RR: Blue Diamond Nevada

[BrewMaster]

First off, many mahalos to JimN and others who pointed me in the right direction in my search for riding near Vegas. Jim's trail directions were pretty good considering there are no labeled/named trails in the area. I don't think I followed his directions well, but I had a great time, rode about 11 miles and got beat down by the rocky terrain. It was awesome.

The locals were very welcoming, though the bike shop was not open today. The village store took care of me just fine.

The terrain is obviously different than dusty SoCal. This was a nice change. Most of the trails were long rock gardens. The back side of the mountain that towers over Blue Diamond is littered with rolling and winding singletrack. This place is fantastic. Some patches of soft sand slowed things down, but this was a fun challenge too. I learned that a middle ring-big cog combo works perfectly in this sand to keep things moving without losing traction.

The whole ride was in middle ring, so this would probably be a great SS ride, though you might lose something in the fast singletrack.

I finished my ride coming around the hill and trying to ride the front of the mountain that towers over Blue Diamond. Bad move. This is treacherous terrain. It took me 30 minutes to go 2 miles. Still it was fun.

Overall I was surprised I could handle the rocky and rough terrain as well as I did. I lightly sprained my ankle when I tried to put my foot down on an unstable rock. Nothing that would keep me from riding. Riding fast and furious through the rocky singletrack was great. I never felt out of control, kept my weight back, and may have even hucked a few little boulders!

If I have time to ride on Thursday, I will probably ride Blue Diamond again, but do an out and back or a loop in the valley behind the city to cover more of the nice singletrack.

Here are some pics I took before my camera battery died.



Trailhead


Nice view


The entire trail had rocks like this all over it.



Obligatory handle bar shot at JimN's confusing intersection. The trail to the left was awesome. Thanks again for the tips Jim!


Barely noticable T-intersection


I think I found Jimmy Hoffa


Returning safely to the bike shop parking lot

[BrewMaster]

what's strange is that the trails are well maintained, but there is very little in the way of trail markings. if they marked the trails better it would be much easier to navigate. I had a good time exploring and I am sure locals know their way without signs.

[CalEpic]

If you're going back out to Cottonwood I would recommend starting at the Late Night trailhead off 160. Go under the tunnel to the other side of the highway and follow the singletrack up the valley to the overlook - back down and take the singletrack to the left - follow to highway 160 again under another tunnel to the north of the previous and loop around the mountain in a clockwise direction. Take this past the wash for a better loop. you'll end up back at the late night trailhead. There are dozens of trails in the area but if you keep your bearings, you'll end up back at the trailhead. This will be about 12-14 miles 2500' climbing.

check out this map for details

http://www.barta-nv.com/id21.html

C

[BrewMaster]

It's looking like I might actually have to WORK on Thursday and may not have time to ride. Damn...

[JimN]

Yeah, sounds like you got a bit off track, but I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the ride. The only way to get that trail system truly wired is through trial & error. Well, that and riding with the locals when the opportunity presents itself. Now that you know it's worth your time, I'm sure you'll be back for more exploration.

CalEpic's suggestion is a good one. Starting from the Late Night parking lot definitely opens up options for some great loops. Cottonwood should be next on your list, for sure.

My usual route combines a big Cottonwood loop with the BD trails for an awesome 33-mile ride. I still prefer starting at the shop in Blue Diamond for this particular route.

And then there's the Cowboy Trails on the other side of 159...

[BrewMaster]

Unfortunately I didn't get to go back for a second ride this week. But next time I got to Vegas, I will be sure to ride at Blue Diamond again. There is so much left that I need to explore.