Slate Range Ride, Jan 17th, 2011

Slate Range Ride, January 17th, 2011. A very nice ride out somewhat near Death Valley National Park. Miles and miles of great singletrack trail, with some fairly challenging riding in spots. It was a beautiful January day - sunny and in the 70s! We didn't see a soul the whole day.

Wow, that is awesome. Please tell me more about this area. I am a professor so I get a month off in the winter, this year 12/18 to 1/18, and three months off in the summer. What would be the best time to ride this area?

THANKS for the ride report!

njbill wrote:

Wow, that is awesome. Please tell me more about this area. I am a professor so I get a month off in the winter, this year 12/18 to 1/18, and three months off in the summer. What would be the best time to ride this area?

THANKS for the ride report!

Hi Njbill,

I would say the 12/18 to 1/18 time frame would be best for this area. It more than likely would be like riding in a furnace in the summer - around 110+ very likely. But, that said, it can get a little snow in the winter, so you would just want to make sure it was clear beforehand. It's around 4000-5000 ft I think at its highest.

It's a 45 mile loop if you do the whole thing and has many miles of quality single track. There are some other very nice loops nearby that can be connected to this one - like the scenic Pleasant Canyon to South Park Canyon Loop, within Death Valley, NP.

A track of the route is located here: http://www.jawbone.org/foj/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=73:the-slate-range-loop&catid=29:gps-route-files&Itemid=195

It's rated "very difficult" by those guys, but I don't think it is quite that bad.

Also, another track (with maybe some more technical single track) can also be found here: http://www.gpsxchange.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=232

You'll need a membership to view it though. This one also has the pleasant canyon and southpark canyon loop on it

Hope you have a great time if you go!

g4b

Thanks! I was hoping it would be more manageable in the summer. It is easier for me to disappear for a month in the summer than it is over the winter break. Do you guys ride this at all in the summer?

granite4brains wrote:

njbill wrote:

Wow, that is awesome. Please tell me more about this area. I am a professor so I get a month off in the winter, this year 12/18 to 1/18, and three months off in the summer. What would be the best time to ride this area?

THANKS for the ride report!

Hi Njbill,

I would say the 12/18 to 1/18 time frame would be best for this area. It more than likely would be like riding in a furnace in the summer - around 110+ very likely. But, that said, it can get a little snow in the winter, so you would just want to make sure it was clear beforehand. It's around 4000-5000 ft I think at its highest.

It's a 45 mile loop if you do the whole thing and has many miles of quality single track. There are some other very nice loops nearby that can be connected to this one - like the scenic Pleasant Canyon to South Park Canyon Loop, within Death Valley, NP.

A track of the route is located here: http://www.jawbone.org/foj/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=73:the-slate-range-loop&catid=29:gps-route-files&Itemid=195

It's rated "very difficult" by those guys, but I don't think it is quite that bad.

Also, another track (with maybe some more technical single track) can also be found here: http://www.gpsxchange.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=232

You'll need a membership to view it though. This one also has the pleasant canyon and southpark canyon loop on it

Hope you have a great time if you go!

g4b

njbill wrote:

Thanks! I was hoping it would be more manageable in the summer. It is easier for me to disappear for a month in the summer than it is over the winter break. Do you guys ride this at all in the summer?

I've got some buddies that definitely ride during the summer in the heat of the day. Myself, I tend to disappear into the cooler Sierra Nevada mts during the summer to enjoy some hiking/climbing. I can't handle the 110 degree heat with all that gear on

The other thing to be aware of is that the area for this ride is fairly remote, and there is zero cell phone coverage around. So, if you get into a tight spot, it could turn into trouble pretty quick, especially in the heat.