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PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 11:43 pm 
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Favorite Trails: Backcountry
Having ridden nearly most of the canyon on the east side of Mt. Charleston, I still had yet to hit the western side. Heading up the mountain, you’ll also run across another high desert trailhead around the 4,000’ elevation marker which I didn’t have time to explore.

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Driving straight up will put you in the mountain village of Mt. Charleston which looks like a piece of the Colorado Rockies.

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Driving around to the backside of the mountain, the road will end at Mt. Charleston ski area and the upper Bristlecone trailhead.

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But Bristlecone is done in a counterclockwise loop for bikes and clockwise loop for hikers.

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With the lower trailhead starting at 8,500’, no one really minds the gentle double track climb due to the lack of air you’ll be sucking.

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The climb is rewarding with some great views

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At the 3 mile point, you’ll see a sign for the Bonanza trail which climbs into the wilderness area.

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In another 0.25 mi, the road cut ends and turns to singletrack.

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And the technical fun begins

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The trail peaks out at 9,400’ at 3.5 miles.

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From here it’s a short but enjoyable descent,

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With great views,

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Wild flowers,

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And more technical fun down into the trees.

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The trail ends at the upper trailhead where you descend the road back to the start.

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The Bristlecone loop is a short 6.4 miles, but the altitude will definitely give you a workout. If you didn’t get enough in one loop, a second loop can be done. Expect to see a large number of hikers hiking up from the upper trailhead to the Rocky Ridge overlook. So manage your speed, use a bear bell, and stopping to briefly talk to hikers goes a long way in keeping the trail open to bikes.

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The final brewery stop for the weekend was Chicago Brewing Company. Don’t let the name mislead you, this is a genuine Vegas based brewery.

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As rated by Beer Advocate magazine, this is the best brewery in town and delivers.

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Samplers come out 9 at a time on a two-tier lazy susan.

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I would have ordered nearly a pint of anything they serve and the food was great too.

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A great three days of riding in Vegas above 6,500'.


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The following 13 users would like to thank GP_pilot for his or her post:
bajamtnbkr, bankerboy, Canaan, Christ D., evdog, Fnords, kreechan, moondogg, PacMan, Scott Forty G., sierragoldens, tfitz, turiha
PostPosted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 9:05 am 
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Thx for the pics, you arrogant bastard!


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 9:32 am 
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evdog wrote:
Thx for the pics, you arrogant bastard!

Sorry Evan, you won't be able to ride these trails as there's no streams to jump into at the end of the ride. :lol:


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 11:19 am 
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funny I was about to ask about upper mountain trails after reading the tr.
How did you wife do in the poker tournament?

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 6:32 pm 
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EDIT: I saw the other post about distance and temperature.
Thanks!

EARLIER MESSAGE:
I am going to Las Vegas in about ten days - I was going to leave my bike at home until I saw this. How far out of town is the trail head and how hot does it get up there?


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