Basins And Washes - Bikerafting/Bikepacking Lake Mead and Gold Butte

 

“You definitely need to be unconsciously competent with both bicycles and packrafts before you put them together and become consciously incompetent at it,” - Andy Toop, Owner at Backcountry Scot

November 2024

Just returning from a quick trip to Oregon, I had a little time on my hands. It was time to dust off another route from my ever-growing list of “wanna-do” trips. I contacted Kurstin, @bikepackingnv, and of course he was all in.

11/19/2024
We started at the designated camp spot along Boathouse Cove Road, heading for Echo Bay by bike. After a quick stop at the store (mmmm, sugar, breakfast of champions!), we pedaled down to Lake Mead’s shore. There, the real fun began: breaking down bikes, inflating packrafts, and carefully balancing bikes on rafts pretending to be competant. 

P.C. - Kurstin

 

With a little wind assist, we paddled to Catclaw Wash, transitioned back to bikes, and rolled into Gold Butte National Monument. The riding was soft, scenic and remote, with feral burros keeping us company, especially near Agua Caliente Springs. Bonus: the spring tank was full! We wrapped up the 30-mile day feeling tired but ready for more.

P.C. - Kurstin

 

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11/20/2024

Day two was a deep dive into remote terrain. We left camp and climbed sandy roads toward Scanlon Summit. Although we traveled only on approved designated routes, some hadn't seen any type of travel for a very long time. Well, except for the burros. The descent via Scanlon Dugway was a very steep, extremely chunky, technical challenge with significant consequences. Definitely don't blow it territory! But both Kurstin and I were stoked by the descent.  From there, we aimed for Gregg Basin passing Lakeshore mine, an abandoned gold-silver-copper mine. Using more burro tracked sandy routes led us towards lakes edge. At the bottom we picked our way down through debris left by the receding waters of the lake to a likely looking launch point. 

Once we reached waters edge, it was back to the rafts. The flatwater felt almost eerie after the wind assisted adventure of day one. The slow movement of our rafts almost made me feel as if we were suspended in time and space. Hours of paddling on calm, glassy water brought us to Hualapai Bay. 

P.C. - Kurstin

We transitioned back to bikes, pedaled a few miles, and spent the night in a great little alcove nestled up against the canyon wall under the stars.

 

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11/21/2024
We kicked off the day riding through Hualapai Wash, a landscape that gave major Grand Canyon vibes. 

 

At the top, we connected to the Temple Bar back road passing a wind farm. 

Enjoying a long downhill we finally reached Temple Bar for a much-needed water refill and—of course—snacks. True to form, Kurstin had found and downed a 'road coke,' must be his superpower. 

P.C. - Kurstin

Fueled by Dr. Pepper and Dorritos, we biked a few more miles on Temple Bar Road before setting up camp just as we lost the light. (A fairly common occurance this time of year). A rewardingly long day at 37 miles and over 3100 ft climbing.

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11/22/2024

The final day started with a 15 mile ride to Bonelli Landing, where we transitioned back to the rafts for one last paddle. We took the obligatory riders and rigs photos, but with a twist. After all the packrafts were part of the rigs. 

Photos below by Kurstin.

The Virgin Basin treated us to calm, clear water, making the crossing a perfect finale for our over water adventures.

 

The take-out at Boathouse Cove was a bit soft, requiring a little extra elbow grease to pull boats and gear to firmer ground, and after packing bikes for the final time, a short push through the weeds to get out to the road end. 

Once back on solid ground, we pedaled up the road to our starting point, wrapping up an unforgettable four days of bikepacking and bikerafting in some of the most stunning and remote terrain in the Southwest.

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Highlights

• Wild burro sightings around Agua Caliente Springs
• Crazy Scanlon Dugway descent
  
• Flatwater paddling in Virgin Basin with zero wind—rare and magical
• Kurstin’s triumphant road coke discovery
• The mix of challenging routes, serene waters, and endless views

 

Final Thoughts

Bikerafting is an emerging niche in adventuring. It allows human powered adventure to continue into previously unattainable terrain. This trip certainly would not have been possible without this relatively new mode of travel. It does however come with it's own set of challenges, more gear to deal with, wind, weather and additional water hazards, as well as new repair skills. Instruction is always best but you can start locally on something small. Practice breaking down your bike and attaching it to your packraft. I still do this before every trip! Although it may be tempting to leave the PFD (personal flotation device) at home due to bulk, please don't! (You hear that Scott?) If you get the chance to try bikerafting or packrafting, do it. It may open up a whole new world of exploration for you.

 

Stats:

116.2 total miles with 9702 ft of climbing per my Karoo 2 GPS device

Paddling: Approx 14.6 miles

 

Map and Downloadable track:

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/239620698

Bikes and Boats: 

Doug: Binary semi-custom Gordita Fat Bike, no suspension running Surly Edna 4.3 tires. Full bikepacking bags. Alpacka Caribou packraft with Cargo fly.

Kurstin: Meriweather custom long tail fatbike, no suspension Vittoria Cannoli (4.8?) tires. Full bikepacking bags. Kokopelli Hornet Lite packraft.