There’s something so special about bikepacking in the desert. As you pedal toward a distant horizon or listen to coyotes howl beneath a starry sky, you can’t help but feel part of something vast and ancient.
But the desert will also pop your tires (and your sleeping pad) faster than you can say “rattlesnake,” and it cares not a smidge if you die of dehydration while dragging your bike through sand. The desert commands awe, and also respect.
For these reasons and more, the desert is a superb place to go bikepacking! You just need to understand a few important challenges and how to deal with them, and you’ll unlock an incredible landscape rich with bikepacking adventure potential.
Deserts vary widely, but at risk of overgeneralizing, this post tackles some of the biggest topics that tend to come up when we think of desert bikepacking: seasonality, gear and bike suggestions, water sources, climate challenges, camping, and critters.
Desert Bikepacking Season
Here in the US (and many other places), desert season is fall and spring with lower snow-free elevations also accessible through winter. Each region can have unique considerations, but generally we’re trying to avoid the scorching heat of summer. Here’s a quick overview of each season:
Summer: Typically too hot to go adventuring in the desert. Even if you can stand the heat, it may be impossible to carry enough water.
Fall: Summer temps ease, making late September through early November a great time for desert bikepacking. Water sources can be a challenge depending on the year.
Winter: Can be feasible for lower elevation routes, but snow still falls in the desert, and it especially falls in the mountains that often punctuate otherwise desert-focused routes. If a route’s elevation profile reaches above, say, 5000 feet, you’ll want to check on snow conditions. Temps can be very chilly even at low elevations, and daylight hours will be short.
Spring: March through May is classic desert season and a beautiful time to go bikepacking. Water sources are at their best and if you’re lucky, wildflowers will be blooming.
Tires: Spikes and Thorns
The most pressing advice I have for anyone planning a desert bikepacking trip: have a plan for punctures! It is always the desert that tests my tubes and tires to their breaking point. Cactus spines might come to mind first, but the less obvious goat head thorns do just as much damage.
Run tubeless tires if you can. If your rims are tubeless-compatible and you’re still running tubes, make the change and never look back.
Carry extra tubeless sealant (at least 4 ounces) and a way to inject it into your tires through the valve stem. In Arizona on the Western Wildlands Route I added 3 ounces of sealant in two days and wished I’d brought more.
Even with tubeless tires, carry worst-case-scenario supplies: a spare tube or two, a good patch kit, and pliers. The pliers are for removing the hundreds of thorns that will be stuck in your tire in the unfortunate event that your tubeless system fails and you need to put in a tube. Good luck!
If you must run tubes, use all the tricks: tire liners, sealant in tubes, and/or thorn-resistant tubes. I’ve had good results with tire liners similar to these, but you need to install them carefully or they can cause more problems than they solve.
Watch for spikey things. It may be a losing battle, but if running tubes be extra careful about pulling your bike off the road and into foliage. Know what goat head thorn plants look like (innocuous green ground-cover) and try not to run over them.
Tires: Sand and Rocks
In addition to thorns and spikes, deserts are often full of sand and rocks. Both lend themselves to larger volume tires that “float” across sand and help absorb the bumpiness of endless rocks. Details depend on your specific route, but for a rugged desert route with lots of sand (the Baja Divide is a classic example) it’s not unusual to run 29 x 2.6″ or even 3″ tires.
Rocks can be dealt with, but pay special attention to sand when making your tire choice for a desert bikepacking route. If a route has only short sections of sand it’s reasonable to get off and hike when your tires sink in. But sandy hike-a-bike is a special kind of hell, and if a route has long sections of sand you may struggle to stay on schedule without suitably wide rubber.
Water Sources
We all know deserts are dry, but nothing drives it home like having to carry a two day supply of water on your bike. Water sources may be few and far between, especially during fall, so desert bikepackers need more water capacity than usual. It’s not unusual to carry 8 to 10 liters of water on parts of a remote desert bikepacking route.
Many of us – especially smaller riders – struggle to fit all this water on our bikes. It IS possible though, even without a rack, but you may need to get creative and possibly wear a hydration backpack.
A few other points about desert water sources:
First, it’s more common to drink from human-made water sources in the desert than in the mountains or other water-rich areas. Desert bikepackers may find themselves drinking from stock troughs, cow ponds, wells with windmill-powered pumps, rainwater collectors, and storage tanks.
Second and relatedly, many desert sources are not the most pristine. You may encounter cow poo, dead bugs or animals, and filter-clogging silt. A good water filter (I use the Sawyer Squeeze) will take care of the first two. Occasionally you’ll want to pre-filter and/or let water settle overnight to deal with silt and debris. Be sure to backflush or clean your filter often, depending on its design.
Finally and critically, desert water sources are often unreliable. They may dry up quickly after monsoon rains stop, or a rancher may move cattle to new grazing land and stop filling a tank. When bikepacking in the desert, always carry more water than you think you need and don’t skip an opportunity to refill.
