Brett A

Hi all.

I'm planning another tour through the desert southwest. A few years ago on a ride from SF to the north rim of the grand canyon, I rode east out of Lone Pine, CA, to Panamint Springs - Stovepipe Wells, Furnace Creek, DV Junction and on to Las Vegas.

I liked it so much that this year I'm going to start in Vegas and backtrack to Furnace Creek, but then I want to head south, either toward Ballarat via Stovepipe and on to Trona, or down the Badwater basin, through Ashford Junction to Shoshone, then down to Baker, CA and into the Mojave (then I'm heading east to Prescott, AZ and ultimately up to the Grand Canyon).

So my specific questions today are:

• Is there drinking water in Ballarat?

• Is there any place to refill water between Furnace Creek and Shoshone via Badwater Road and Ashford, Jct.?

• Also, where can I fill up inside the Mojave National Preserve?

I'll be riding in mid-Sept and it will likely be over 100 degrees, which I love. I always start the day with at least 6 liters of water on the bike, but if I have to ride two days without a water source, I will consider ways of carrying the appropriate amount. I sure wish there was a water map for bicyclists.

I'd appreciate the help of anyone familiar with that area.

Thanks.

diphthong

in ballarat or the ballarat area-no. at least not that i saw and i was looking last time i drove thru there on trona wildrose/panamint valley rd 3 years ago for a potential cycling trip thru the area.
trona has water/supplies. stovepipe wells in dvnp has water/supplies. drove the stretch on ca hwy 190 from the panamint valley rd intersection to lone pine too long ago to remember specifically
but it's such a desolate area that even if a water source/general store existed at some point, chances are pretty good that it's no longer an option.

between furnace creek and shoshone via badwater rd thru ashford junction-no. again, at least not that i saw and i was looking when i drove thru there 1.5 years ago. jubilee pass is a fun stretch of road tho.

mojave national preserve seems to have even less between baker on the 15 fwy and the barely there hamlets like essex and amboy along the 40 fwy corridor. if memory serves (and it's been over a decade) mitchell caverns state park used to have limited water and even if there still were with their reduced hours after the reopening, it's a decent climb and probably waay out of the way. there have supposedly been improvements at the kelso depot area in the last few years and i've made it close but not quite there semi-recently to check firsthand. may be worth an e-mail or phone call to discern current status there but you'll be safer planning for zero water in the mojave from baker east to the colorado river, especially in september.

ambitious in september with that lower desert heat. november-may, i wouldn't bat an eyelid. even flying into slc and doing the mighty five of capitol reef, bryce, arches, canyonlands and zion
or tucson/phoenix and hitting saguaro np, sedona, gcnp, petrified forest np and canyon de chelly nm during september would be really warm but easier on the bod.

stardognine

I'll second that motion, we need a water map for bicyclists. 👍😁👍 I don't really know this area, just been goofing around the lower Mohave Valley awhile. Enough to know you have to watch your water level. 😉 Good luck on finding a route, OP.

Brett A

It's going to be fun. I guess I'll just have to make sure I can carry 4 or 5 gallons of water as a two day supply.
I'll report my finding when I'm done in October.

TimothyH

Saw this in another thread....

3speed

^ Someone get that guy a rack!