Route Overview
Region
Miles
Days Out
Recommended Tire Size
Season
Late January - Early April
Elevation Gain
Difficulty
5/10 Technical
Primary Surface(s)
Rough Gravel
Route Map
Route Details
- Riding across Gold Butte and Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monuments
- Hiking at Little Finland and Seven Keyholes Slot Canyon
- Seeing Devil’s Throat sinkhole
- Biking down geologically gorgeous Mud Wash
- Exploring historic Gold Butte Townsite
- Seeing the Grand Wash Cliffs
- Visiting ecologically-rich Pakoon Springs
- Staying overnight or stopping at Aravada Springs Campground
- Climbing up into the Virgin Mountains
- Descending Lime Kiln Canyon
- Burritos and tacos in Mesquite, NV
- Exploring Whitney Pocket
Gold to Grand Loop takes bikepackers on a desert ride through Gold Butte and Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monuments along the Nevada/Arizona border. The route travels across the vast arid basins of the Mojave Desert in addition to tracing and climbing over the pinyon-studded Virgin Mountains. Bikepackers can expect to visit springs providing riparian oases while cycling dirt track along and through exposed, vibrantly colorful geological formations. Gold to Grand Loop meanders within 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 4900 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 the Mojave Desert meet.
The route starts and ends at Whitney Pocket – a series of warped buttes colorfully jutting form the desert floor. The track quickly descends into the heart of Gold Butte, doing a nearly full circumference ride of the national monument while taking in opportunities for side hikes at Little Finland and Seven Keyholes Slot Canyon. Riders are encouraged to take time for historical visits of the old Gold Butte Townsite and to keep an eye open for the many culturally significant petroglyphs dotted across the landscape. Gold to Grand Loop then enters the remote and little-visited Parashant, providing views of the Grand Wash Cliffs that officially mark the end of the Grand Canyon as the stratified layers dive into the Mojave Desert at Lake Mead. Ecologically-rich Pakoon Springs is a riparian thicket to explore while Aravada Springs provides needed water at the top of the Pakoon Basin. The route’s crux is a climb over Lime Kiln Pass where an exhilarating descent through its namesake canyon carries riders to the high desert town of Mesquite, NV for a resupply and burritos. Bikepackers finish the route by ascending back up into Joshua tree groves with a return to Whitney Pocket.
Best ridden in late fall and again in late winter-late spring, the Gold to Grand Loop sticks to dirt roads that course across the public lands of Gold Butte and the Parashant. The dirt roads run from smooth as silk and suitable for skinny tires to rocky, rugged with embedded rock, graveled, and sandy. In all, expect both extremely rough surfaces as well as fast hardpack. Washboard is found in some locations. The approximately four miles of dirt that climb up and over Lime Kiln Pass are 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 impassable, 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 recommended tire size 2.6-3.0″ although I’m sure some riders could get away with 2.4-2.5″ especially after precipitation.
The technical difficulty is due to the occasional rocky sections and mild but short sandy sections. Most of this is concentrated near Lime Kiln Pass, Aravada Springs, and riding down Mud Wash Road. The 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 frequent and sometimes steep climbing. There is copious sustained ascending across many portions of this route between basins, valleys, and mountain passes. Some of these will feel especially unrelenting given their length and grade.
- Paved: 22%
- Smooth Gravel: 63%
- Rough Gravel: 10%
- 4×4 Road: 3%
- Singletrack: 2%
Water:
The suggested water carrying capacity for this route is 6 – 10 liters. This quantity depends on the season, temperature, your own body’s needs, etc. This is NOT the route to be messing around with how little water you think you can get by with to save weight. This is a dry desert environment and very remote. Be smart about your water resupplying. The springs listed on the route range from reliable to unreliable; they’ll be especially good after some solid winter precipitation. If it’s been a dry winter or fall, some of these sources may be empty. 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 Horse, Aravada, and Government. Definite water can be found at Aravada Springs and Mesquite, NV. 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 recommended and that I’ve confirmed.
