/toe-KNOW-pah/, pronounced Karen Jacobsen on Google Maps, not /Tone-Ah-Pah/  on my 4-ish hour drive to Tonopah, I’m not sure I want to go to Toe-NO-pah. Nevada’s place names are a challenge to outsiders and I don’t hold it against them, I know I couldn’t do better without hearing a local first. Tonopah is a great destination, but for most it is a halfway point from Reno to Las Vegas, a great place to stretch and gas up. It is the home to two historic hotels, the Mizpah and Belvada, as well as the iconic Clown Motel. Tonopah is the county seat for Nye County and the home of Jim Butler Days, celebrating the legendary silver discovery of 1900, and Nevada’s second largest silver strike following the Comstock in Virginia City. The mining museum, historic hotels, and Tonopah Brewery are worth a few hour stopover if that is all you can spare.

I have made a piecemeal tour from Tonopah to Rhyolite and back and since then I have wanted to spend more time around Tonopah and Goldfield. In particular I have wanted to travel through Paymaster Canyon after my first trip turning off Paymaster Canyon Rd to make a more direct line to Alkali on my way to Goldfield. So I came up with a 93 mile loop from Tonopah to Goldfield, which I thought would be a nice two day trip. But now I had 4-5 days to fill, so I made a couple extensions and gave myself the liberty to check outside roads as I saw fit. It was a solo trip so I had all the liberty in the world.

The forecast was unsettled and I had three trips planned depending on the last minute wind/rain forecasts. Northern Nevada was forecasted to have a warm atmospheric river, typically a long and narrow band of bad weather. To the north I had planned a loop around the Pine Forest Range. But in the end it wasn’t out of the path of the precipitation. To the south there was the potential of a loop-de-loop through the Mojave. But the forecast included 20-30 mph winds. So that left me with Tonopah, warm, dry, and only 20 mph winds. As a believer in micro-climates and Nevada’s hard to predict weather conditions, I chose Tonopah, a 3 ½ – 4 hour drive, in a semi-familiar place and the biggest logistic would be the water carry in this arid land.

I had a loop planned for a full two day trip, 93 miles, 5000’ of climbing, maybe a little ambitious without knowing the details of the terrain. But I figured I had to add to the trip. So I found Millers Cutoff Rd about 10 miles north of Tonopah and figured that would be a good start. It went through the middle of the valley before it T’ed into Paymaster Canyon Rd. Then I was super curious about going through the Montezuma Mountains, so I found a route through the mountains that would take me to Gemfield then on to Goldfield. Goldfield would be essential for water resupply. Then it was through the Goldfield Hills, crossing the edge of a small playa before turning north to Tonopah through Ralston Valley and the Antonio Range.

Paymaster Canyon Rd, and felt the adventure start to begin. So far I was an hour into the wind. It started to die down in the next hour. About 30 min before sunset I was descending into Paymaster Canyon and figured it was a good time to setup camp. The climb and descent of General Thomas Hills were great! The terrain had been a mix of soft fine gravel (coarse sand) and hard pack two track. I was glad to be on my fat bike and to be rolling on 4.8” wide tires. I think 4” wide tires would be fine, but under 3” would be a tough push. Day 1 was short, 15 miles, 1365’ of climbing, in 3 hours. That is slowpacking for you.

Day Two started well before first light but after a long night’s sleep. Breakfast has become pretty standard, muesli/granola in hot water and a couple cups of chai tea (redundant, like tsetse fly?). It is satisfying. I could add powdered milk and sugar. A little more food prep could go a long way. The switch from coffee to a spiced chai is new. For now the flavor is great. I do appreciate the hot drink and food in the morning. I was packed and on the bike before 7.

The views descending Paymaster Canyon, between Paymaster Ridge and the Weepah Hills, were fantastic. It felt like a little Death Valley. Because I was giving myself the liberty to check out side roads I spotted a side canyon road and took it. It was a rugged jeep road that added 5 miles to the route and 800+’ of climbing. But the views through the canyon were fantastic and it scratched the itch, “where does this road go?” The road kept going but I had to set a time or distance to turn around. There are a limited number of matches in my matchbook, to use a classic cycling analogy.

Paymaster emptied into dunes along the northeastern edge of Clayton Valley. This was a surprise. My route followed a road that was periodically buried under 6’ dunes. Fortunately I was climbing the shallow face of each dune, though there was occasionally a crested lip, and descending the steep face. This is also the location of the Silver Peak Mine. The mine makes it “busy” for an otherwise “middle of nowhere” location. The dunes were a novelty but I was glad to get on a road that climbed to the paved Silver Peak Road.

I would prefer a dirt alternative to Silver Peak Road. Understandably people drive it as fast as possible. Even if I saw less than 10 vehicles it is still a shock when I can go days without seeing a soul. My side trip through the Montezuma Range would do that for me, after 3.5 miles I turned off onto Montezuma Well Rd. Unfortunately the upper portions of the road were gated and signed, No Trespassing. So after trying a few steep alternatives I decided to descend. That proverbial matchbook was getting thin, the shadows were getting long, the wind was still blowing, I figured I needed to find a place to camp.

I made a big triangle following a power line road. The work trucks that inspect and service these power lines must be so beat. The rough descent was what my long-tail Meriwether fat bike eats for breakfast. Fat tires and a long stable wheelbase descends loose, rocky, rutted roads with confidence. When rolling through deep washouts crossing the road the long wheelbase keeps you from going over the bars.

I popped out at Alkali Hot Springs. It looked better than I remember it. Back to Siler Peak Rd, I picked a water diversion ditch for camp to try to get out of the wind. Not ideal, but the nice thing about dispersed camping (wild camping to some) is when you decide your day is done, you can find your home for the night.

