Toiyabe Crest Trail - The Colorado Trail Of Nevada

 

"You get comfortable being uncomfortable" - unknown

7/7 - 7/09/2026

It's July in Nevada. Far too hot (for me) for riding in the typical 4000-6000 ft elevations.  

The Basin and Range Province is one of North America's most distinctive landscapes, and Nevada is its heart. It was created over the past 15–20 million years as the Earth's crust slowly stretched apart. As the crust pulled apart, large blocks of rock dropped downward to form broad valleys (basins), while adjacent blocks were pushed upward to create long, narrow mountain ranges. More than 300 individual mountain ranges cross Nevada. Unlike many mountain systems, where ranges form continuous chains, Nevada's mountains run mostly north to south in a repeating pattern. From the air, the state resembles a series of parallel ridges separated by wide, arid valleys. For bikepackers and hikers, Basin and Range terrain means a constant rhythm of long climbs followed by long descents.

The Toiyabe Crest Trail is different. It runs north - south along the crest of the Toiyabe Range keeping you above the valley heat. But the entry fee is steep. The full length of the trail including the wilderness area southern portion is about 63 miles. The bike legal section outside of the wilderness area is 32 miles. To loop the bike legal section without a shuttle makes the route approx 70 miles with 11000 ft of climbing. Most of the route stays between 8,000 and 11,000 feet, offering long ridge-top riding and hiking with expansive views across the Great Basin. 

A Brief History

The history of the trail is more interesting than the often-repeated story that it was simply built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Early Forest Service records document tens of thousands of sheep using the crest each year in the early 1900s. During the 1930s, the CCC improved sections of the existing route, but historians have found little evidence that the entire trail was constructed from scratch during that era, despite that claim appearing in many later publications. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the trail became known for organized horseback rides that showcased the rugged beauty of the Toiyabe Range. In 1979, the Toiyabe Crest Trail was officially designated a National Recreation Trail, recognizing its outstanding scenic and recreational value. In recent years a dedicated group of volunteers has been working on the trail to restore it for it's outstanding historic, scenic and recreational value. 

On 7/7 - 7/9 I took a run at the bike legal section of the Toiyabe Crest Trail. The section south of Ophir Pass is wilderness and bikes are not allowed. I ran the loop in a clockwise direction starting at the bottom of Ophir Pass which would put me on the trail going south to north. Before I could access the trail I had a climb of over 4000 ft just to get there. Unsurprisingly I saw no one the entire time from when I left my truck until leaving the trail near Kingston. At the end I descended the remainder of Kingston Canyon and rode an additional 20+ miles to return to my start point. A grand adventure that was all I'd hoped for, isolated, beautiful, challenging.

 

 

I started from my truck at about 3:20 am and by the time I reached the old mining town of Ophir it was starting to get light. I stopped to check out some of the ruins and the photo above is of the Murphy Mill.

 

 

At the creek crossing a little beyond Ophir I stopped to filter water as this is the last chance for some time.

 

The views opened up as I climbed toward Ophir Pass.

This view is looking at the start of the wilderness section going south from the pass.

The start of the bike legal section going north.

Yay! More climbing from the pass. I'm over 10,000 ft already. 

More views!

 

I ended day 1 camped next to Tierney Creek. The foxtails had been ferocious and I sat by the creek filtering water and trying to get foxtails out of my socks. With limited success.

 

Day 2 started with a climb up from the creek back into the higher elevations. Lots of steep side hilling on narrow track set the character for the day. The views however continued amazing!

 

 

I decided to camp another night on the ridge top beyond Washington Creek and complete the trail into Kingston the following morning. The ridge is roughly 10,000 ft and windy but felt good with the afternoon heat. 

These photos are actually the next morning.

Last significant climb. But pay attention because the singletrack branch's off in-obviously. Thankfully I didn't miss it by much and it was easy to cut over to it.

The big drop into Kingston Canyon 

End of the trail in Kingston Canyon 

From here I dropped down to hwy 376 and made my way back to the start at the bottom of Ophir canyon passing the wild looking...Wild Granites! (Have you seen the Alex Honnold segment yet?) I took a bunch of video and hope to have it edited into something marginally watchable at some point.

Stats: 70 miles, 11050 ft climbing

Trail Notes: This is an 'old school' hiking trail and was not specifically designed for mountain biking. It has narrow steep tread and can be overgrown in areas. It demands complete focus and is very remote. That said, Kurt Gensheimer (@trail_whisperer) and his hard working group of volunteers has done an incredible job of bringing this trail back to life over the last eight years as of this writing. If you are following a GPS route and it differs from the trail on the ground and signage, follow the signs/trail. The track I had led off onto an unused ATV track that is not on the correct route. There is plenty of water. I found a few small creeks along the way. But get water where you find it because I found none in a couple of named sources. Tierney and Washington Creeks should be reliable.

Bike Setup: Revel Rascal full suspension mountain bike that I built from the frame up. Bikepacking bags including Louise dropper post harness and Blue Ridge handlebar cradle.