IMPORTANT: Definite water is available for bikepackers in addition to overnight tent camping at Aravada Springs Campground. But the following procedures MUST be followed:
- Each cyclist or group traveling together will need to call the reservation phone number 801-431-4950 (in-season March-November) or 435-994-5537 (out-of-season December – February). Do this BEFORE leaving to start the route as there is no cell phone reception once you head into Gold Butte and the Parashant. Give your name, the number of people arriving with you, what date you plan to arrive, and if you are able to give an approximate time of arrival. This will allow Aravada Springs to make sure the gate is open and that their Ranch Manager is aware of your arrival. The gate is usually open, so hopefully there will not be any issues with it not being open.
- Bikepackers will not need to check in with anyone. You are welcome to get water, use the restrooms located by the pond, and then leave. However, remember this is private property so be respectful and act as an ambassador of the route. We want to keep good relationships.
- You can collect water from the pipe that comes out of the hill near the pond. This pipe comes directly from Aravada Springs’s culinary water system which comes from natural cold water springs located on the property. They test the water regularly but the state of Nevada lists their water as non-potable, so treat/filter it if you want. Cyclists are also welcome to use the white outdoor sink located behind the kitchen if it has not been winterized. It is located in the back right corner behind the kitchen building, which is the third main building on your right after entering the property and just after the covered outdoor eating area with picnic tables. Finally, if the restrooms are open (next to the kitchen building and featuring two white doors on a dark wood building) you may get water from those sinks.
- Aravada Springs is open seasonally from March – November. It is closed seasonally December – February. Bikepackers are welcome to enter the property at any time of year for water.
- Tent camping will be available for bikepackers. There is an orchard on the northeast end of the pond where tents can be set up. The cost is $20.00 per night, cash-only. When you call to notify Aravada Springs of your visit, you can make arrangements to tent camp.
- Complete a Bikepacking Registration Form and a Liability Waiver for Aravada Springs. – both are required for every cyclist overnight camping on the property. You can either print them yourself and bring them, or Aravada Springs will have them available in a box next to the registration office. Make sure to place them in the drop box at the registration office in addition to your payment when you leave. There will also be comment cards available if you wish to leave comments or any feedback.
Pakoon Springs:
This is a spring located in GC-Parashant. When you get here, read the kiosk, enjoy the hike/trail that loops the spring, and grab some water. If you do go looking for water, be aware that this is habitat for endangered relict leopard frogs. Don’t trample the spring or vegetation. The water can be hard to find and marshy, so if this feels like too much work, make sure to carry enough from Horse Springs to get you to Aravada Springs.
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 camp at the start and end of the route, Whitney Pocket has some epic dispersed sites set amid its excellent geological formations.
Resupply:
The only full good resupply on the route will be located in Mesquite, NV. Make sure to grab some tacos and burritos from La Mexicana Grocery Store Market.
Parking:
Park your vehicle 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.
Where Bikes Are Allowed and Not Allowed:
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.
Fees and Permits:
Gold Butte National Monument and Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument have no fees or required permits.
A Recreational Land Use Permit 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. You cross through a parcel of Arizona State Lands in the Parashant.
ATVs:
ATVs are common along the roads of Gold Butte and the Parashant. However, I have found drivers are pretty respectful, will check on you/offer you water, and give you space when passing. The densest ATVs will be found between Lime Kiln Pass and the town of Mesquite, NV as drivers head into the hills. Prepare for a bunch heading up towards you as you are heading down towards the city.
Friends of Gold Butte:
Consider supporting the local nonprofit looking to preserve and improve Gold Butte National Monument. They also put on volunteer events and work with various organizations in the region to protect and enhance Gold Butte National Monument.
- Please see the route webpage on Forrest’s website for even more resources and info.
- Forrest has a blog for the Gold to Grand loop on his website.
