Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

Have an awesome trip and tell us what you think when you get back!

 

i was in DV before Christmas for the first time. i wish i checked TW threads before because there's a ton of good info on here but i had a blast nonetheless. the road to Scottys Castle is closed still... probably will be for some time. seeing all the busted Duratracs in posts here i feel fortunate i made it without issue. can't wait to go back.

 

Did Titus Canyon yesterday, had a blast....so cool in there. Here's the gratuitous truck shot.



I didn't get any further south than badwater after that. Just made a day trip out of it from Vegas. My girlfriend brought her camera hoping to see more flowers, but it still seems early as there aren't nearly as many as I've seen in the past. Probably try again in March and make a camping trip out of it.

 

I like that.

Just checked those places off on my Christmas trip. Did you go through that tight canyon close to Darwin that is rich with mining?

Man that truck is ugly. Did someone ditch it there? We should go out and do a little sharpshooting.

 

Just got back yesterday. Had a blast. Thanks for all the info. Too tired tonight to post much. I'll try to do something resembling a trip report at some point. Did not make it out to The Racetrack. Overall, went slower and fewer places due to my son wanting to spend more time at the places we stopped. Just means more stuff to see next time and the time after that. Overall, the touristy stuff was cool and about what I expected. The backcountry stuff (Chloride Cliffs/mine camp, Echo Canyon/Inyo Mine, Titus Canyon) were all much better than I expected. Also went over to Lone Pine and checked out the Reward Mine and the Alabama Hills. On the way home we stopped at Burro Schmidt Tunnel because my son really wanted to go in a "small mine" (the Reward mine was too big apparently. He's 7).

My son looking out from Chloride Cliffs at sunset:

 

DV poked three (3) holes in my Duratracs, over two trips, when I had them!

Glad you got out there!

Awesome!

Excellent!

How about a picture of your rig in Saline?

 

x2 pics please

 

I didn't have any cameras...LOL I kid!
Let me see what I can get together right now.
Stand by.

 

In a nutshell...

Not fully loaded yet






Interagency Center in Lone Pine. I suggest everyone stop here if you're nearby. At least one time. Very cool place with lots of info about the Eastern Sierra, Owens Valley, and Death Valley.

 

Cant wait to see and hear more. That's almost the same trip I have planned after Easter. I think we will stay a night in Lone Pine before heading into DV.

 

Outstanding! Great photos. Your rig looks sweet! Thanks for taking the time to share.

 

Nice pics

 

Forgot to mention, the picture of the banana is what ravens do when you leave camp even for a short while. I cut the top part off and left it by the fire pit. Next up at the chow line was a coyote who cleaned out the fruit and left the peel. Another camp was raided at night by a couple coyotes.

 

Most of my pictures were "Facebook fodder" shots of me and my son. My buddy was taking pictures, so when I get his, I may have something interesting to post.

I mostly shot video, so it would be pretty boring until I edit it down. I have a project ahead of it in line, so it may take a while.

I did post a short clip of me crunching my LCA against a rock: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rock-vs-lower-control-arm.411486/ but that doesn't say much about the trip.

It was an awesome trip. I think it would be hard to go and have a bad time unless you made some "really poor choices" or were grossly unprepared.

Short answer: I don't have all the pictures yet and I haven't got around to the video. I am looking forward to sharing.

 

Feed them and they will come.

 

Thanks again for all the info. My video is coming along, but so far I just have the open, montage, and working title page for what will hopefully eventually become a full video about our trip to Death Valley and Owens Valley.

 

Hey all!
Hoping to get some suggestions for some routes to take in a pre runner (some good dirt roads) with some cool spots to check out!
Only there for a day maybe two..

Thanks!

 

For light off-roading with some fun scenery and destinations I would suggest Titus Canyon and Racetrack Road out to Racetrack Playa and Lost Burro Mine. (Roads 4 and 13 on this map.) You can catch Ubehebe Crater as well. If you just have a day or two and you're not equipped for the crazy stuff, that would be a fun trip.

 

That's what I would suggest, maybe start at Rhyolite to Titus, racetrack and out hunter mountain back to panamint springs.