Southwest Utah: Dual Sport Riding from St. George

[RedRockRider]

Originally Posted by wbbnm

Red. More great ride reports. I love reading them and seeing the pictures. Keep it coming.

On a ride later this year we are planning to take a primitive road that takes off northeast from Elgin and goes over to Barclay and goes near Pine Canyon Resevoisr.

Do you know anything about the quality of the road? I got the track off of DualSportMaps.com.

In the interest of fair play here is a ride report on a ride a bunch of us did in southern NM back in March.
I usually post these in ADV\Rockies.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...ighlight=burma

I haven't been on the road road from Elgin to Barclay via Pine Canyon Reservoir. On Benchmark it is called the Pennsylvania Canyon Road. Goes right past Ella Mtn (el. 7479) and shows some switchbacks. Here is a pic from a few weeks ago of the start of the road right next to the Elgin Schoolhouse.




Sign says "Road Damage Ahead" -- my guess is that the road is passable with motos. Probably some washouts, but not a complete disaster. If it was a complete disaster I'm guessing the sign would have said "Road Closed" or "Road Impassable."

Planning to go to Barclay tomorrow (Thursday) via Bunker Peak Road (Bunker Pass) from Motoqua. Might poke around a bit near Fife Road, Barnes Canyon Road, etc. Not sure. Will keep eyes open for any clues about status of (the northeast end of) Pennsylvania Canyon Road.

Should have at least a few steep, rocky spots around the switchbacks? Washouts might make it interesting . . .

Enjoyed the pics and video of you and the New Mexico boys on the Shelf Road!

[RedRockRider]

Just to set the stage. We had 5 bikes: 3 Yamaha Dual Sports - WRR, XT250, TW200, and 2 KLRs. For the most part we can all ride on weekdays, so probably more of this in our future. Nice ride guys, thanks for coming along!




A few of our ugly mugs, taken up on top near the overlook point above the Virgin River Gorge on the Utah side. On the left in white is fellow inmate Gregg (tgregg), Miki (non-ADV), me (RRR) in black, and my lurker buddy Elliot with the white helmet. My other lurker buddy Eddie (Toroweap Ride) snapped this pic. You'll see him soon enough.




Here's the KLR boys on the back side of the Utah Hill on dirt. Eddie and Miki. A little bit of loose gravel on some descending corners kept the KLRs on their toes.




Elliott and Gregg. Both ex-motorcycle racers! Elliot is on my TW200. Shall we say his dual sport bike has a slight registration problem. Perhaps best if it doesn't take longer trips on pavement. Easier for Elliot to drive to my house by cage and ride bikes from there.




Hangin' out in Bulldog Canyon. Similar rides are Post #3, #17, #44, and #95. Post #44 on page 3 is best! Check it out if you want to see a few more pics of the territory we covered. Plus the "famous" Benchmark map.




Once we hit pavement (Old 91) we raced up to the top of the Utah Hill. I know the road, but my WRR managed to keep a slight lead on the two KLRs. Here's the three of us - RRR, Miki, Eddie - waiting at the summit for the XT250 and the TW.




Gregg pulls in after a few minutes.




We've all finished lunch before Elliott pulls up on the mighty TW. Actually, I appreciate Elliott not hammering the crap out of the TW up the hill, although even if he did he still would have missed lunch.




A few glamour shots of the KLR guys. Don't look too closely but that might be a Walmart tool box bolted onto the back of Miki's bike.




It was just a short trip so Eddie left his milk crate at home. We'll probably see it soon.




The KLR guys had to scramble back to town on pavement. That left the Yamaha boys to take the dirt way back to Bloomington. Last pic of Gregg up on top near near the Apex Mine, above Bloomington Cave.




Nice ridin' with you fellas. Have to do it again soon. Either dual sport or road bikes. Be in touch. Other inmates also welcome to join. Keep it safe!

[TheAdmiral]

Guess I would have missed lunch too ! We TW riders try to keep up! Nice mix of bikes and riders to go along with some nice scenery. For me, weekday rides avoid so much of the traffic and are so much more fun.

Last week I bought a small air compressor that runs off the cigarette like power adapter I hooked up. Now I can let the air out of the tires on dirt roads and trails, and air back up when I hit pavement when I don't haul the TW. Works pretty good too. I now can ride so much more comfortable with lower tire pressures on dirt roads without a compromise tire pressure setting.

Looked like a beautiful day for a ride, thanks for sharing.

