2024-01-13, 09:18 PM
Yes, you could rent a jeep. Farrabees isn't cheap, but they are in good condition, and they are used to people who don't ordinarily drive them and will tell you what you need to know. They also give you a SPOT device and you can call them for help with it. Driving to the mouth of Cottonwood in a jeep would be pretty straightforward. Talk to them about sand though, and how to get into 4WD. Beyond that, the road gets pretty rough after the confluence of Marble and Cottonwood, but my info on that is 2 years old and who knows after the storm. But you could park at the end of the better road (the big flat area) and walk in to the "gates" of Cottonwood where there are petros. As you walk that road if you look on your left in the first few hundred yards you can see some big rocks full of fossils. A friend rented from Farrabees once and they were very professional and helpful, give you a cooler with water, etc. You could also drive up Echo, that's not a really demanding jeep road, and the Inyo mine is nice. You can drive to the end and walk an old RR grade though probably not all the way to the Amargosa view (former winch station) in between driving over to Cottonwood and then back. So yes, that's a good possibility if you can afford it.
Now for a less positive response, it is crazy to say "I want to hike the cottonwood loop" and then have to ask about water sources. That should be part of the decision as to whether to do that hike. They should research the hike, figure out water supply issues, mileages, elevation gain, and then decide whether they want to do it or not, and also how many days they want to take. I suspect you'll find that there are water sources (there are springs pretty far up Cottonwood, and there was a town at Goldfield, but I haven't been on the whole loop. This also raises the question, do they have back country navigation skills? There is no trail in the portions of that hike which are not in the canyons - though it is used so heavily there *may* be use trails.
A gallon per PERSON per day is a good amount of water, if it is not overly hot.
Indian Pass Canyon might be a nice overnight. I believe there are springs there (but don't take my word for it). I'd love to get there but I think it is just a bit out of my range for a long day hike.
Now for a less positive response, it is crazy to say "I want to hike the cottonwood loop" and then have to ask about water sources. That should be part of the decision as to whether to do that hike. They should research the hike, figure out water supply issues, mileages, elevation gain, and then decide whether they want to do it or not, and also how many days they want to take. I suspect you'll find that there are water sources (there are springs pretty far up Cottonwood, and there was a town at Goldfield, but I haven't been on the whole loop. This also raises the question, do they have back country navigation skills? There is no trail in the portions of that hike which are not in the canyons - though it is used so heavily there *may* be use trails.
A gallon per PERSON per day is a good amount of water, if it is not overly hot.
Indian Pass Canyon might be a nice overnight. I believe there are springs there (but don't take my word for it). I'd love to get there but I think it is just a bit out of my range for a long day hike.