Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

As of ~6 weeks ago (when I last went) the flights were still called off through Rainbow Canyon. I went up there to check and met a guy who had driven all the way from Dallas specifically for that purpose, to photograph the planes in that canyon. That was the only reason he went to DV he said. I felt bad for him. I guess he hadn't heard the news beforehand

 

I feel more bad for the fact that he didn’t have any other reason to visit DV. Such an incredible place

 

I don't know if they're flying through the canyon, but we just caught a pair showing off over Owen's Lake, right in front of us. Awesome!!!



Update 2/16: I'm camped about 8 miles northwest of Panamint Springs and have already has two sets of fighters fly over or near us this morning, appearing to head right for rainbow canyon. I'm not sure if they're actually flying into it, but anyone at the overlook is sure to at least see them.

What an epic alarm clock though, I damn near tore the sleeping bag to get out and see them.

 

Death Valley Connections Part 1
...For anyone who's considering entering Death Valley through Beatty, I highly recommend using Titus Canyon as your entrance to the park - not only are the narrows near the west end of the road a joy to drive through, but the colorful views from Red Pass rival those found anywhere in the park. As such, I'd decided that this would be my route for the morning, and it wasn't long before I was aired down and heading west.

I was not alone. In my mirror, a fellow explorer I'd wanted to meet for some time - his adventures in Death Valley providing inspiration for several of the places I've visited over the last couple of years.

Read Part 1 - Look Who is Behind Me for the full story.

Read Part 1 - Look Who is Behind Me for the full story.

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After reading about all your travels to Death Valley you’ve convinced me to go there...planning on a trip in March. Question for all of you dessert / DV experts. I have a 4x4 2018 long-bed Taco with the stock tires. Do you guys think I’ll be ok with those on all the back country roads. Is the strength of those tires a huge concern, or will i be ok? Will my stock tires get flats on the rocky DV trails?
Appreciate all advise.

 

I should clarify, i have the Goodyear Kevlar tires, 265/70R16

 

just make sure the spare is in good working order, and if you end up with a flat, beeline outta there.

 

You'll be fine. Have the tools to fix the tires and other emergencies and have a good time.

 

Wow that's really sad to see, but the second something looks accessible in a NP you are going to have every sort of car imaginable attempting to drive down it. The fact that Darwin does not award more prizes in National Parks on a yearly basis is a testament to the kindness of others and the National Park Rangers.

 

In addition to a good spare tire (which is most important), a tire patch kit is also a good idea, especially for passenger tires. Ideally, practice with it on an old tire or something, but who ever does that, right? I first used mine a couple years ago when I came across someone with a pretty good sidewall puncture (on their spare of course). I didn't get the repair quite right, but it held air a lot better than the hole did. They were able to follow me down the mountain, stopping every mile or so to reinflate. So it should go without saying, but to make use of a tire patch kit, you should also have one of those little air compressors - and not a dollar store cheapo either. You need the kind made out of metal, with alligator clips for your battery instead of a cigar plug. But, this will also let you air down your tires a bit to make the ride more tolerable and help with traction. Finally, bring a length of 2x8 board or something to put under your jack in case you need it on sand or gravel.

The DV backcountry trail map shows the roads with several ratings, so maybe steer clear of the 'rough 4x4 roads' (short dashed lines) if you are unsure about your tires or driving skill. There is TONS to see just on the 'regular' 4x4 and dirt roads, especially if you are going there for the first time. I just got back from my first trip and it was AWESOME.

 

Should be fine if you stick to the main roads. I did the Badwater road in my '07 Corolla

 

ayyyyye ill be in DV in March aswell!

 

You should be ok on most of the back country routes in the area. Flats happen. Be prepared and leave your itinerary with someone in case you become stranded without cell reception. One of the first things I changed on my truck was the tires but I had two flats with the replacement General Grabbers. Since switching to load range E with kevlar I've had better results. Enjoy the park and use good judgement. Post up how it went.

 

Thanks for the replies. I have the standard stuff, tire patch kit, good air compressor, maxtraxx boards etc.
I don’t want to be limited as to what roads I can take w my stock tires. Planning on being there for a week and want to see “everything”.
Do you guys think that the Michelin Defender LTX tire in the same size would be a better choice than the current Goodyear wranglers? I have the Michelin’s on my other truck and I could swap them.

 

Everything in the largest national park outside AK is going to be tough. Most of us here who have traveled extensively haven't seen "everything". I've been enjoying the area for ten years and am no where close to seeing it all nor do I think that is feasible in one trip. Diggonet has been exploring Death Valley for a very long time. I would love to ask him if he's seen it all. There are always surprises.

Plan your trip to cover what you can in a given timeframe. If you post up your ideas of where you want to go and see you will get feedback here. Your personal off-road experience also comes into play. What I might be comfortable doing could be something you wouldn't and vice versa. I've found that focusing on a specific region of the park is the best way to see as much as possible for a specific area.

Those Michelin's look like road/street tires from a quick google search. I would stick with the kevlar stock tires you have.

 

I don't know either tire, so I can't help there. For traction, you want an all terrain tire or something similar. But for puncture resistance, you will want LT tires, the more plies the better. P-rated tires won't stand up to kinds of sharp gravel you'll encounter in Death Valley's back country. Especially at the speeds you'll be enticed to drive. You will eventually get a flat, just from an unlucky hit from some random piece of gravel. That said, for a truck that mostly sees highways and will just be going into the park for a few days, you'll probably be fine with stock tires, so long as you are prepared for a flat. You odds of getting a flat are probably still very low, but they are easily 10X higher than if you were on high profile E-range LT tires.

 

WATER? Location?

 

Oh, sorry, that wasn't in the park, that's in Owens Valley. I drove all the way up to Lone Pine to fuel up before heading into the park. Since I was so close, I went to check out the [undisclosed location] first. That's the [undisclosed mountain range] behind me in the picture.

Here is the [undisclosed location], it is totally a̶w̶e̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ terrible and not worth visiting.



We came back through Lone Pine and headed into the park via Cerro Gordo, which I can also totally recommend. We paid for the guided tour and I learned a ton about mining.



I've been trying to rush through all my photos today, but I've got a ways to go, and housework is calling.

 

Balut you're gonna have to do some of your own hunting. Most here have learned that giving sites away invites unwanted overuse from the internet ego fulfillment world we live in.