- The Bundys and Cows: Cows are a prevalent presence on the route, and it seems a great deal of them are from the Bundys. For those unaware, Cliven Bundy and his family are local ranchers that have continued to illegally graze their cattle (nearly a thousand) in Gold Butte despite orders from judges and the Bureau of Land Management to remove them and pay over $1 million in unpaid grazing fees. The Bundys have steadfastly refused. The result in 2014 was an armed standoff between the BLM and the Bundys (with their militia supporters) when the BLM was tasked with rounding up the cattle. Ultimately, the trespass cattle were released. For a few years after 2014, federal managers stayed away from the Monument for their personal safety. The result was bullet-holes in important cultural sites and petroglyphs, illegal trenching for springs/irrigation, and chopped down Joshua trees. Sites important and sacred to several Paiute Tribes were damaged and disrespected. The Moapa Band of Paiutes and Friends of Gold Butte both began lobbying the government for National Monument status of the area. Notably, it was the ancestors of the Moapa Band of Paiutes who made those petroglyphs. Gold Butte was originally part of their reservation, let alone their rightful land prior to US government reservation lines in the 1800s. Even then, the land was later excised. The work of all these organizations resulted in the formation of Gold Butte National Monument by President Barack Obama in 2016.Despite all this, Bundy’s cattle remain. You’ll see them out there on the route. They shouldn’t be there for legal, ecological, and ethical reasons, but you’ll see them. If you want to help the Gold Butte area out, make a donation and support Friends of Gold Butte whose goals include preserving a healthy landscape at the National Monument. More recent information on the Bundys and Gold Butte can be found in this recent article.
Forrest Radarian created and stewards this route as well as the Canyon bikepacking routes (South and North Rims) at Grand Canyon National Park. Here is a little about Forrest, along with an acknowledgment in his own words:
Forrest (he/him, Grand Canyon, AZ) is a high school science teacher at the only pre-K-12 public school located in a National Park at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. He is passionate about (a) education and teaching, (b) biodiversity, environmental science, and evolution, and (c) outdoor adventuring. Forrest is devoted to getting students into the outdoors and helping them learn science deeply. He’s built a strong love for Arizona – a topophilia enriched by bikepacking and backpacking around the state. He created the Capes of the Canyon bikepacking route showcased by Bikepacking Roots’ CRoP program.
“I want to thank Janna for always being my ride partner whenever we explore new areas, this route included. I’d also like to thank Kate who put the idea into my head that a winter bikepacking trip out to Gold Butte would be a great location. Josh and Russell also get big thank yous for joining me on a subsequent scouting thru-ride and giving feedback. Major thanks go out to Lara Kobelt and Jimmy Linares who fielded my initial questions about water sources and access from their land management work in the area. A significant amount of gratitude is owed to ecologist Jim Boone who runs BirdandHike.com. First, his website was critical for helping me visualize the area as well on-the-ground photos of the terrain/track. Even more-so, he spent considerable time emailing with me back-and-forth about water sources, resupply points, conditions, weather, access, quality of springs, private land, and overnight parking. His knowledge of the area is incredible and helped me really nail down where to take the ride. A huge thank you goes out to Aravada Springs Campground for their hospitality in allowing cyclists to get water in what is a remote and unreliable stretch. Lastly, I wanted to thank Friends of Gold Butte who also corresponded with me pertaining to questions of parking and water sources. All the individuals listed above work hard for the preservation of this landscape; their passion for protection and education about these National Monuments helped make the route out here fantastic.”
Be sure to check out Forrest’s full webpage to read more about his bikepacking adventures.
Forrest has offered to be available to answer questions if you are planning a trip on this route. We encourage you to be respectful of Route Stewards time though and to review publicly available materials first before reaching out with questions.
Please also get in touch with any updates on route conditions that may be relevant to other riders.
Please submit your questions and comments on the route via the contact form below.
This route traverses the traditional lands of the Moapa Band of Paiutes who are part of the Southern Paiutes.