Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

Way cool! What a great pic.
No fires? Must have been cold! I used my solostove in Owens Valley last night and it really helped.

 

Right! Curious lil fella. He came back several times looking for food. And yeah they aren’t allowing any fires that aren’t in a legit fire pit, which are only in the campgrounds that are closed. $560 dollar citation. Interesting move.. since camping seems to be like one the safest activity you could do with social distancing and all that jazz going on.

 

I'd say the fox visit is a very rare occurrence. I've never seen a fox in DV. Lot's of burros, coyotes, one bobcat, and one ringtail.

 

Were abouts in Owen's Valley did you stay? I realize it's none of my business, just curious.
Were you at Vons in Bishop 15 minutes ago?

 

heater buddy time. propane firepit?

 

Yeah buddy heater ftw, I like to use that to preheat the tent before I hop in for the night.

 

I was at Vons a couple days ago. Back home last night.



I was in Benton and Alabama Hills

 

Kit foxes are pretty common almost any place people routinely camp in Death Valley. In all the established campgrounds of course, but also frequent the primitive campgrounds like Homestake and Eureka as well. Now that folks more routinely camp along Echo Canyon and Hole-in-the-Rock I've seen them there as well at night checking out camps. They usually wait for full darkness to approach a camp and are a bit skittish but will enter your camp almost immediately after you get in your tent. I think a lot of folks just aren't aware they are there since they are very quiet animals and usually won't approach while people are obvious and noisy.

Without a fire burning and sitting quietly you'll sometimes find the braver ones may snuffle through your camp while you are still out of your tent. I see them pretty frequently when I'm out sitting quietly stargazing in the dark - often it seems we are both surprised to find each other suddenly within arms reach before the kit fox backs off a bit.

I see much less of them at Saline Valley Warm Springs which has always surprised me a bit. I wonder if the semi-tame coyotes there are a deterrent or something.

There are also definitely resident ones at Trona Pinnacles. Another place with plenty of frequent human visitors and their bits and scraps of food. Back in the late 90's while camped at the Pinnacles I watched one rather boldly walk up to my girlfriend's sleeping bag (while she was in it sleeping on a ground mat) and sniff down the hood to see what might be in there. Probably the same fox later stole the remainders of a tube of Chips Ahoy that was laying literally six inches away from my head while we were laying back watching the Leonids. Everyone else in the group didn't even see the fox - just the white cookie bag moving swiftly away apparently under its own power.

 

I had those desert mice run around our campsite at night. campfire and everything. The mice was only scared when we pointed out light at it. and dash off into a bush

 

Does anyone know if propane fire pits are legal for primitive camping? It is unclear to me after reading this.

 

Reading, it sounds like there are restrictions that pretty much include all open flame except a camp stove.

 

I've only tried mine but my propane fire pit doesn't really put out any heat. It's nice to look at but no substitute for a campfire in my experience.

 

I doubt the fire restrictions are still in effect. That notice was from September when the Complex and Creek Fires were going like mad.

36 CFR 2.13 – FIRES

• (a)(1) The lighting or maintaining of fires is generally prohibited, except as provided for in the following designated areas or receptacles, and under the conditions noted:

The following areas are designated open for campfires:

• In NPS provided fire grates or grills. These fire enclosures may be found in campgrounds, picnic areas, backcountry roadside campsites, or outside of roadside campgrounds.
• In park residence's private yard areas.

The following is prohibited:

• The construction of fire rings.
• Glass in the fire pit.
• No gathering, cutting, or scavenging of firewood or kindling is permitted in the park from any source. All firewood must be brought into the park.
• Debris burning on the public.
• All ash producing fires at Sunset Campground, except those in the Group Designated Fire Ring.
• In all designated campgrounds, natural gas or white gas produced fires are permitted in appropriately designed units wherein the flow of gas can be controlled and instantaneously discontinued.
• Debris burning on private lands within the park is only permitted on state approved “Permitted Burn Days,” in compliance with regulations of the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, and under the conditions of a burn permit issued by the park.

Most of Death Valley is not classified as a high fire danger environment. The use of ground fires, however, requires aggressive management due to the high probability of windblown hot coals or ash igniting combustible materials such as tents, awnings, and vehicles. Allowing open fires only in existing fire enclosures, grills, or fire grates that have been provided by the park helps to control human-caused fires. Restricting fires also serves to inhibit the illegal collection of sparse native vegetation materials and wood from signs and historic structures.
Persons desiring to use portable grills do not compromise park management concerns when procedures for disposal of ashes/coals are followed. Campfire restrictions do not apply to the use of gas or petrochemical cooking or heating stoves or to lanterns and the use of those devices which are easily extinguishable, and pose a minimal threat to the resource.

• (c) High fire danger closures will be in effect as noted:At Wildrose, Thorndike, and Mahogany Flats Campgrounds the setting, maintain, attending, or using of open flame of any kind is prohibited between June 15th and September 15th or during other periods of high fire danger. Controlled flame devices such as portable stoves and lanterns with shut-off valves that use gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel are allowed.

The superintendent has determined that the areas around the above campgrounds are extremely susceptible to wildland fire due to heavy fuel concentrations and low fuel moisture during the identified time. This restriction is intended to ensure visitor safety as well as resource protection.

https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/management/rules-and-regulations.htm#fires

 

I suppose that I should keep a hot dog on a stick handy, just in case I am questioned.

Thanks @ETAV8R

Updated information for the BLM California Desert District:

https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-reduces-fire-restrictions-areas-california-desert-district

https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/Map_Fire_Restriction_Areas_Fall_2020_508.pdf

 

NPS may have different regs but who knows with 2020.

 

I started a thread specific for the Eastern Sierra/Owens Valley
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-395-and-owens-valley-eastern-sierra-region.700273/

Seems a lot of information in this thread is more geared to the Owens Valley area. They are neighboring Valley's so I get it but thought there should be a specific thread for OV.

 

perfect!...thank you

 

Those mice can be super aggressive near frequently visited campsites. One night on our Utah trip this year, as soon as I put the tailgate ladder down, one scurried up right in front of me into my truck bed. Because I have a drawer platform setup in my bed, there was no way for me to chase him out. That cheeky bastard spent the next hour running around through my camp/survival/recovery gear, chewing his way into whatever he could, until I finally figured out a way to trap him. Meanwhile dozens more of those sons a bitches were crawling over everything we set on the ground or the picnic table as we made camp, and if we sat still, they'd even climb onto our feet. We wound up eating junkfood for dinner because there was no way to defend the table long enough to cook a meal.

What I did to evict this guy was to empty out a 1-gallon water jug and put some food at the bottom to lure him in, then put it next to the drawer platform so he had an easy path to drop in. After 15 minutes or so I heard him chowing down in there, so I exclaimed "gotchya!" and grabbed the jug to go dump him out on the ground. But I'll be damned if he didn't jump straight up out of the jug as soon as my hand touched it, like 12" straight up through a 1" diameter hole at the top (you know, a regular milk jug). And that smug asshole disappeared back into my truck bed to go chew and shit on more of my stuff. I finally got him the second time, by being a lot less gentle.

Now I'm a lot more cautious when it comes to lowering the ladder at campsites. They can and do still climb the tires and get into the engine bay, but I haven't seen any more in the bed or getting into our food bins there.

I have to wonder if people have been hand-feeding them, for them to be so utterly unafraid of humans?

 

It's probably more to do with the "would you look at that! How cute!" crowd and those who don't frequent the back country enough to know you have got to keep your things picked up and put away.

 

Cool older video of rigs off-roading in DV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON-Thh_spoY