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| PC Kurstin |
“The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one without shocking the entire community.” — Ann Strong, US author
April 2026
I had been casting about for a bikepacking route that was more than an overnight but less than a week. I was antsy from lack of adventure since my Utah trip got cut short due to the March heat wave. As unlikely as it sounds I've mostly drained my backlog with nothing but longer or more distant trips left in the queue. As I scanned Google Earth I spotted something odd. I switched to topo mode and no explanation appeared. Bingo!
Day 1
Kurstin met me around 10am just a few minutes up the road from the Mill City turnoff of of I80 in northern Nevada. This was to be our jumping off point. We packed our bikes and headed S.E. on Willow Creek Ranch rd.
Almost immediately as we entered the canyon we scared up a bunch of cows that were lounging by the creek. Of course as cows do they just beat feet, or hooves, up onto the road directly in front of us. Bulls, cows and calf's all in a long Tango line, the Cow Parade. Thus we went for at least a couple of miles. They would get ahead around a bend out of sight and slow down allowing us to catch them again. Finally as the canyon walls laid back a bit the whole parade broke up in small groups and eventually left the road for us strange not-motorbike-or-auto-conveyed humans. If it wasn't so un-funny it would have been funny. But even as annoying as it was chewing on cow dust and trying to dodge through copious amounts of cow pee and runny poop for miles it was still a bit funny.
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| Cow parade |
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| PC Kurstin |
After some 12+ miles and 2700 ft. we topped our first climb.
A fun, sometimes somewhat steep descent followed. We passed some ranchers, or maybe prospectors, not sure which but they waved enthusiastically at us.
Dropping into Spaulding Canyon we then re-climbed up to Spaulding Pass and dropped again into Klondike Canyon. Turning off on a spur to follow the route we blew past a sign that warned of private property ahead but I didn't catch the whole message. At the bottom we came across a gate. It wasn't locked but I walked back up the short distance to read the whole sign. It was cool though. It just said the gate MAY be locked and there was no trailer turnaround. We continued on through the ranch property and out the other side ending our days ride with about 24 mi and 4k ft climbing.
Ah Bull.
The day wasn't over. Long daylight hours means extra, well, daylight hours. As we lounged in camp pitching solutions to world problems and getting ready to cook our respective meals we could hear a bull bellowing loudly coming down canyon towards our camp. Upon discovering us planted in perhaps his favorite meadow he was very displeased. Or perhaps expressing his joy at having biped company, who knows. At any rate he was making no moves to continue on his way and his stallion buddy (yes a horse had wandered down with him) seemed to be enjoying the ruckus. Bellowing LOUDLY he wandered around camp while his buddy, we'll call him Stan, stood a discreet distance away watching in what I assumed was horsey mirth. As he approached Kurstin's tent we had to intervene and waving and clapping sent him on his way still bellowing whatever his message was. Stan, still keeping the same measured distance wandered away with him. Ah peace at last. But no! Midnight. Here he comes bellowing his way through camp again but continued moving on. 2am here he is again. This time choosing to again stomp around camp. After 20 minutes or so I got up and again ran him off. Wow... "Hey Bull, it's pas-ture bed time!"
Day 2
The climbing started immediately out of camp. A short distance up canyon wet met Bull who now paid us no mind. Stan was nowhere to be seen. The road pitched up steeper and steeper until I was no longer riding. Kurstin's Brazil conditioning was serving him well and he continued riding out of sight. The roads continued as yesterday being a mix of good gravel and barely discernible. This section was the later. In due course we came across a trough I had marked on the map. The trough was upside down and not in use but good water was flowing from a pipe. After Kurstin declared "filtering is for youngsters" and filled his bottles, I gave it the calibrated sniff test. It passed and I filled my bottles without filtering also. Just to be clear, the sniff test is not an approved measure for determining water potability.
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| PC Kurstin |
The riding was through great territory rising and falling passing creeks and springs and even a mining district that we assumed was mercury since it is marked as quicksilver mines on the topo.
We dropped to the floor of Pleasant Valley for a fast 5 miles to the base of our next climb, Golconda Pass in the Tobin Range. Did I mention the antelope? Yes lots of antelope in small bands or individuals. Up Golconda Pass, more semi-abandoned ranches, more water, more Gopher snakes then down into Jersey Valley.
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| PC Kurstin |
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| PC Kurstin |
Ormat Nevada has a geothermal plant here. Using our better judgement we elected not to filter water that was potentially outflow from the plant.
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| PC Kurstin |
This link has some interesting information regarding the hot springs and the impact of the geothermal plant but check this out, headlined on the page:
You are viewing ARCHIVED content published online before January 20, 2025. Please note that this content is NOT UPDATED,
and links may not work. Additionally, any previously issued diversity,
equity, inclusion or gender-related guidance on this webpage should be
considered rescinded. For current information, visit https://www.blm.gov/press-release.
Not news, but just.shit.
Riding on we found 3 sorta trees and camped on the valley floor after about 50mi and 3400 ft of climbing for the day.
Day 3
Easy riding took us around the southern end of the Tobin Range then back up Pleasant Valley, more antelope, (the cows remained relatively long distance) and eventually leading to the mouth of Kennedy Canyon, our route back over the East Range and down into Buena Vista Valley which we would traverse longitudinally north back to our start. We stopped to filter at the creek crossing at the bottom of Kennedy Canyon as there was no more assured water after we left the creek. This was at mile 95 and the route is 134 miles so that left about 40 miles of no assured water. No problem.
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| PC Kurstin |
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| PC Kurstin |
We soon reached the old townsite of Kennedy. From Stan Paher's 'Nevada Ghost Towns And Mining Camps' and nvexpeditions.com, Kennedy was a gold camp discovered by Charles Kennedy in 1891 and soon the camp began to flourish. In 1895 the Imperial Mine built a 20 stamp mill but couldn't handle the sulfides in the ore. Eventually the mill was sold and in 1901 cyanide leaching vats were built. These remains are what I spotted on Google Earth initiating this route and trip.
Steep riding led out of the town site. The last mile or so to the top was very steep pushing.
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| PC Kurstin |
At the top we decided to just go all the way back to our vehicles. We had about 36 miles with only 600 ft of climbing and over 3000 ft of descent. The first 2500 ft was in 9 miles so you can probably guess how that went. Then we just ground out the remaining miles and arrived back at around 5 pm for a 61 mile and 4300 ft day.
This was another scenically, historically and if you read up on the pro's and con's of geothermal energy, environmentally interesting route. A great route for Pronghorn Antelope sightings, not to mention cows. But bring your climbing legs as we did over 11,700 ft of climbing in 2 and half days.
Stats:
135.05 miles, 11792 ft elevation gain per my Coros Dura
Route File: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54434901
Bike setups:
Doug: Binary Bicycles Kinetik hardtail w/130mm suspension fork, 29x2.8" rear tire 29x3.0" front, custom rear rack and bikepacking bags.
Kurstin: Custom Falconer rigid with bikepacking bags and rack w/mini panniers.