Notices
Southern California Southern California

Bikes only at J-Tree.

Old 03-21-20, 10:10 PM
  #1  
ChrisAlbertson
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: Southern California
Posts: 158

Bikes: 70's frame, newer parts

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 92 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 38 Times in 27 Posts
Bikes only at J-Tree.

Here is cut and paste from the National Park Service web site:

Joshua Tree National Park Entrances Closed to Vehicles. Joshua Tree National Park entrances are closed to cars until further notice to adhere to the latest health guidance. The park remains open to bicycle and hiker access. Please read our latest news release for more information.
This is good news if you want to ride there. The entrance fee is waived and you have the road to yourself, no cars.

More here https://www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm
ChrisAlbertson is offline  
Old 03-22-20, 10:51 AM
  #2  
diphthong
Senior Member
 
diphthong's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: insane diego, california
Posts: 8,287

Bikes: 85 pinarello treviso steel, 88 nishiki olympic steel. 95 look kg 131 carbon, 11 trek madone 5.2 carbon

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1619 Post(s)
Liked 3,087 Times in 1,670 Posts
interesting. wish it were a little closer. for those of you that haven’t ridden it, imho, the most spectacular parts are between hidden valley (close to the west entrance of park blvd) and jumbo rocks. i’d include the 10 mile rt sidebar to keys view in that assessment.

wasn’t planning on it but may hafta sneak out of the county to investigate...
diphthong is offline  
Old 03-22-20, 12:26 PM
  #3  
TakingMyTime
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Los Alamitos, Calif.
Posts: 2,478

Bikes: Trek 7.4 FX

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1026 Post(s)
Liked 912 Times in 535 Posts
With a lot of campgrounds being closed right now I'm sure there are some spectacular rides with no traffic in our State and National Park areas.
TakingMyTime is offline  
Old 03-22-20, 09:02 PM
  #4  
TGT1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: SGV So Cal
Posts: 883

Bikes: 80's Schwinn High Plains, Motobecane Ti Cyclocross

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 108 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 30 Times in 21 Posts
West entrance to Keys view and back would be epic with no cars.
TGT1 is offline  
Likes For TGT1:
Old 03-25-20, 12:13 PM
  #5  
Elvo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 4,770
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 630 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 369 Times in 206 Posts
Where's a good and safe place to park your car to go bike?
Elvo is offline  
Old 03-25-20, 06:03 PM
  #6  
TGT1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: SGV So Cal
Posts: 883

Bikes: 80's Schwinn High Plains, Motobecane Ti Cyclocross

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 108 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 30 Times in 21 Posts
Originally Posted by Elvo
Where's a good and safe place to park your car to go bike?
We've left a car at the vacant lot behind Coyote Corner for years to car pool into the park to rock climb with no incidents.

That will add a few miles and a few hundred feet to get to the park, but Quail springs road is narrow with few places you could get all the way off the pavement close to the entrance and the side roads are all narrow dirt. There's no parking room immediately outside the entrance kiosk. It might be worth driving up to check out a closer parking spot, but make sure you aren't encroaching on the locals.

The east entrance has plenty of places you could park close to the park entrance or at least within a 1/4 mile or so, has wider pullouts and is not nearly as populated.
TGT1 is offline  
Old 03-25-20, 09:38 PM
  #7  
diphthong
Senior Member
 
diphthong's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: insane diego, california
Posts: 8,287

Bikes: 85 pinarello treviso steel, 88 nishiki olympic steel. 95 look kg 131 carbon, 11 trek madone 5.2 carbon

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1619 Post(s)
Liked 3,087 Times in 1,670 Posts
always prefer the west/park blvd entrance. did the east/north/whatever entrance in 29 palms from the visitor center a few years ago. it's a thankless and
pretty boring ascent until you finally hit jumbo rocks. a much longer payoff.

it's approx five (mostly uphill but not too steep) miles from the intersection of hwy 62/park blvd to the park boundary/west entrance station.
once in, it's about another 1.5 miles before things flatten out and start getting really scenic. i think you're better off parking in town and riding up.
some of the shoulders along park blvd are super soft.

if you have time and wanna extend your roadie ride after jtnp or do another ride, i recommend the pioneertown loop. it's a little over 20 scenic miles with some decent climbing on the west/north side of hwy 62
fairly close by the i-section of hwy 62/park blvd.
diphthong is offline  
Old 03-25-20, 10:31 PM
  #8  
ChrisAlbertson
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: Southern California
Posts: 158

Bikes: 70's frame, newer parts

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 92 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 38 Times in 27 Posts
As it turns out there has been a little bit of an issue with HUNDREDS of cars being parked outside the park. Many illegally. Now they have sigs and are enforcing the rules. I doubt you could predict where an open spot would be so I think just drive to the gate then make a u-turn and art in the first legal spot you see. I hear there are some signs now pointing to parking after residents complained about people larking in their yards and driveways stuff like that.

Hikers care more about being close but if you have a bike an extra four miles is not a big deal.

People are camping on the BLM land adjacent to the park because they can drive a car there and "tailgate camp". But you can still camp legally in the park so long as you are one mile from any road.
ChrisAlbertson is offline  
Old 03-26-20, 07:32 AM
  #9  
TGT1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: SGV So Cal
Posts: 883

Bikes: 80's Schwinn High Plains, Motobecane Ti Cyclocross

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 108 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 30 Times in 21 Posts
Originally Posted by ChrisAlbertson
As it turns out there has been a little bit of an issue with HUNDREDS of cars being parked outside the park. Many illegally. Now they have sigs and are enforcing the rules. I doubt you could predict where an open spot would be so I think just drive to the gate then make a u-turn and art in the first legal spot you see. I hear there are some signs now pointing to parking after residents complained about people larking in their yards and driveways stuff like that.

Hikers care more about being close but if you have a bike an extra four miles is not a big deal.

People are camping on the BLM land adjacent to the park because they can drive a car there and "tailgate camp". But you can still camp legally in the park so long as you are one mile from any road.
Keep in mind that it is illegal for a bike to go anywhere in the park that a car can't legally go. They enforce it vigorously so stick to the roads.
TGT1 is offline  
Old 05-18-20, 10:35 PM
  #10  
diphthong
Senior Member
 
diphthong's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: insane diego, california
Posts: 8,287

Bikes: 85 pinarello treviso steel, 88 nishiki olympic steel. 95 look kg 131 carbon, 11 trek madone 5.2 carbon

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1619 Post(s)
Liked 3,087 Times in 1,670 Posts
looks like jtnp is open to bikes again.

https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

expecting the upcoming holiday weekend to be a total goateff.
diphthong is offline  
Old 05-20-20, 07:02 AM
  #11  
TakingMyTime
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Los Alamitos, Calif.
Posts: 2,478

Bikes: Trek 7.4 FX

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1026 Post(s)
Liked 912 Times in 535 Posts
I heard on the news this morning that JT is opening up to everything. I didn't catch the date but I believe if it wasn't immediately, it was going to be really soon. Maybe for the holiday?
TakingMyTime is offline  
Old 05-20-20, 10:58 AM
  #12  
diphthong
Senior Member
 
diphthong's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: insane diego, california
Posts: 8,287

Bikes: 85 pinarello treviso steel, 88 nishiki olympic steel. 95 look kg 131 carbon, 11 trek madone 5.2 carbon

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1619 Post(s)
Liked 3,087 Times in 1,670 Posts
^the jtnp page on nps.gov said everything open but group camping/group campsites and visitor centers.
diphthong is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.