Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

CA 127 will continue to be closed for a good long while with only a small section opening mid-Oct according to Caltrans District 8:

At this time, the route remains fully closed in both directions due to severe undermined roadways and to allow for environmental mitigation operations to continue. Crews are currently in the area repairing the roadway and working to expedite a reopening of the north-side only of the route, from County Line to Dumont Dunes by mid October 2023. The timeframe of a full route reopening remains to be determined. Emergency repair work is expected to continue through spring 2024.



Source: https://files.constantcontact.com/e4216cd1801/62a5524b-f702-42cf-a7d2-4a5914fc6013.pdf?rdr=true

 

https://youtu.be/qJkt8VqC7WI?si=sI-1r-sOEAeyqJXi

 

East Entrance Also Opening

NPS is now saying that the east entrance via 190 will also be open on October 15th:

https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/routes-into-death-valley-from-highway-190.htm

Besides the 190 only Dante's View, Badwater Rd down to Badwater Basin (mile post 17), and Artists Pallet Drive will be open as far as longer routes go. They are also anticipating a few short spur roads to popular attractions such as Mosaic Canyon and Natural Bridge Canyon will be open.

 

Various Opening Estimates

DVNP recently updated their road conditions page including more information about the degree of damage as well as long term estimates for repair. Some of the estimates are quite long, such as Titus Canyon closed until at least 2025 and Lower Wildrose closed until Fall of 2025. A number of roads in the central valley may open in November with some others following this coming spring.

• CA-190
  Closed. Expected to reopen from CA-127 (Death Valley Junction) through the park to CA-136 (Lone Pine, CA) on October 15. At that point, there will be gravel sections where pavement has not been replaced yet. Expect lowered speed limits and several sections of traffic control, while Caltrans and their contractors continue working on the road for several months.
• Daylight Pass Rd, Beatty Cutoff Rd & Mud Canyon Rd
  Closed. Contractors will do temporary repairs on Mud Canyon/Daylight Pass. The road will likely reopen by mid-November, but will have gravel sections and a lowered speed limit. Then a second contract will be awarded to do permanent pavement replacement, which may include adding protection from future floods. That contract is likely to start in February or March 2024.
  Beatty Cutoff Road will stay closed until the contract for permanent repairs fixes it, meaning sometime after February or March 2024.
• Dantes View Road
  Closed. NPS road crews have fully repaired this road. It will open when the adjacent part of CA-190 opens (scheduled for October 15, 2023).
• Badwater Road/CA 178 (access to Badwater Basin, Artists Drive, Devils Golfcourse, Natural Bridge, Golden Canyon)
  Closed. NPS road crews have fully repaired the northern 17 miles of the road, from CA-190 to Badwater Basin, along with several side roads. This will open when the adjacent part of CA-190 opens (scheduled for October 15). The southern part of the road, from Badwater Basin to CA-178/Shoshone, CA, will be repaired by contractors, and is likely to open by late November or early December.
• North Highway (Scotty's Castle Rd) (access toUbehebe Crater)
  Closed. This will open sometime after February 2024. Work will be done by the permanent repairs contract.
• Wildrose Road / Emigrant Canyon Road (access to Wildrose Charcoal Kilns)
  Closed. This will open sometime after February 2024. Work will be done by the permanent repairs contract.
• Lower Wildrose Road (aka Trona - Wildrose Road, connects Wildrose to Panamint Valley)
  Closed. Completely impassable due to a 9-foot deep cut across the road. Likely to remain closed until fall 2025.
• Bonnie Clare Road and Scotty’s Castle due to flood recovery work . Unlikely to open before late 2025.

