Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

If you don’t get caught, did you actually do anything wrong?? (sarcasm)

There could always be a ranger out to get you, but I would think out in the less traveled parts of the park, you should be good. As long as your dog is well behaved and you clean up.

 

Of course. A lot of my planned time is outside the park limits, anyway, so I'm not overly concerned to begin with. Mostly just trying to avoid getting a ticket if I stop at one of the more touristy spots and let her out (the examples I gave were poor ones, in retrospect).

 

I think that if she’s on a leash when outside the truck in the more populated areas you should be fine. I have a recollection of 6ft max leash length.

 

That is a horrible mentality, especially in a protected National Park.

 

When they talk about dogs and access, they are generally referring to hiking trails.

Most of our local parks are no-dog parks. Turns out they mean no dogs. Not in your car, not on their trails. I had to take a leak and stopped at one and when I came out, there was a ranger there to tell me. I told him I knew but the lesser of two evils was getting caught using the bathroom vs getting caught pissing on the side of the road. He said he understood but that they meant "in the park" and he let me go. I have also received a ticket in Yosemite for being on a trail with a dog.

Personally, I'm not sure I'd take the dog to DV just because.

 

It was sarcasm. That gets lost via text.

I will make an edit.

 

They were! Guess it was good we came through Sunday!

 

I’m curious what people will say, as we just got a dog … the first for either of us, and we’re both over 60. But for what it’s worth, I interpret the regulation the same as for mountain bikes. Trails are hiking trails; no bikes no dogs. Anywhere you can take a motor vehicle is a road and you can take a bike or dog, as long as the dog is on a leash. I guess the area immediately around a mine, hot springs etc is a gray area but if you drove there legally and are close to your vehicle …. Our dog is just a puppy and I’d be more worried about rattlesnakes, broken glass, cholla needles or mine shafts than rangers.

 

I read somewhere the rules are there because Coyotes and other animals scent mark their territory and when your dog urinates on a rock, it is marking the territory as his. Supposively this changes the behavior of the native animals when they think there is an intruder on their territory.
Based on this logic, it is OK to have dogs in developed campsites since no coyote will claim territory obviously overrun with humans. But once in the backcountry, I’d could imagine a ranger could ticket you based on this logic. I rarely ever see a ranger in the backcountry to test this and instead find myself limiting trips to Panamint Valley or other BLM land where my dog can enjoy some off leash fun.

 

And when people piss and s*t all over the place?

While I appreciate the effort, the rules seem arbitrary all things considered. But they are what they are.

 

It's not dog piss that affects wildlife. It's dogs chasing wildlife. Hence the leash portion of the program.

 

Now this, I believe.

But again, different agencies have different rules. Two adjacent preserves, one yes, one no. At least locally, inconsistency is one of those things that drive people crazy. Especially on connecting trails. And not just dogs.

 

For sure man. Different regs on connected lands are a giant pain in the ass.

As far as my comment about dogs and them chasing wildlife. That comes from conversations with multiple state and federal biologists. As with all things I'm sure there's more to it then that but it is a primary concern for them.

 

Bark Ranger Frosty explains the rules here: https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=FA90F95A-A825-EBAD-3A99E1A584039963

 

Text version of the rules with more details:

https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/hiking-visiting-with-pets.htm

Basically allowed to walk on both paved and dirt roads. Not allowed on any trail (including the short paved trail to Zabriske Point), wilderness or any undeveloped area. On leash at all times.

In other news Racetrack Road is now officially open!

 

Yeah, I saw that. Hopefully the remaining short segment of Hunter Mountain Rd that links up with it opens up by the time I go.

As for the pup, I'm probably just going to see if my brother can handle the dog for a few days. She'll enjoy dominating his pomeranian again.

 

Has anyone experienced the new permitting for spots in Echo Canyon and Hole in the Wall?

 

Yes. It is... meh. Not that camping in either canyon was really all that great before IMO due to popularity. The process of getting a permit is straight forward, but also a pain in the butt for a few reasons:

1. You have to do it in person at the FC visitor center on the day you want to start camping in the canyon. That means you have to be there before 5pm, and really that you need to be there before the canyons fill up. It also means that you sort of need to be in the FC area "all day," as oppossed to starting somewhere else in the park and then ending up there in the evening to camp.
2. In my experience, Hole in the Wall fills up quickly (there are significantly fewer spots), so Echo is most likely where you will end up. I think there are 3-5 spots in Hole in the Wall (nothing beyond the hole, and there's no camping allowed beyond it), and ~9 in Echo (with the last one being at the wilderness marker).
3. I thought it would just be a matter of walking in and saying, "I want spot X in Echo," and they'd give me some sort of tag with the dates when I'd be in and out... because all they are trying to do is limit congestion. Instead, I had to fill out a full 8.5x11 form with a few dozen fields, with all my personal info, car info, etc. It's not hard, but it's a lot more complicated than getting a camp site in an actual National Park campground (which is really just paying and getting a tag).
4. No one is used to the system yet - including the park employees who hand out the passes - so there's a lot of fumbling around and uncertainty when you go do it. Or at least, there was in early January.

As for the actual camping experience:

• The sites are within about 10-20ft of the road, so they aren't great from that perspective (dusty, lack of privacy, etc.) for the campers.
• The sites are in really strange places IMO. That is, they are in places where they detract from the experience for other visitors. Since I know that seems strange, I'll explain: in Hole in the Wall, there is a camp site at the hole - literally, in the middle of it. In Echo, there is a camp site at the arch - again, literally in the bend in the canyon where the arch is (this is actually the site I got, though we didn't end up camping there as our plans changed). These are places that everyone wants to stop and enjoy, and that's a little weird for everyone involved when there's someone setup there with tents and stoves, and all that stuff.

So, that's the situation. Happy to answer any specific questions you have.

Edit: Reading that, I feel like it comes off very negative, so I want to add that I completely understand why they are doing the permitting and I think it is a totally fine (good even) thing for them to be doing. I'd hate to see those canyons end up like Alabama Hills, and they were definitely seeing more visitation in the last several years.

I only wish that they allowed you to reserve a spot via phone (voice call), and that they put the sites a little more "out of the way" so as to not impact the experience of those exploring the canyons.

 

Thanks so much for the in depth response! I've been coming down to Death Valley from Oregon for years to get some spring break sun. These roads have been a great places to get a spot no matter what. I'm happy they're making moves to protect the area. However, it appears I need to recalculate for this year and try exploring some new areas. Especially considering late March will probably be a busy time for the park. Any recommendations?

 

That does indeed seem strange. Are they literally in the wash just waiting for the next flash flood?