Hot Creek Canyon Nevada ?

I have been wanting to ride Through Hot Creek canyon. I spent some time there as a kid and allways wanted to return. I was in that area in Jan but the whole State seemed to be snowed over.Anyone else riddenn through here? What Can I expect? Fuel range? Must see in the area? Of course I will visit Tybo. I have heard of Ice caves outlaw hideouts and hot springs in the area. But that was a long time ago. Any sugestions?

Heres a PIC from our last trip (BURRRRR!!!)

Last time I was out that way I stayed several days at the Clown Motel in Tonopah.
With the large IMS tank on my KLR had no problems making loops out from Tonopah. If you get further north of Tonopah you can count on gas in Manhattan, and during the summer season there is/was a station in Belmont.

Otherwise gas is pretty scarce but for Tonopah and Ely/Lund.

When you get to Tybo look for

And check out the motor room

That's an old Detroit Diesel being used to hoist the bucket up and down the shaft. Northwest of town you can find the old charcoal kilns




Belmont is worth a side trip

I am taking the long way home this trip so no loops I'm goin straight through. After HCC I'll Probably come out Eagle Pass and head up Monitor Valley. I would really love to see Belmont but it may have me back tracking a bit.(Any one know if it has fuel?) My goal for the next fuel stop is Austin so I'll have to limit how much extra exploring I do. Was thinking of heading up Little fish Lake Valley But that brings me out near Eureka and I am limited on time this trip. Maybe next time. I plan on camping near Tonpah the first night, at Spencers hot spring the second and be at home in Silver Springs on the third. Is this to ambitious? I will slab the first and last legs But Warm springs to spencers will be all dirt at a lesiurly pace.

Looking at the map again and thinking Little Fish Lake valley may be doable and get me to Spencers.
Any one been through here?
It looks like its more interesting. More mountainous and twisty compared to doing Monitor Valley the whole way. It will put me into monitor about half way up the valley.
Anyone know what elevation the snow is at in central Nevada right now.

So is there anyone familiar with this area?
Does anyone want to become familiar with it?
It looks like I'll have my stuff together enough to travel sometime late next week.
I have some more time too so I'll probably spend a day in DV on the way.
The last time I was there we spent the night in Pleasant canyon and went into the park through Goler wash.
Does anyone know if it is possible to go through pleasant canyon into the valley? My map shows roads on both sides but a gap between them.
Does anyone want to join?
It looks like it's going to be just me and SPOT this time.





How Pleasant a Canyon it is

Wow not much input on this area. I'm heading out in a couple hours and it looks like I am flying blind. I guess that just ads to the adventure.
I'll post some PICS and a RR in a week or two.

Sorry for the late response! Little Fish Lake Valley is cool! It has trees and some relative elevation and twists to it...






Have a great time and safe travels to you! Take lots of photos





WoodsChick

Not legally. And technically speaking, I don't know if those old trails/roads are even passable anymore.

Looking at the maps and Google Earth it looks like you can get up Pleasant Canyon, circle south through Middle Park and South Park and then head back east to Wingate Road, coming out just north of Big Horn Canyon. But there ain't anything that shows between this road and Coyote Canyon or Butte Valley Roads.

I made it home ok. I averaged about 2-3 hundred dirt miles a day, only dropped the bike a half dozen times. Met some good people along the way. and saw some of the most remote parts of the state than I could have imagined.
More details and pics to gome after I unpack and am less road weary.

I got a late start on my way out.(3:00 pm) Gassed up in Springville and headed up the 190. I bypassed most of the dirt shortcuts in the intrest of time. But did take the dirt from the Sierra divide HWY to the road to lower Peppermint road. I stopped at the Johnsondale bridge on the Kern to take a short break and put the rain flys on my bags. ( It was starting to drizzle) There I talked to a Jeeper that just had come off Sherman pass road. He said that the road was closed, gated and he didn't think that I could get around the gate. I decided to try anyway but the rain and black sky made me turn back to Issabella and Walker pass.

I was rained on untill I got to HWY 395. At that point I was second guessing wearing my mesh pants instead of the water proof ones.
Once I hit 395 I took the first dirt road east that I came to. I cant remember tha name but I think it started with a C. What a great shortcut This road bypassed Inyokern and put me in Ridgecrest right at the Wallmart shoping center. I gassed and supplied up, I continued on the C road east then headed for DV.
I missed the Escape Route again. I ended up on the radio tower road. At the top I could see the Escape Route trail but it was getting dark so I decided to do what I knew and headed for Ballarat. Going up Pleasant Canyon in the dark and camping with rain threatening didn't seem like a good idea so I headed for Newmans Mine Cabin in Goler Wash. I camped outside of the cabin but was ready to flee inside in case of a downpour.