[drex]

Wow! I thought that I'd ridden over a few roads in Southern Utah, but these reports are pretty amazing. Way to go!

[RedRockRider]

Hey wbbnm:

Back from Barclay, NV. Got close to Ella Mountain. Pennsylvania Canyon Road. Here is pic of a sign, taken from the Fife Road. On Benchmark, this sign is at sharp corner (intersection) just southeast of Ella Spring.




And here is what the Ella Mountain Road looked like. Graded. Recent maintenance. Some loose surface rock.




We didn't go up to Ella Mountain, 3 miles, or down Pennsylvania Canyon to Elgin. Only 14 miles. How bad could it be? My guess is the road to the lookout from this side (Barclay side) was in good condition with recent maintenance. It is the other side from Elgin up to Ella Mountain that is likely less maintained.

Talked to a local in Caliente. Didn't have recent knowledge, but thought the Pennsylvania Canyon Road would be steep/rough but totally doable on bikes. I think there is more traffic on the northeast side vs. the southwest side (by Elgin), although very, very little activity in either area.

My dad and I didn't see a single person from Motoqua to Caliente, including poking around in Barclay for an hour.

Originally Posted by RedRockRider

I haven't been on the road road from Elgin to Barclay via Pine Canyon Reservoir. On Benchmark it is called the Pennsylvania Canyon Road. Goes right past Ella Mtn (el. 7479) and shows some switchbacks. Here is a pic from a few weeks ago of the start of the road right next to the Elgin Schoolhouse.




Sign says "Road Damage Ahead" -- my guess is that the road is passable with motos. Probably some washouts, but not a complete disaster. If it was a complete disaster I'm guessing the sign would have said "Road Closed" or "Road Impassable."

Planning to go to Barclay tomorrow (Thursday) via Bunker Peak Road (Bunker Pass) from Motoqua. Might poke around a bit near Fife Road, Barnes Canyon Road, etc. Not sure. Will keep eyes open for any clues about status of (the northeast end of) Pennsylvania Canyon Road.

Should have at least a few steep, rocky spots around the switchbacks? Washouts might make it interesting . . .

Enjoyed the pics and video of you and the New Mexico boys on the Shelf Road!

[RedRockRider]

Almost 200 miles with Dad. General route was St. George --> Motoqua --> Barclay --> Caliente --> Panaca --> Crestline --> Enterprise --> St. George.

Long abandoned house / store, just below Mathews Canyon Dam on Clover Creek. Very solid wall construction with railroad ties. Very close to Barclay -- Union Pacific Railroad line.




The main street of Barclay. There are a few occupied residences, but didn't see a soul.




Barclay's one-room schoolhouse and church. Nicely restored with well-kept grounds.

[RedRockRider]

Good time. Met several inmates -- Brian, Brandon, Jesse, lacofdfireman -- hope you guys all had a good day. Throw a pic up here if you managed to grab one. Be in touch if any of you local guys want to ride.

Out at "the wall" between Gunlock and Veyo. Fun, festive atmosphere, but the wind and the wall were taking their toll on the athletes. Times for the elite finishers were 30 min to 1 hour slower than last year even though the run course was flatter. Wind crushed people on the swim and bike.




About 1,400 athletes started. Just over 1,000 finished by midnight. 17 hours. Talked with a few athletes in Zion today. First hand accounts of brutal conditions at Sand Hollow for the swim. We watched the wind inflict pain on the bike course.




Here's my photo guy doing his thing. Good guy. Hope he got some good pics!




Athletes climbing the wall. They got to do this twice. Two loops. 112 miles.




Motos at the end of the bike course in downtown St. George at T2, transition to run. The green media tag would let you ride anywhere on the bike course including against traffic. Kinda different. Almost no cars so easy to avoid the bicycles. Photographer liked getting his shots with cyclists head-on with red cliffs in background.




Here is the lead woman just starting the run. She looked incredible. Only about 5 pro men in front of her. Amazing athlete on a tough course.




Ironman St. George will be shorter next year, 70.3 not 140.6, but will still need moto support. Pretty interesting. Give it a go if you're around with a bike.

[quota]

Had a riding friend, who is also one of the inmates here, who finished the Ironman yesterday. Hopefully, the shorter race next year will do a better job at attracting more participants. Kind of a shame to see such an event have declining numbers every year.

Still hope to get in a ride with you sometime. Look forward to more of your posts.

[GeoMoto]

It was nice meeting you this past weekend! I look forward to riding with you in the future. I had a great time riding the course. Some of the windy sections back by Gunlock were tough on me and the moto at slow speeds, I can't imagine how the athletes felt. I hope to help out again next year.

