winter/spring.

The technical difficulty is due to the occassional rocky sections and mild but short sandy sections.  Most of this is concentrated near @poi[Lime Kiln Pass](115585143) and riding down @point[Mud Wash Road](d,22195.29).  That one 3-4 mile section over Lime Kiln Pass is particularly technical.  But it stands as an outlier from the rest of the route.

The physical difficulty is mostly due to climbing.  There is most certainly some sustained ascending across many portions of this route.  It's only in a few notable sections (see below) where the grades become steep and the climbing feels unrelenting.

## Noteworthy Climbs
1. @slice[Ascending to Lime Kiln Pass](d,132448.3,138733) to get over the Virgin Mountains.  Definitely the crux.
2. The long climb from @slice[Pakoon Springs to Aravada Springs](d,100981.6,117800.1).
3. Riding the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway from where it @slice[leaves the Virgin River up to Whitney Pocket](d,184847.1,208371.8).
4. The climb up to @slice[Gold Butte Townsite from Mud Wash](d,31648.4,52400).  
## 
## Noteworthy Primitive, Rocky Surfaces
1. @poi[The climb up and over Lime Kiln Pass](115585143) on either side of the saddle can be a mindfield of large rocks and decayed track.  
2. @slice[The connector from Horse Springs to Gold Butte Road](d,62983.5,64652.3) is along a wash and then over lots of babyheads.  It's a short connector though and that water is worth it.  
## 
## Noteworthy Vehicular Pavement
1. @slice[Riverside Road/170](d,165228.9,174277.9): Stretches from Bunkerville to the turn onto the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway.  It's smooth pavement but with little shoulder.  However, traffic is light and mostly involves ATVs heading into the hills from Mesquite.  
2. @slice[Gold Butte Backcountry Byway](d,174667.6,208371.8): Technically this is pavement, but I really think of it as semi-paved.  A 2WD vehicle can travel down it, but the road is a patchwork of smooth alphalt, terrible quilted sealing/pothole patches, and decades of disrepair.  In fact, sections of straight up dirt just happen for portions.  There are vehicles/ATVs heading to Gold Butte, but they are polite and pass with room.  Traffic is overall light.  
## 
The Gold to Grand Loop is intended to be ridden in a counterclockwise direction.  @poi[Park your vehicle](111650901) in the large dirt parking lot at Whitney Pocket at the end of the pavement in Gold Butte National Monument.  Go find a back corner or side area to leave it for your duration of your ride.  Parking is free and doesn't require a permit.

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# Water and Food

## Water Reliability Scale
- 1 = unreliable
- 2 = seasonal;
- 3 = mostly reliable;
- 4 = definite source
## 
This is a dry desert environment and very remote.  Be smart about your water resupplying.  The springs listed on the route are generally reliable, especially after some good winter precipitation.  If it's been a dry winter or fall, some of these sources may be low or dry.  Plan to carry several liters of water, sometimes enough to last at least 24 hours and more than you think you'll need should you arrive at a source and find it dry.

The best springs on-route are @poi[Granite](108401698), @poi[Horse](108401470), and @poi[Pakoon](108401469).  Definite water can be found at @poi[Aravada Springs](108401540) (there is a campground/resort) and @poi[Mesquite, NV](108784458).  You may find a few other sources out there in dirt cattle ponds and old unmaintained pipes.  Jim Boone, an ecologist in the area, told me that over 90% of the springs that used to run in Gold Butte from the early 1900s are now dry.  The ones I listed are the ones he and others recommend - these are pretty solid.  If you want a few more sources off-route (literally a couple thousand feet of elevation loss/gain and many miles), hit up @poi[Mockingbird](108780328) and @poi[Agua Chiquita](108780325) south of Gold Butte Townsite.

Food can be purchased from the small (limited-selection) store at @poi[Aravada Springs](108401540) and only when it is open for the season.  A larger resupply with options for full meals and lodging can be found in @poi[Mesquite, NV](108784461).

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# Fees and Permits
- Gold Butte National Monument and Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument have no fees or required permits.  
- A [Recreational Land Use Permit](https://land.az.gov/applications-permits) is required for any travel or camping on Arizona State Lands. Apply for and pay for one before you head out on the route. Carry it with you.

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# General Access
Bikes are allowed to travel on all established roads within the National Monuments.  But please keep to the roads.  Gold Butte is an environmentally significant area for Mojave desert tortoises and off-road travel tramples their habitat.  In addition, cryptobiotic crust is found along the route.  Don't trample it as it keeps the soil solid and resistant to erosion.  Lastly, Gold Butte Road travels along the boundary of the Lime Canyon Wilderness; don't take your bike into the Wilderness Area.

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# Camping
There is abundant dispersed camping across the public lands of Gold Butte and GC-Parashant National Monuments; both are managed by the Bureau of Land Management.  Try to camp in already-impacted sites with durable surfaces.  Always camp 0.25 miles or further from springs/water sources.  I've noted a few great camping spots along the route for your consideration.  If you want to stay at Aravada Springs Campground, make sure you get reservations by visiting their [website](https://aravada.com/).

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