Slept great. Not a drop of rain. I loaded up early but couldnt find the rain fly for the Wolfman. Searched all around thinking that a pack rat had scored some new bedding. No luck The last time I had seen it was when I stopped to air down the tires at the enterance to Goler. I headed back down the wash but it wasn't there either. I guess that's what happens touring in the dark.
I really didn't want to take goler/ mengle pass as I had allready been there before. I didnt know if I could enter the park from Pleasant Canyon. ( thanks for the info. KDX and Ron but I didn't see your posts untill I had returned) The whole point of the trip was to blaze new trails so I decided to head through DV by way of the race track.
Just up the Saline Valley road I came upon this neat little cabin and decided to take a break.

This cabin was much better stocked than Newmans. Food water a great Library etc. Tradition is that If you take some thing from one of these cabins you should leave somthing. Well I took a small bottle of water and a dump In the outhouse and I left one of my canteens and my Death Valley map.( by accident) This made the rest of my day a little more interesting. I sure hope someone made good use of them.

I'm enjoying your photos and the story


Was surprised to see Sherman Pass and all the OHV trails still closed this late in the year. The trails usually open for Memorial Day but it's been a hellacious snow year, I guess. I'm leaving next week for some quality dirt riding there so I'm hoping they're open by then.




WoodsChick

Yea Woods, Things are opening up late this year in my neck of the woods. The camp grounds above my place just opened up last weekend.(They are usually open by Memorial weekend) and the rivers seem to have slowed down a bit. So hopefully you will be OK.

After leaving the Boxcar cabin the plan was to make some miles before the next break. After a while I came to a Y in the road to some dry lake or to some canyon That is when I discovered that I had left my DV map in the cabin.
No biggie as I still had my Nevada map book I just had to wing it untill I reached Nevada. Soon I was at a T in the road. Death Valley this way Big Pine that way.
Darn I had misses the turn to the race track. Double darn I was going to have to ride some slab. It just happened that I got caught up in a Roadie bicycle race. (I really dislike Roadies but that is another story)
Soon I was back in DV and on the dirt I took off cross country east just before the entrance of the park but the road dead ended up at a mine. So I took off back into the park untill i found somthing familiar.

Crankshaft Crossing
This is where I discovered that I had only one canteen.
I had been from here to Gold Point before and this would get me into the range of my Nevada map book. The plan was to camp out at Alkali hot spring between Goldfield and Tonapah. The trip from CC to Alkali was cold wet and had me tired from some sandy roads. When I arrived at the hot spring it was in use.( the people were just a little too freaky to approach) It was still early in the day so I decided to go into Tonapah.
Rain was threatening I was cold and tired and I new I had a full day ahead of me so I decided to get a room. I should have taken your advise Kdx and stayed at the Clown. I ended up at the Budget. It was walking distance from the grocery store, had a fridge microwave and coffe maker and they put up with me parking on the sidewalk out of the rain, but it was a bit of a dive and the shower wasn't verry hot. Still a bed was just what I needed.
I was up early the next morning and headed up the 6.
If Hwy 50 is Americas loneliest Hwy 6 hast to be th most desolate. I would have had no problem doing 100mph in the wrong lane from Tonapah to Base Camp. The only sign of life I did see was a Harley rider in a tent at the old Warm Springs ruins.
I hit the dirt again at Base Camp and headed up to Tybo

nice pics dodger.

Thanks River Rat
How about another?


Hot creek canyon from across from Hot Creek Ranch.

I was going to do ride the loop up in the hills to the charcoal Kilns But was unsure of my fuel range so i left Tybo the way I had come.And got back on the gravel slab.
If i had to do it again i would have taken to the jeep trails. Unlike my Honda with a 5.5 gallon tank The Suzuki with the Safari tank let me explore all I wanted without having to wory about fuel. I still had over a gallon left when I hit the gas station in Austin.
Hot creek ranch was just up the road..Soon after you meet up with the first gate.then the next and next and next. Gates all the way through the canyon.
Another Gate!
A good reason to stop and take another a pic .