Camping
The desert is my absolute favorite environment for camping. The clear view of the night sky, silence of a treeless landscape, and lack of (most) large predators add up to a peaceful night under the stars.
Camping on a desert bikepacking trip isn’t too different from any other camping, but these tips will make your night more enjoyable.
Don’t camp in washes. When you see an area that looks like water sometimes flows through it, assume that is indeed the case. Even distant rainfall can cause flash floods in the desert, and your cozy campsite could transform into a flowing stream while you sleep.
Protect inflatable sleeping pads from spikes and spines. Avoid camping right next to cacti or thorn bushes, check your site thoroughly before setting up, and for extensive desert camping consider a thin foam underpad. A closed-cell foam pad would also be a good choice, if you can sleep comfortably on one.
Camp 200+ feet from water sources. It’s always a treat to camp near a water source in the desert, but set up at least 200 feet away so animals aren’t deterred from drinking. It might be their only nearby source.
Camp on durable surfaces and avoid cryptobiotic soil. Desert ecosystems can be fragile, so follow Leave No Trace techniques carefully. Camp on durable surfaces and away from plant life. Some desert areas have cryptobiotic soil, a top layer of dark and lumpy crust that helps prevent erosion and enriches the soil for hardy plant life. It contains living microorganisms, can be destroyed with a single footstep, and takes up to 100 years to regrow. So “don’t bust the crust!”
Sleep with your water filter. Desert nights are notoriously cold and can easily drop below freezing even in spring and fall. Hollow fiber filters like the Sawyer Squeeze and Katadyn BeFree are damaged by freezing, and there’s no way to know it until you get Giardia. To be on the safe side, make a habit of tucking your filter into your sleeping bag each night.
Bring reading material for the tent. If you’re bikepacking between late fall and early spring, daylight hours will be short and nights will be chilly. You’ll probably spend a lot of time cozied up in your tent, so bring a good Kindle or audio book to pass the time.
Sleep under the stars at least once. If you usually feel a bit safer zipped inside a tent, the desert is the perfect place to experiment with sleeping tentless. If it’s not too cold, sleeping in a bivy or on top of a tarp (or at least with your rain fly off) can be liberating. You might find you enjoy feeling a bit more “one with the landscape.”
Enjoy breakfast in bed. In the desert you can feel free to do things you wouldn’t dream of in bear country, like sleep with your food and eat in your tent. A hot breakfast and coffee in bed takes the edge off those cold desert mornings. But remember, deserts have rodents, so it’s still worth storing your food carefully and keeping things tidy.
Clothing for Desert Bikepacking
Big Temperature Differences
Deserts are known for their wide temperature swings, sometimes spanning over 50 degrees F between a sunny afternoon and chilly night. Add in the mercurial tendencies of shoulder-season weather plus the contrast between climbing and descending on a bike, and it can feel like you’re always either too hot or too cold.
I use a similar layering system for all my bikepacking trips, but for desert rides I make extra-sure to wear breathable fabrics that can handle a wide temperature range. That means a lot of merino wool, which is perfect for bikepacking thanks to its anti-stink tendencies. A lightweight (around 150 gsm) merino t-shirt or merino sun hoodie is my base layer, and a mid-weight (around 250 gsm) long sleeve merino shirt with zipper neck (key for fitting over a helmet) makes a great cool weather riding layer and sleep shirt.
I also use a series of lightweight outer layers with easy on / off for fine-tuning. I’ll layer a lightweight wind vest over my midlayer to take the chill off, and if that’s not enough I’ll add a rain jacket (usually a lightweight one like the OR Helium for the desert).
For really cold days I’ll ride in Smartwool Merino Fleece Wind Tights, which I also sleep in. Pearl Izumi Lobster Gloves keep my fingers functional in the 40’s or below. I always have a puffy jacket for camp and occasionally I’ll ride in it if the weather is cold and dry enough.
No matter how dialed your layer system, desert days can feel like a constant process of “layers on, layers off, repeat.” Try to pack layers in accessible places and be patient.
Sun Protection
On a desert ride you might go days between patches of shade! That’s a lot of sun exposure, even in winter. If you want to protect your skin, here are a few good ways to do it.
Arm sleeves: Pair with a t-shirt and cycling gloves to prevent arms and wrists from getting crispy.
Merino sun hoodies: Popular among thru hikers, a lightweight merino wool hoodie is perfect for bikepacking too. I like the Smartwool Sport Ultralight for hot weather and the Ridge Merino Solstice for cool weather.
Da Brim helmet visor: Looks goofy but definitely keeps the sun off your face. I recommend the smaller Sport model because it fares better in the wind.
Good sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen are also obviously key. A buff around the neck helps with sun coverage.
Weather Challenges
In addition to heat and cold, the desert throws a few other weather-related challenges at us.
Mud
Some desert soils are high in clay content. When clay soil gets wet, it turns to Death Mud. Death Mud isn’t confined to the desert, but I’ve encountered it there most often. When Death Mud strikes, you’ll have to set up camp wherever you are and wait for it to dry. There’s no arguing with Death Mud.