[tgregg]

Really enjoyed my ride with RRR and gang. Headed off to St Louis the next morning and got back yesterday. Rode the BMW to Vegas and flew out of there. Flying back between Denver and Vegas I got a good look at the immensity of our Southern Utah area.
Glad to be back and ready to go ride some of what I saw!

[Keepiru]

Originally Posted by RedRockRider

Good time. Met several inmates -- Brian, Brandon, Jesse, lacofdfireman -- hope you guys all had a good day. Throw a pic up here if you managed to grab one. Be in touch if any of you local guys want to ride.

Here is my pic from the Ironman. Great to meet you all. Some really awesome pics in this thread. I'll put up some pics of my ride home through Zion and Grand Mesa tonight.

-- Brandon

[GeoMoto]

Originally Posted by Keepiru

Here is my pic from the Ironman. Great to meet you all. Some really awesome pics in this thread. I'll put up some pics of my ride home through Zion and Grand Mesa tonight.

-- Brandon

Awesome Bike!

[RedRockRider]

Been busy. Finally some time to post up pics from ride to Barclay, NV with Dad. Continued on to Caliente (gas, food) and came back to Utah via Crestline Road. Fast dirt which connects to Enterprise.

Here's the map:




Route was St. George to Motoqua. Map starts in Motoqua. Cross Beaver Dam Wash and continue northwest over Bunker Pass. Descend towards Barclay. We checked out Matthews Canyon Dam -- interesting. Barclay has a one-room schoolhouse and an old cemetery. A few active residences but didn't see a person. Quite the place to live.

Left Barclay on the Fife Road. Intended to go on the Barnes Canyon Road to Caliente, but followed signs (to Caliente) at the 5 point Fife Flat intersection which took us via Ella Spring. Descent into Caliente was a narrower canyon but a good road. All of this route is easily passable by any dual sport bike.

For our return we slabbed up to Panana then took Crestline Road (fast dirt) over to Enterprise. Asphalt from Enterprise back to St. George.

Definitely recommend both Barclay and Caliente. The Bunker Pass road is scenic and chances are you won't see a person!


Here's a pic of an abandoned house on the Shivwits Indian Reservation just west of St. George. Very prominent on the right side of road just after crossing the Santa Clara River. Most locals will recognize the place.




Can't really go poking around. Got to respect the private property.




Dad grabbed this pic of me starting up the Utah Hill just before the turn-off onto the Motoqua Road. For newcomers to the thread there is an index of rides on page 1. Lots of rides and details about the Motoqua Road listed. See Post #120 and #253.




Here's Dad. Ready to roll. The Motoqua Road starts with some nice red cliffs, a good ride on its own. Also good jump-off rides to the north (Enterprise Reservoir area) and south (Indian Springs).




I picked my feet up crossing Beaver Dam Wash. Didn't want wet socks for the day.




Crossing in to Nevada. Always something cool about crossing state lines on dirt roads. We all need to be doing more of this!




Just past Halfway Camp. The Bunker Pass Road to Caliente.




Dad on the climb. The road is well designed and for the most part in good shape the whole way. There are a few partial washouts (not recent), but it is easy to use the good part of the road with a motorbike. A truck/jeep could also squeeze past but you'd have to watch where your wheels are. After Bunker Pass the roads open up and for the most part are quite fast.




My bike near the top of Bunker Pass looking back east towards Square Top Mountain. Gunlock Reservoir sits behind Square Top Mountain.




No sign at the top of Bunker Pass (or at least we didn't see one). The road just gradually flattens out into sagebrush flats. Nice riding.




Pretty good signs all along. Nevada has done a nice job with this.




The older signs have a lot more character, but have sometimes been knocked down or propped back up pointing the wrong direction. Since the main road is close to Mathews Dam (1 mile) we go in to check it out. Well worth it!




Mathews Canyon Picnic Area. Looks like you could camp here! This place is pretty remote. Not much competition for a picnic table and no user fees.




Mathews Canyon Reservoir is dry except for a bit of a marsh off to one side. Doesn't look like the reservoir has held water for many, many years.




The unused spillway. It's massive. What were the original engineers thinking?




Depth gauge markers and the dry bottom. Our tax dollars at work . . . ???




Below the dam is the slow trickle Clover Creek and a small marsh / meadow. Worth driving down and taking a look. You can see the dam in the background.