Dinner has traditionally been “Thanksgiving Dinner”, you can find it here by Hungry Hiker (one of my favorite YouTuber’s). And feel free to improve this recipe. I just was introduced to dried yams, Yammy, Dried Sweet Potato, add that to the recipe! But this time I flavored couscous and freeze dried vegetables with a Vietnamese soup base I had in the fridge. How good was it? Meh, I’m going back to Thanksgiving Dinner. I am enjoying hot cocoa as a dinner beverage and added a bit of LMNT’s chocolate flavored salts.

Day Three started with the big decision, go north or go south. It rained lightly overnight. Dark clouds hung over the Montezuma Mountains. With all likelihood there wouldn’t be much precipitation. But it was still a day in the wind. Turning south would be at least two more days in the wind. Right now the wind was out of the south, but my memory had the wind shifting and coming out of the northeast. I chose to go north. I found a dirt road system on the east side of 95 that would take me to Tonopah. That was a goal, I have ridden on the highway and to the west.

It was interesting to see all the mining efforts in the valley. They looked like regularly spaced giant ant hills. I was enjoying a slight downhill and a tailwind. It is great to feel the miles tick by at a reasonable pace. Eventually I was climbing into the Klondike Hills and into more extraordinary geology before dropping into Tonopah.

I love riding through town. There is a mix of very old, “kinda”old, and new. Some buildings depressed, some fresh paint, and even some things “coming soon”. I have my favorites, the Tonopah Brewing Company, the Mizpah Hotel, the Mining Museum and Park, and the Clown Motel. I have spent some time kicking around the “tin can graveyard” aka the old dump. But for now I focused on getting back to my vehicle so I can get lunch and a brew at the Tonopah brewery.

I was able to stick to dirt roads parallel to 95. It was about 10 miles from Tonopah and the wind was shifting around, sometimes coming out of the Big Smoky Valley. But soon I had my pickup in view. The note on my return was still under the windshield. I need to copy the note from Willy Vlautin’s Don’t Skip Out on Me,”This truck belongs to the Reese Ranch. Please don’t vandalize! We are a mom-and-pop outfit”. I could re-write it with Bikepacking Norther Nevada replacing Reese Ranch. But I have never had trouble parking in Nevada’s outback.

My post ride meal was great. The brewery made a delicious version of Modelo Negra, their Baja Negra – Pacific Coast Dark Cerveza. I paired this with the Baja Burger. They do a good job suggesting pairings with their food.

By the numbers Over the three days I rode 94 miles with 7,200’ of climbing. Paymaster Canyon was beyond expectations. The sand dunes were a great surprise. The Montezuma Range were great, but a little disappointing that the route didn’t go through to Gemfield. I still have another option to explore through the Montezumas. Day 1, Day 2 and, Day 3 on Ride with GPS.

What I rode, what I carried I was slowpacking/fatpacking on my Meriwether long-tail fat bike. This bike was intended as an all-terrain expedition bike. It is designed to carry more stuff without relying on racks and panniers. It is designed to clear 5” tires and is built with a 2X10 SRAM drivetrain. The 2X drivetrain is great! Plus I have the Meriwether super custom front derailleur thumby on the seat tube. It’s a long-tail fatbike thing. Meriwether’s first long-tail fatbike had seat tube thumbies for both derailleurs. Bags are designed by Nukesunrise, and our relationship is over 6 years and 3 touring bikes in the making (we met at a party July 22, 2018).

My kit has become fairly standard with minor modifications depending on temperature ranges, water carries, and resupply distances. For this trip I knew the trip would be relatively warm, though it is hard to trust on a winter trip. The water carry was big, likely no water for three days. I would have to carry food for the entire trip, though I was planning on having a meal in Goldfield at the Dinky Diner. I carried my North Face Storm Break 1 tent as shelter, small footprint, easy to setup, a bit heavy. This was my choice over my bivy, my tarp tent, or my tarp. My sleep kit is an inflatable pad, insulated top sheet, pillow, sleeping bag liner, wool socks as the standard bits. A little heavy and bulky, but they all make sense. I could simplify and drop a pound. There are a few puffy layers that I choose from for each trip. I brought Patagonia’s Down Sweater on this trip. Another popular choice is the OR Helium Jacket. For winter I add light down booties/socks. I like having a hat and a bandana to cover my face when it is really cold. I carried an extra base layer from head to toe as a warm dry layer.

My kitchen is carried in the squirrel cage, the box shaped bag that fits behind the seat tube thanks to the long-tail’s extended rear triangle. My cook kit is the kettle-plate-cup combo from Sea-to Summit. My first impression of the kettle was, “that’s cute.” As a 1L pot it is efficient at boiling water, collapsible, and comparable in price to similar popular Ti pots and lids. It is 65g heavier than comparable Ti pots. The nested flat package also fits nicely in a frame bag.

I replaced my ultralight GasOne canister stove (think popular BRS 3000-T) with the SOTO Amicus stove. There are so many good choices out there, you can watch an infinite number of reviews and shoot-outs on YouTube. The GasOne was starting to leak at the adjuster knob. Seeing flames where there shouldn’t be is unnerving. The SOTO seems super high quality, reasonably priced, and worked well on this windy trip. The SOTO WindMaster seems to be their flagship ultralight canister stove.

I was carrying 6 L of water, which I made last over the three days (I probably had a liter to go when I arrived back at the truck). The cool temps kept my sweat rate low. I wore light tech pants, water proof low-top shoes from Merrell with thick wool socks. I wore a long sleeve base layer with Kuhl’s LS AirSpeed shirt, this is my go-to for 4 season comfort. On my hands I used the Craft Hybrid Weather gloves. For a wind shell I used the Patagonia Dirt Roamer.