Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

Bill Mann’s books are a lot of fun for poking at oddities and off the beaten path stuff. One of them is on Saline Valley so I should have thought of that for @turbodb ‘s question!

 

I may have just bought the last one.

 

Thanks for the recommendation, ordered a copy for myself.

If anyone is interested, here is a short review of it from 1947:

 

That was @sawbladeduller. I just provided the fixed link

 

Ah, well I'll have to thank him next time I see him in person and he pretends he doesn't know me.

 

two late model four door sedans outfitted for desert travel

 

You’ve been saving that photo for over a year to pull out at just the right moment, haven’t you?

(For those watching from home, I would’ve been away hiking when this was taken, the day after I stopped to chat with a guy driving a Tacoma carrying an AT Habitat)

 

well it certainly has been saved on my iPhone...just waiting..
i think you posted a photo from on top the ridge, where your truck was visible as a small spot of white on the landscape, IIRC

 

At the end of November I finally had the chance to get to Panamint City. Wow.

​

​

 

Thanks for sharing -- I'd like to hike up there as well. Many audits to check out. A group of us drove up there circa early-1980's before the road washed out and Wilderness kicked in. We were greeted by a guy in a doorway of a building holding a rifle, so we decided it was time to head back down the hill.

Thanks to both the flood and Wilderness for preserving the town.

 

Right there with you on the flood and subsequent road closure being a good thing. Lots of folks think that all road closures are bad, but IMO, some can do a lot of good. I mean, look at what happened to the nearby Claire Camp last year - if folks were driving up to PC, it'd only be a matter of time there, as well.

---

And with that, here's Part 2 of the trip to Panamint City - this time, exploring around at the top. Enjoy my follies!

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

​

We went as kids--a different time--folks were maybe not as destructive. But you're right, maybe in this instance, the closure is beneficial.

 

I'm hoping to do a Mojave trip in about month, I'd be curious to hear from anyone between now and then on how things are looking after all of these storms.

 

Mostly, things are looking "normal" after all the storms, if you aren't on the main paved roads (and even most of those are getting back to normal, if slowly in certain cases). Sure, there are some roads that were in washes that are no longer distinguishable from the wash, but by and large it's hard to tell that the storms went through. I mean, it's not like there haven't been storms over the years, it's just that the news media now makes it seem like any news is a breaking alert.

(I don't mean to downplay the flooding and cost of repair, but it's important to realize that there's always flooding in the desert. It is what made all the canyons we like to explore.)

Also - your question isn't really specific to any places/roads over a pretty large area - if you're more specific with places/roads, we can probably give you better guidance.

 

That's fair. The eastern Sierra has been hit pretty hard by these storm systems, I was just curious what the impact was in Mojave, obviously I imagine it's received less precip. As for specific places/roads, there's Mojave Road (heard about the washouts from the monsoons), but I'm waiting to hear back from a buddy with coordinates who used to work in the preserve for the feds.

 

No worries. I wasn't sure when you said "Mojave" if you meant the preserve, or the entire desert (which is a much larger place). Mike @mk5 has been to the preserve quite a bit recently replanting Joshua Trees after the Dome Fire, so he might have some good on-the-ground info. In general though, I find that the road conditions page is generally a good resource. While I may not always agree with the conditions that cause a road to be closed (because I can make it through more than most), it's always a good resource to tell you where you can drive and not get in trouble which is a technically important question... And of course, the NPS wants to help people not get into dumb situations (often preceded by a feeling of "I can make it through more than most" ) where a rescue is necessary.

The Mojave Road is essentially open except for a short segment at Paiute Pass, and there's a re-route for that section.

 

Not sure if I can add any more, but my ears were burning. As of last check, MNP is very accessible save for a handful of strict closures. Most notably, the paved road between Kelso and Baker. It all looks "passable" to me, but we have to respect the closure orders. There are still plenty of dirt roads criss-crossing the preserve, just beware of wilderness boundaries and such. You can still get to the lava tube, for example, just not via the paved road from Kelso or Baker. (Soda Lake might be a mudbath right now, though!)

Another point of feedback I got from talking to the rangers... slow down out there. They don't like people tearing up the roads and killing wildlife. For ludicrous-speed driving you can go to Rasor, or any of the other designated fun zones in the region.


Month-later edit, in case anyone is reading: Soda Lake is officially closed by NPS, due to seasonal muddy conditions, according to their website. Was just looking into another trip to the area and noticed the change on their map.

 

All good info, and encouraging to hear. Already planning on the re-route from Paiute Pass. Options in Northern California/Nevada and the eastern Sierra are getting pretty limited with the snowpack, so this is definitely good news.

 

I wasn't really sure what to expect. This book looks like 1946. It came with a Furnace Creek kind of "guide" which I thought might have been pages coming apart--it was kinda cool and the book reads in a little older style. I haven't spent any time yet but I am looking forward to an interesting read.

 

Mine is out in the mailbox at the curb (we are like the second to last house on the route, mail often comes after 7p) and I’m looking forward to collecting it and cracking it open tomorrow.