Down below is a charming old ruin. Appears to have been a house and general store. Looks like it was the real deal. Right on Clover Creek.




Time is gradually taking its toll, but lots of the original construction was solid.




Good to get the helmet off and take a look around. Pleasant temps but it is starting to heat up.




Interior is in disarray. Quite a few rooms. Too bad, not much old furniture. This place probably had quite a history. Nice setting.




Retracing our steps back up to the dam.




Artistic mirror shot. Every ride reports gotta have one!




Typical road scene. Cruising towards Barclay.




Barclay. The restored one-room schoolhouse and church.




Plaque. A labor of love.




A few dogs, but no people.




The door.




Cupola.




Old farm equipment, nicely organized on the grounds.




Building is locked, but still lots to see.




The old cemetery is nearby.




Several new gravestones highlight the long family histories in the area.




Irrigation in Barclay. Its all about the water.




Sign in Barclay. Schoolhouse with white fence in background.




Active railroad crossing in town.




Older building with a new roof. Well maintained and lived in. Nice yard.




Leaving Barclay out on the Fife Road. Now we started to travel a little quicker. Really fun poking around Mathews Dam and Barclay, but it was time to roll. Every ride has its own dynamic.




This sign was at "5 points" intersection on Fife Flat. We simply followed the signs to Caliente. This was a mistake. We were intending to go via Barnes Canyon. Oh well, next time. Our route was probably quite a bit slower. Took us via Ella Spring. All good, very scenic.




Gained some elevation again. Back up into some big trees. A few very nice camping spots in the area just north of Ella Mountain.




Recent road maintenance. Some loose rock, but overall roads in good condition. No people. Very remote.




By this time we knew we weren't on the Barnes Canyon Road (no railroad tracks). Here were are descending just before Caliente. The tanks on the opposite hill are above Caliente. The town is down below.




Our entrance in to Caliente. Good route, I recommend it. Ella Mountain lookout and Pennslyvania Canyon over to Elgin would be worth exploring.




For those keeping score at home, here is the street. Very easy to track on Google Maps.




This restaurant is right next to Spring Steet, very visible from main road (Highway 93).




Time for gas. This is about 100 miles from St. George. My bike tends to just hit reserve by Caliente. My dad's Honda has a 200 mile tank range so isn't yet close to reserve. I carry a bit of extra gas, but Caliente is definitely fill-up time.




We grab some motorcycle parking.




Dad goes for a treat.




Here's the place. Gas and food. A local recognizes us (our bikes) from a few weeks ago. We talk about general dirt road conditions. His assessment is we can go anywhere (PA Canyon) on dual sport bikes.




We crank it out on fast slab up to Panaca and turn east back to UT. Dual sport bikes are great for chewing up some miles once you hit the open road. We opt for Crestline Road (fast dirt) back to Enterprise.




Another great ride with Dad. We've had a lot of fun putting miles on bikes and exploring. Crestline road would be fine for any road bike as well as long as it isn't muddy. I've take both my road bikes through with no issues.




Long shadows late in the day. Nice to have all the daylight hours. We tend to use 'em.




Last pic, entering back in to Utah.




Thanks to everyone for all the positive comments. Really provides motivation for posting. Keep in touch if you are in the area and want to ride. Rubber side down!

[havocdog]

RRR - another great report. I want to move out there. And I love that you are doing it with your dad. Go Grampa! Keep the reports coming!

[av_mech]

RRR,

You have been one of the guys that has had very nice things to say in my thread, so I felt it was time to return the favor and read yours. ALL OF IT! Please take a most sincere compliment from me on the quality of your rides and thread. I know how much work this is to put together and your efforts are simply amazing.

Your photography is fantastic. Very clear and perfectly framed. The amazing landscape I'm sure helps. You seem to catch a lot of the smaller types of details that I think I miss, mainly due to the fact that I'm riding with my hair on fire most of the time.

I think it is wonderful that you get to spend so much time with your dad. After reading my thread, and the past two summers trapped on pavement for the annual Father/sons trip, my dad parked the Goldwing and bought an 04 KTM 950. He's seriously excited about our dirt trip this summer and I think Utah is the possible destination. I'll be re-reading your thread when it comes time to route plan though your neck of the woods.

You take a lot of time to share the specific details of all your rides and I'm sure more than one person has really appreciated your efforts. Do you color photocopy your Benchmark and then highlight the routes for illustrative purposes? How ever you do it, it's a great addition to your posts.

Once again, a most sincere GREAT JOB! Keep up the good work. You have a new subscriber.