Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

What people?

 

Saw several posts about it on the DVNP Facebook page

 

The irony of people complaining about increased visitation to the springs on a Facebook page...

 

A rare instance of common sense prevailing. Kinda nice to see.

 

National Park Service released this DVNP map in a pdf format.

https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/upload/508-Backcountry-and-Wilderness-Access-map_.pdf

 

Thanks! Interestingly this version no longer indicates Big Pine/Death Valley Road as a "Day Use Only" road. The website still does though (that page says last update January 2018).

 

Planning my yearly Mecca to Death Valley to get some desert sun and hot spring action in. debating bringing the lady friend with well having her meet me in Vegas and driving over. Shes a little more shopping, dinner out girl then I am use to, I typically date women whom like to get dirty and are outdoorsy. That being said I filled her in on the hot springs and showed her some pics, that being said she said she is keen to go camping and off roading and see what Death Valley has to offer. Now, being I am more the offroad/camp type while in Death Valley, is there any suggestions on places to take her in the park. My knowledge is pretty much just the 4wd stuff and not much of anything else.

Obviously will be hitting up the following:
-Eureka Dunes
-Saline Valley hot springs, she will like this right up her alley, although I think she believes it is a developed as in commercial, not telling her any different.
-Stripped butte
-Raced track (ugh)
-Ubehe (spelling?) Crater

Probably get some hiking in as well while we are there then drop her at the airport to continue on with my yearly month long vacation trip so I can rip back into the park and do the trails/etc I want to do.

Looking for more tame options to intro her to the park, really I do not think I can go wrong with anything in the park, just looking for others with a bit more knowledge on then my past 4 off road trips into it.

Appreciate any tips/advice, looking to go in January, I’ll be driving to the east coast of Canada to see the folks for Xmas, then cutting across the southern US, doing maybe Phoenix to the Grand Canyon (depending on snow levels in the area), north rim, then scouting over to Death Valley, San Francisco to stop in and see some buddies and drop off some east coast beverages, then off to Oregon to get my backwoods hot spring fix, and maybe some MTb’ing in if I can get the pup up to being a trail dog by then, so far she seems to be about a 20 min pup, not bad for only having alone a few times with me around the block on the mtb.

Regards

Steve

 

You might want to surprise her with dinner one night.

 

@aaen, have you done any shorter day or just single overnight trips with her? Not sure how long you plan to spend in then park with her but if she ends up not liking it it is going to be shitty for both of you.

If camping isn't her thing maybe spring for a night or two at The Inn at Death Valley.

 

Great BBQ brisket in Lone Pine
https://www.yelp.com/biz/lone-pine-smokehouse-lone-pine

 

Is anyone interested in a trip to the Saline Valley salt tram Labor Day or the week following?

 

This is a screen shot from the CHP -Bishop facebook page

 

Man, it's been a bad day for accidents. We had a fatal not too far away from the house. Several others I've read about-a lot of peeps are being ejected

 

We came across two separate fatality head-on collisions on the 395 last Saturday when coming back from the Vegas to Reno Race. Both could have been avoided if the drivers were patient when waiting for a safe place to pass.

 

Damn. Just in the last month, there have been two fatalities near my house-not including the one from last night. It's crazy.

 

Wow that's a rough one to see two accidents like that in the same day.

I've personally never understood the need to speed on the 395. I prefer to take my time up there just so I can enjoy the scenery...

 

Thanks for all the recent posts. Living vicariously through y'all. Like the new map. Can't wait to plan a return trip,v and yeah driving is probably the most dangerous thing we do on a regular basis. Be safe!

 

395 is a very deadly highway. Besides idiots trying to pass when they shouldn't there are tired hikers/skiers that drift either into oncoming traffic directly or else drift off on to the shoulder and then over correct into on coming traffic. When I lived out there whenever I was on the two lane sections I'd usually find a 18-wheeler to snuggle up behind as a large "momentum shield" in front of me. Sure I only got to go 65 that way but it was much lower stress.

Even on the divided sections you get confused people ending up on the wrong side. Was driving with a friend at night on a four lane section up north of Bishop years ago. We were in the left lane gradually passing some trucks when my friend who was driving sees two headlights come around the bend ahead of us! Got over fast and this idiot comes flying the wrong way down the highway. About two miles on we found where he probably got on at a cross road. The two sides of the highway were so widely separated there other driver probably mistook it for a two lane and just turned left going the wrong way. If we had met a little further along that bend probably wouldn't be here anymore...

 

Very sad but I'm thinking the driver was traveling way too fast??? 280 ft before tremendous impact. Luckily no other vehicles involved.

 

Be just a weekend. She's fly in meet me. Not to worried about that. If it's horrible lizard Lee can have her.

="stickyTaco, post: 21413263, member: 92904"]@aaen, have you done any shorter day or just single overnight trips with her? Not sure how long you plan to spend in then park with her but if she ends up not liking it it is going to be shitty for both of you.

If camping isn't her thing maybe spring for a night or two at The Inn at Death Valley.[/QUOTE]