Tag: Nevada

Springtime mountain biking at Bootleg Canyon

Although Bootleg Canyon Mountain Bike Park, located near Boulder City, Nevada, has been well-known and popular as a mountain biking area for a fairly long time I only recently learned of it. IMBA includes Bootleg Canyon as one of their Epics — rides that show what is possible for trail recreation on public lands.

Mountain biking trails in Bootleg Canyon: Inner Caldera.
Mountain biking trails in Bootleg Canyon: Inner Caldera.

On a couple of cool spring days with clear blue skies and breezy winds we set out on some of the beginner and intermediate trails to learn a bit about this area. The cross-country trails are great fun with ups-and-downs, some tight twisty turns as well as flowing single track lines, and some fun technical sections.

Mountain biking trails in Bootleg Canyon: I.M.B.A.
Mountain biking trails in Bootleg Canyon: I.M.B.A.

The DH lines are far more challenging and, well, we didn’t try those. Not this time, at least. Perhaps another visit.

Mountain biking trails in Bootleg Canyon: West Leg.
Mountain biking trails in Bootleg Canyon: West Leg.

It’s amazing to be riding these desert trails and then look off into the distance and be able to see the glitter of Las Vegas in one direction, Lake Mead in another, and the rugged mountains in yet another.

We’ll be back.

High-altitude desert camping

Back in August we took a vacation to California to do some mountain biking. On the first day, we traveled across Arizona and Nevada at a leisurely pace. It was our goal to reach some national forest lands and find a Forest Service campground for the night. Didn’t work out that way. We ran out of daylight long before we reached any forest lands so as twilight was settling in we started driving down secondary roads and then dirt roads until we were able to set up a quick campsite for the night.

The spot we chose was far enough from the highway and other roads that we heard and saw no traffic and we felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. To our west were the White Mountains and Boundary Peak, the highest mountain in Nevada. To our south was the small community of Fish Lake Valley. What a beautiful location!

For the remainder of the trip we stayed in busy Forest Service campgrounds or motels. None of them can compare with the delightful solitude of this location.

Time to get up! Dawn of a new day in the high deserts of western Nevada.
Time to get up! Dawn of a new day in the high deserts of western Nevada.
High desert camping in Nevada with early morning light on the White Mountains to our west
High desert camping in Nevada with early morning light on the White Mountains to our west
Early morning light on the White Mountains in Nevada.
Early morning light on the White Mountains in Nevada.

In another post I’ll talk about the highlights of that trip.