A quick sprinkle isn’t usually a problem, but you’ll want to avoid these types of roads in heavy rain or during a period of prolonged snowmelt.
Flash Flooding
Deserts, by definition, don’t get much rain. When water does fall it tends to flow along the dry surface instead of soaking into the soil. This leads to all those sandy dry (for now) washes you see in some desert areas.
If heavy rain is in the forecast, it’s worth considering the possibility of flash flooding. It’s not a good time to go hiking in a slot canyon or set up your tent in a wash. Though rare, there are some areas where flash flooding can wash out dirt roads and leave you temporarily stranded. Don’t be alarmed, but do keep one eye on the weather forecast as usual.
Wind
Desert miles sometimes offer a reprieve from big elevation change, but that doesn’t necessarily make them easy riding. Strong wind is a common challenge of cycling in wide-open spaces.
Whether out on the open plains or deep in a canyon, wind blowing the wrong way can slow progress to a crawl. I love the Windy app for this (and for weather forecasts in general). You can’t change the wind, but you can get an early start if you know it’s coming in the afternoon.
Critters
I generally feel pretty top-of-the-food-chain in the desert. No bears, no wolves, no mountain lions (ok there might be mountain lions, but try not to think about it).
But there are a few small desert critters it’s wise to be aware of. Fortunately none of them want anything to do with bikepackers, so our job is simply to avoid surprising them. Here are a few critters of concern in the deserts of the American Southwest, though their population numbers, aggressiveness, and venomousness vary from region to region.
Rattlesnakes are often seen sunning themselves across the road or hiding between rocks. Keep an eye out and don’t put hands or feet in places you can’t see. You’ll know them by their distinctive rattle tail, which makes noise if they feel threatened. Simply give them a wide berth and move along.
Scorpions like to hang out in cozy nooks and crannies like between rocks, in your shoes, or in the rolled up flap of your tent fly. Their sting is painful and potentially, though rarely, dangerous. Again, avoid reaching fingers into small places you can’t see.
Spiders generally won’t hurt you, but a handful of desert dwellers (most famously black widows and brown recluses) do have dangerous venomous bites – another good reason to shake out your shoes in the morning.
So, the real question: is it safe to cowboy camp in the desert with all of these deadly creepy-crawlies running around? Will you wake up to a friendly snake seeking warmth in your sleeping bag?
The answer is a matter of personal preference. Personally, I prefer my Borah Gear Bivy when camping tentless in the desert. But plenty of people sleep out on nothing but a ground sheet, and most of them never have an uninvited guest.
Hygiene and Personal Care
Backcountry hygiene basics don’t change in the desert, but the dust, sand, and lack of flowing water can make things feel grittier and grubbier. Here are a few adaptations to consider in the desert.
Wet wipes: When drinking water is scarce, you’ll have to skip the full post-ride splashdown at camp. The next best thing is to bring some wet wipes or – if you’re in the mood for luxury – these “shower wipes.” An even lighter alternative: compressed dry wipes.
Water sources: If you’re lucky enough to find a water source for your washing, take extra care to not pollute it. Carry water away from the source and do your washing there, so the runoff can filter through dirt before returning to the source.
Spare chamois: I try to rinse my chamois before wearing it again. If dealing with limited water I’m more likely to pack a second chamois so I have a spare between water sources.
Bathroom routine: Pooping in the desert is similar to pooping in the woods, except you may have a harder time finding a good hidden spot. Decomposition takes a long time in microorganism-poor desert soil, so it’s especially important to bury your business well (a potty trowel can be useful) and pack out used TP. Never poop within 200 feet of a water source, and try not to poop in dry washes since they flow to water sources when wet.
Chapstick and lotion: If you have problems with dry skin, carry a tiny bottle of hand lotion and some thick petroleum jelly lip balm.
Eye drops: If you already have problems with dry eyes, the arid windy desert can make them worse. Contact lens wearers especially might need some relief.
Desert Bikepacking Routes
If you like the sound of all that and can’t wait to get yourself to the desert, here are some routes I personally recommend:
- Grand Staircase Loop (160 miles, Utah)
- Western Wildlands Route in Arizona
- GDMBR in southern New Mexico
- New Mexico Off-Road Runner (500 miles)
- Arizona Trail (I’ve hiked it, but it’s a world class bikepacking route too)
- Baja Divide, or the shorter Cape Loop (Mexico)
Have fun! I wish you endless views, minimal punctures, and many clear starry desert nights. And tailwinds, definitely tailwinds.
About the Author
Alissa created the website BikepackingForAll.com to offer practical, affordable, inclusive knowledge and inspiration to anyone and everyone intrigued by bikepacking. Her 20,000 miles of experience on six continents – over half of that solo – stoked a passion she can’t resist sharing with others. She wants you to join the bikepacking fun! Read more here.