FR489 Simpson Park Mtns s(u) by Bicycle - Velo

FR489 Simpson Park Mtns s(u)

This is a rare juniper forest summit surrounded by large bowls of Sagebrush dessert. Still, I have to admit that my favorite part are the lower parts through sagebrush country, where the views are unobstructed, but from a little higher vantage point. That part of the road is also much faster cycling due to the surface.

1.START-END WEST-ALT:jct US50 with westerly road connecting to points south
2.Hickison Summit
3.START-END WEST: profile turns left to rec area
4.TOP, 7040ft
5.profile turns left down valley
6.START-END EAST: route turns left onto US50
7.START-END WEST-ALT:jct US50 with easterly road connecting to points south

Approaches

From East. The profile includes the US50 climb from a low point in Big Smoky Valley over Hickinson Summit. The dirt road from here is easy to miss. There are two ways to access it: 1. take the turnoff from Hickinson Petroglyph acces road that is faintly labeled "trailhead". The other option is to find the most easterly campsite in the petroplygh area and then look for a faint double track, leaving behind the campsite. There is no sign here. Both options meet after maybe 1/4 mile or so.

While up to this point, however you got here, you were travelling in wide open sage dessert country, here you are surrounded by a forest of small juniper trees. At another intersection with a "BLM" sign it pays to stay right, instead of going back into the Petroglyph area. The readily bikable double track quickly leads to an apparent summit with somewhat of a view to the Toyabee Mtns. However this is really a kind of roller coaster. The third apparent summit really is it, where the road converges with the power lines. The view from here is less interesting than the previous described view somwhat lower.

From West. At the summit the track makes a strong bend to the left and now becomes a power line service road. The surface is quite variable, but generally also quite ridable. I was here two days after a rare heavy rain, and there was actually more mud than sand. After an extended flat section, the road heads up toward a transformer station. Here the surface improves a lot. The profile goes down the wide expanse of what is labeled Rye Canyon and Simpson Park Canyon on the map. In reality there are no signs (there was one sign with a mysterious "4" on it somewhere along the route), and the scenery is a magnificent sweeping sage sauce pan shaped bowl, bordered in the distance by the Toyabee Range. This part is actually the most scenic along the entire route. But FR489 (if that is indeed the numbetr) continues on a smaller track across another range, direction Grass Valley Road and Bob Scott Summit. The profile ends at a low point on US50 in Big Smoky Valley

Dayride with this point as highest summit

PARTIALLY PAVED / UNPAVED

( < Austin Summit | Henderson Summit > )

FR489 Simpson Park Mtns s(u) : Hickinson Summit Petropglypy area > up unmarked forest road > FR489 Simpson Parkt Mtns s(u) > down Rye Patch Canyon > vicinity of Givens Ranch > down Simpson Park Canyon > road in sw direction <> out and back to jct with Nv376 > US50 east > first unpaved road heading south > Pete's Canyon Rd east > first unpaved road heading north > US50 east > Hickinson Summit(shp) > back to Hickinson Summit Petroglyph area: 42.4miles with 2540ft of climbing in 5:12hrs (garmin etrex32 m5:23.5.25)
Notes: the planned route went over a second summit to connect with Grass Valley Rd to Tom Scott Summit. But due to approaching thunderstorms and slow going on FR489 I opted for the decent into Big Smoky Valley - which was actually the best part of the ride, scenically and surface wise. Relative to the profile above, T=this loop contains a few additional miles in the valley, connecting to points south from the two endpoints.