• Twenty Mule Team Canyon Road - Closed. This road has been fully repaired by NPS road crew, and will reopen when CA-190 opens (expected October 15).
• Mustard Canyon Road - Closed. This road has been fully repaired by NPS road crew, and will reopen when CA-190 opens (expected October 15).
• Mosaic Canyon Road - Closed. This road has been fully repaired by NPS road crew, and will reopen when CA-190 opens (expected October 15).
• Grotto Canyon Road - Closed. This road has been repaired by NPS road crew up to a new parking area at the top of the alluvial fan, where the road used to continue into the wash. This will reopen when CA-190 opens, expected October 15.
• Echo Canyon Road - Closed. NPS road crew used a dozer to do the first pass for repairs. We still need to get re-establish the permited roadside campsites and run a grader down the road before opening. Likely to open by late November.
• Hole in the Wall Road - Closed. NPS road crew used a dozer to do the first pass for repairs. We still need to get re-establish the permited roadside campsites and run a grader down the road before opening. Likely to open by late November.
• Cottonwood Canyon & Marble Canyon Roads - Closed. NPS road crew used a dozer to do the first pass for repairs. We still need to get re-establish the permited roadside campsites and run a grader down the road before opening. Likely to open by early November.
• Westside Road - Closed. As of 10/7/2023, NPS crews cannot get through the north end of the road due to a 4-foot drop-off into a muddy trench 10-feet wide and filled with a foot of water.
• Upper Wildrose Road (above the Charcoal Kilns) - Closed. No access due to extensive damage on Emigrant Canyon Road and Lower Wildrose (aka Trona-Wildrose Road).
• Keane Wonder Mine - Closed. The access via Beatty Cutoff is not likely to open until sometime after February 2024.
• Saline Valley Road - Signed closed by Inyo County.
• Hunter Mountain - Signed closed by Inyo County.
• Salt Creek - Closed. Will not open before fall 2024.
• Titus Canyon Road - Closed due to flood damage. Impassable. Not likely to open before January 2025.
• Steel Pass - Closed due to extensive flood damage. From an airplane, it appears the road is completely erased from Eureka Dunes through Dedeckera Canyon. Steel Pass itself looks okay. From Steel Pass to Upper Warm Springs, there's no sign of a road at all. Designated wilderness begins 50 feet on either side of the legal road (which is erased). Anyone trying to drive that would likely be illegally driving in wilderness. The park hopes to be able to work on this road in winter 2023/2024.
• Lemoigne Canyon Road - Closed due to flood damage. No estimated timeline.

Source: https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

 

The site that @DVexile linked above describes the listed roads as “major”. Interesting that Steel Pass gets that recognition, but Racetrack and Lippincott aren’t mentioned. But when I clicked on Lippincott on the map, it was of course noted as closed, but also as “Always gnarly!”

 

Looks like we might have to table that trip until 2025, @Littles.

 

I am relying on you to be my tour guide for this one so ill admit i don't know what is what in that list for DV but but it looks like a lot of closures. We can pivot for next year. Plenty of other parks to see

 

That looked fun.

 

The Big Pine - Death Valley road has closed signs at HWY 168.

 

For those in SoCal seeking a way around the 127 closure north of Baker: Excelsior Mine Road provides a reasonable connector to Tecopa from I-15 @ the Cima exit.

Having never driven this route before, here's my report: The southern half is paved, the northern approach is relatively smooth gravel, and it's just a bit rough over the pass and down the valley near the mines. High clearance will make it a more comfortable drive, but it is drivable in passenger vehicles. There is one spot in the paved portion where a wash has dumped gravel over the road, which will send you airborne if you're not paying attention... and in either direction of travel (sigh).

Per usual, the beer and the date shakes in Tecopa are worth the drive. You can also arrange to tour the mines east of town, which are privately owned. Contact Ross at tecopamines@gmail.com

 

Is the second photo from a mine tour? If so, which mine is that?

Looking more and more like my Tacopa mine crawling days are over.

 

Ha, I know exactly where that first one is!

The above shot is from the Columbia... not sure if it's "open" for tours yet, but my understanding is that such is the plan. This part of the mine had been sealed off for decades due to a cave-in -- the timbers there were ravaged by fire way back when, and you can still smell it today. Perhaps a brave few have made technical descents or shimmied through the loose stuff in the intervening years, but to be honest, the tunnels beyond appeared as if untouched for longer than I've been alive. Last weekend, a route was cleared into this section of the mine, following some earlier blasting, and now you can get in via a series of sturdy ladders and just a bit of crouching. Hence the photo. I could spend a whole day in that branch just taking pictures!

Addressing what I perceive to be your latter point--that the change of ownership puts this place off-limits for exploration: While it's not the free-for-all it once was, there's no reason to concede that your days of Tecopa mine-crawling are over--in fact, the future could hold even greater adventures.

Sure, it's private property under new active ownership, so you definitely can't sneak in and do whatever you want. And to be clear: if you try to do that, you will get arrested. So the days of exhilarating trespasses into these mines are indeed over -- and don't get me wrong, I can see the appeal there, even though I myself missed out on that era. But there's plenty of other non-patented or at least less-actively guarded mines in these parts for such expeditions. Certainly, the Tecopa district was among the finest in the latter category for many years. Yet while the saga of far too-many privately owned mines culminates with "closed off forever," this one leads to a somewhat atypical and wildly favorable outcome: You can still explore vast extents of these mines today. You just need to approach it differently.

