Apparently there is a
deeply-guarded secret in Utah, known as "Opening Day of Deer
Season." Or, maybe it's just a secret from us, because when we
headed out for our first Fall ride into our favorite southwestern
Utah mountains, we were surprisingly SWARMED with orange hats and
jackets. Guess the Ranger could have mentioned that when we called
on Thursday?
Not deterred, we respected the hunters' quiet trails
and instead headed back across the border in Nevada, where it was
in fact between seasons. After a 20-mile section of one-lane,
gravel mountain road from St. George, we found ourself in the
scenic little town of Caliente, with a choice of heading home or
finding a hotel and looking for riding trails in the morning. An
easy decision.
(Turns out Caliente offer good home cooking, but
beware the accomodations - we found the Hot Springs Hotel
definately a step above tent-camping, but with no heat and
seeminginly original decor, plumbing and insulation.)
Luckily our breakfast brought us
face-to-face with locals William Barton and Carl Patrick (members
of "Trails & Rails Club"), headed for a ride themselves just a
few miles back up the highway to Panaca. Always up for an
adventure, and with the option being going home without any riding,
we took their directions and headed off.
As we were unloading, Will
and Carl in fact rode up, and offered their personal guide
services. Which is great, because although there are lots of trails
and riding areas around Panaca, how to access some of them and
important hazards, are often hidden.
Our ride took us out of town on the north (turn left,
north, on 5th street, and head out to the spring. There is a large
parking area, where locals come to swim in a pond, exercise their
dogs, set off on riding or hiking trails.)
We followed an old
railroad trestle, through steep canyon walls and beautiful Fall
foliage. Not far in, was an unexpected waterfall, an even-more
refreshing stop on summer days I'm certain.
A loop on out of the canyon, out onto the side
of county road, and you can cut up to the top of the hill
overlooking the whole valley, with the usual small-town right of
pride - a VERY large letter "L", maintained by local High School
students.
There were remnants of many Homecoming Parties-past, when
the hill was certainly ablaze through assorted methods.
Winding our way back down the rocky hill, and
across a great fast desert path (with enough dips and rocks
occassionally thrown in to keep you attention), the direct route
back to parking area took us right over a sand dune - one. In the
middle of no where, and obviously well-appreciated by local riders.
They have it all! This area makes for a great, easy, no-pressure
day ride, and it looks like there are miles of trails stretched out
across the valley, yet to explore.
Panaca, Nevada The
small town of Panaca is located 165 miles north of Las Vegas at
4,729 Elevation, with a population of just over 800. Riding is
ideal much of the year, with mid-summer high temperatures of 92
degrees, and just over 11 inches of annual rainfall.
A quaint
Mormon farming Community, Panaca dates back to the 1860's.
There are differences of opinion of where the name
Panaca came from. Some say it is an Indian word for warm water, for
the warm spring just north of town. Another possible origin of the
name in the Indian word for "white metal," which could come from
numerous deposits of silver nearby.
Panaca Spring
The large and constant flow of water from this spring made possible
the desert oasis of Meadow Valley. First discovered in 1849, the
site was cultivated in 1858 by Brigham Young's White Mountain
Mission men, who sought a desert refuge should U.S. persecution of
Mormons occur in Utah.
The site was abandoned that same year when
this issue was resolved. Dependent on these spring waters, Mormons
built the first permanent settlement in southern Nevada at Panaca
in 1864. For 80 years this water was used for all domestic
purposes.
Caliente
Aqua Caliente RV Park (775) 726-3399
Caliente Hot Springs Motel (775) 726-3777
Midway Motel (775) 726-3199
Rainbow Canyon Motel (775) 726-3291
Shady Motel (775) 726-3106
Young’s RV Park (775) 726-3418
Panaca Dotson’s Trailer Park
(775) 728-4250
Comments and Questions from our Readers
Rusty / Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES
Posted Jan 19 2008 03:50AM
Panaca is my favorite riding spot. It does have everything you could possibly want for a fun days ride. That Canyon looked nice a couple weeks ago the stream flowing through it was frozen with water still running under the ice. I couldn't make it to the waterfall in the f-150. However the Hot Springs was a mess. Somebody had trashed it, a trash can in the water and all kinds of garbage floating around. The sand dunes had snow recently but melted and made the dunes more solid which was nice. All I care about is keeping the area clean and beautiful. If you go out there please respect it and clean up after yourselves. No more throwing beer bottles in the dunes where people ride. Lets keep this spot clean so they won't ever want to shut it down, or regulate it more strictly. But definitly enjoy it while its around and its something you should see if possible. Panaca's little hidden secrets.
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Apparently there is a
deeply-guarded secret in Utah, known as "Opening Day of Deer
Season." Or, maybe it's just a secret from us, because when we
headed out for our first Fall ride into our favorite southwestern
Utah mountains, we were surprisingly SWARMED with orange hats and
jackets. Guess the Ranger could have mentioned that when we called
on Thursday?
Luckily our breakfast brought us
face-to-face with locals William Barton and Carl Patrick (members
of "Trails & Rails Club"), headed for a ride themselves just a
few miles back up the highway to Panaca. Always up for an
adventure, and with the option being going home without any riding,
we took their directions and headed off. 
Our ride took us out of town on the north (turn left,
north, on 5th street, and head out to the spring. There is a large
parking area, where locals come to swim in a pond, exercise their
dogs, set off on riding or hiking trails.)
A loop on out of the canyon, out onto the side
of county road, and you can cut up to the top of the hill
overlooking the whole valley, with the usual small-town right of
pride - a VERY large letter "L", maintained by local High School
students.
Posted Jan 19 2008 03:50AM
