Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

The social media thing is something I don't know how to prevent other than when you know the place, turn them in. Same with these huge groups in the backcountry.

 

Backcountry road closures in DV are tricky. They have Steele Pass marked as closed but I know for a fact that it is drivable. Years ago a backcountry ranger told me to my face he wished there were boulders placed at both ends of Lippincott and call it closed permanently. I'm sure they'd love if the same happened with Steele Pass too. It's not like the park service would do much, if anything, to open those roads. It's the people who make the effort to transit the roads which renew the paths closed by mother nature.

 

This is a thing. I have taken (and submitted) photos of folks who are in closed areas, and I was notified that they received citiations. One of the guys I go on trips with has also *received* such a citation (though, I wasn't there when he was doing the naughty bits). All that said, I don't know if the citations will really make any difference for the InstaTubers; my sense from watching various YouTube channels and whatnot is that it could just be considered "pay to play" for the content you want to get. A business expense, even.

Man, just typing that makes me sick to my stomach.

Interesting. I think Ken mentioned not too long ago that NPS maintenance (or coordination of maintenance) of the existing roads is actually in the park "guidelines" or usage plan or something. I would hate to see roads closed that provide access, though in many places, I also hate to see the "auxiliary" roads that often pop up from UTVs and people who just don't care. I continue to be very glad that there are no UTVs in DV.

 

I think employees who share these thoughts do not belong in public service. Or at least put them aside while they work. I don't know what the percentages are but I would bet more than a few are there to further their beliefs only.

 

Maybe it should be a bigger expense....

I ran across a UTV in the middle of the park last year (maybe the year before). He was driving out of marble/cottonwood and looked like he knew he was doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing.

 

As requested recently in the thread, I have finally written up a trip from last December...

Day 1 - Slit Canyon in the rain
Day 2 - Navigating badlands to a ridge with a view
Day 3 - Cloudy drive and a hidden canyon

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Awesome writeup. Great photos.
Thanks for sharing!

I love the chock-stone...

 

local signage

road view

good clean road

fry

onions fix

steam finish

partial hangar

marker

local signage

 

Nice aside from the graffiti on the sign post for Saline Valley.
I can't place the last sign unless it's the top of Lippincott.

How were the temperatures and bugs?

 

lippincott top sign.
temps good range..not too hot and chilly enough in the long dawn for me to wear down sweater and gloves
flying bugs present but the presence did not bug me
couple sessions of mid to high air movement

 

Snow is predicted for Tioga Pass and the Tioga Pass Road is temporarily closed.

 

Temporarily being until next spring. lol

 

Yep snow predicted for Mammoth Nov 6th - 10th. That may shut it down till late spring.

 

We usually see it open again after the snow passes. Maybe close once more before being closed for the season.

 

Yeah, I'm already changing my weekend plans to hit Bodie and Laurel Lakes based on the weather reports and road closures. I'll definitely be visiting both in 2023 instead. Bummed, though.

 

The snow shouldn't be too much of a problem for Laurel but the balls freezing cold isn't something that's fun. lol

 

Yeah, the temps just don't sound like a lot of fun, especially in a new camper we haven't yet slept in or checked for leaks. There were also some work-related issues for the lady on the Monday "vacation" day that would have made for a major PITA, anyway. So... probably going to be staying on the west side of the Sierran summits for the weekend.

edit: Typed that literally as I'm walking into my home and past my truck. Go figure, leak at the driver-side front corner. Time to post up a "anybody want to help me lift my shell so I can seal this this better" thread, I guess.

 

Shuteye is bitchin.

 

I almost slept above Laurel last Sunday, but my gal checked the weather on NOAA and they predicted 16 degrees overnight.
2 degrees with windchill.
I went down to Bishop instead.

 

Actually was going to shut eye on Monday the 7 thbut the weather ha us planning otherwise