Now we can address the upside: the new ownership means that there's a full-time on-site presence, to fight against the looting, vandalism, and arson that regrettably yet inevitably accompany unfettered public access to such unique places. Working with a team of volunteers, the landowner is actively maintaining and restoring these mines, cataloging and displaying their artifacts, and is eager to take you deep into their workings on a tour. No, you can't explore them on your own, or depart on arbitrary side-treks, at least not on the regular tour. But compared to some other high-profile mines in the region, at least of today, this place is being managed in a way that is overwhelmingly more welcoming to the public and our insatiable desire to explore the subterranean. And this is not a bullshit "mine tour" for four-year-olds, it's a real-deal trek through extensive historical mining excavations. You can literally hike through a mountain and come out the other side -- that's the basic tour, and it costs less than the gas to get there. And if you've already done that... well, tell him, and ask for a different tour!

Honestly, the only better outcome for the Tecopa Mines, in my opinion, is if I were the new landowner. And that've been worse for the rest of y'all, because I'd have just fenced-off and shuttered the place for the rest of eternity, and would be down there to this day, just mining my own damn business!

Get it?

mining?

... anyone?

Jeez, tough crowd!​

So to conclude... and again assuming you were expressing frustration with the recent re-assertion of landowner rights surrounding these mines: Worry not--you can still camp here and explore mile upon mile of subterranean works! There's zero tolerance for trespassing, but it couldn't be easier to make arrangements with the landowner to enjoy the mine sites and explore the underground. Yes, you have to pay for tours... it's private land after all. No, you can't just arbitrarily scramble through the mines, but this also means that ass-holes can't arbitrarily pillage and burn the place either. I know of no better mine tour at any price -- even free. I really recommend it!

Another option: you can put in some volunteer hours, which is the perfect way to see less-explored parts of the mines, perhaps just as they're being re-opened... in which case you might stumble upon some excellent photo ops along the way!

I posted this elsewhere, but here's a SpaceX launch (Starlink 7-4) viewed from Tecopa:

Unfortunately the stupid pickup truck blocked the first stage recovery burn... much further downrange than expected--I'm assuming they sent it to a barge this time. Then I walked straight into the tripod to ruin the final exposure of the sequence.

Some charred timbers:


It's not as tight as it looks. You can crouch through here without getting you hands and knees dirty.



Another view from the other side. The timbers in the foreground once supported the ceiling, but fire exposure led to collapse. They did some work with explosives here somewhat recently, then shoveled tons of earth to grade and re-open it as a walking path last weekend. I take no credit for the substantial efforts just described, I just showed up at the right time with a camera.

 

Mower on Death Valley Road. The road is passable up to SVR. When I went up the road there was a sign that said gate locked ahead. I'd never seen this sign before and have no clue what gate they're talking about. The only gate I know of is Devils Gate and there's no gate.

I headed up to camp in the Inyos since the roads to the hot springs are impassable. I was tempted to camp in Eureka Valley or the Piper Mountain Wilderness but opted for the Inyos.

 

CA-190 opening Sunday, but expect long delays for pilot cars

Caltrans is saying they will open 190 on schedule this Sunday! The bad news is needing to pass through multiple single lane sections lead by pilots cars, including a 20 mile section with up to an hour wait! In addition lowered speed limits and sections with no pavement, gravel only.

For reference, as best as I can tell the "Argus Grade" referred to below is between the 136 and Panamint Springs. That's a 34 mile span so I'm not sure which 20 mile section they consider the Argus Grade. Is it the west side or the east side? EDIT: It is the east side.

From Caltrans District 9 Facebook:

ATTN DRIVERS: State Route 190 will reopen through this Sunday, October 15, at 6:00 a.m. Drivers traveling from the west (U.S. 395) will need to use State Route 136 out of Lone Pine to reach the park. The junction of U.S. 395 and State Route 190 in Olancha will remain closed. Drivers entering the park from the east can use State Route 190 at Death Valley Junction.
EXPECT DELAYS. There will be multiple traffic control points on the highway as repair work continues. Drivers may encounter one-hour delays at Argus Grade, where two pilot cars will guide vehicles through a 20-mile closure. Other traffic control points will have up to 20-minute delays. Traffic control will be in place 24/7.

From NPS road status page:

Expected to reopen from CA-127 (Death Valley Junction) through the park to CA-136 (Lone Pine, CA) on October 15. At that point, there will be gravel sections where pavement has not been replaced yet. Expect lowered speed limits and several sections of traffic control, while Caltrans and their contractors continue working on the road for several months.

UPDATE: Press release with more details - https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/news/death-valley-national-park-will-partially-re-open-october-15.htm

 

Neat video due to an actual family member who interacted with the Mason Family.
https://youtu.be/LAZkMozy7-4?si=bq_rsMPiBMqvmOj7

 

I just saw this update from SPA via a Facebook page, and confirmed it from the SPA forum before posting:

SPA received an update from the DVNP Superintendent Wednesday 10/18/23:

Saline Valley Warm Springs are officially closed to vehicular traffic. Hiking and biking in are ok.

Camp Hosts have been instructed to announce such and also inform those that do come through that they can be ticketed and subject to a fine ($ amount unknown). Any tickets would have to be issued by a DVNP ranger.

DVNP has placed a high priority on all backcountry roads and as of today [10/18/23], they are almost finished with the road to the Racetrack and they are working on Teakettle Junction as well.

After that, they will work on Ubehebe Crater and then they will also repair Lippencott road which hasn't seen any improvement in decades.

Then they will continue on to Steele Pass starting from the Eureka Valley and into Saline Valley.

After aerial reconnaissance, there is no sign of any road from the marble bathtub to the warm springs.

DVNP will likely establish a "yellow camp" at Lower Warm Springs where they will dispatch out of with heavy equipment to work on all roads.

The Bat Rock Road will be revamped as well even with the ongoing efforts of the camp hosts.

The Park has rented 4 bulldozers and a couple of graders to repair all these backcountry roads; over 2 million dollars has been spent to date.

NPS has said they are in constant communication with Inyo County and pushing hard to get the washout [on North Pass] fixed above Willow Creek.

SPA Note: Access to the springs for Halloween weekend is not looking good however Thanksgiving may be possible. NPS has moblized a lot of equipment and resources for backcountry road repairs and patience is required while they progress with their work.

SPA will continue to lobby Inyo County to address Saline Valley Rd. in coordination with SWS being opened by DVNP.​

I’m sure many folks will be concerned that the regrading will make the roads to easy and the backcountry will be overwhelmed with RV’s and Priuses and minivans, but in the big picture I think this is good news for later in the winter and early Spring. I wouldn’t be surprised if DVNP gets it done faster than Inyo County. Not t be critical of Inyo County but the NPS has deeper pockets. Assuming the federal government doesn’t shut down …

 

Coming to you via starlink wifi (thanks, NPS!) here's a photo of this year's Joshua Tree saplings (?), being planted this weekend at Mojave National Preserve. As well as for the next three weekends -- Saturdays and Sundays thru Nov 12.



These are really good little Joshua Trees, but the problem is that they are in little plastic buckets. They will work even better planted in the ground. And there are plenty of places to plant them, because all the previous trees got too hot so now they're dead.




If you are interested in planting Joshua Trees, consider coming out to Cima Dome tomorrow, or any weekend through Nov 12! You can drive Cima road to get here, even though it's closed for repaving -- but Friday nights through Sunday nights only... Monday thru Thursday the work crews will shoot on sight and bury you in the concrete.

Limited-time bonus: The first 11 people to show up and reference this ad will receive a FREE can of Coors Light**

**subject to rapidly declining availability

 

rock on side of road in death valley national park august 2023



truck on road in death valley national park august 2023



truck parts with spherical bearing replacement due to driving on roads in death valley national park august 2023
oem lower control arm bolt is replaced with bolt that has longer shoulder prior to threads. oem bolt with short shoulder
promotes wear to spherical bearing.

 

Specs on the replacement bolt? I need to do this upgrade too. My COM10T bearings are always wearing out too quickly.

 

A bolt with longer shoulder - assuming identical shoulder diameter - shouldn't hurt, but personally I've found that spherical bearing wear is primarily the result of which spherical bearings you use; they are not all created equal.

I've written what seems like an entire dissertation on my experience with these things, which you can read in a series of posts: https://adventuretaco.com/tag/spherical-bearings/, but I'll try to include the summary here as well, I know not everyone wants to click through my stream of consciousness and thickheaded learnings over the course of several years.

1. It is extremely important to use FK branded bearings, and they must have the F1 fit. F1 is the FK designation for an extra-tight fit (details).
2. After looseness, RUST is the biggest enemy of spherical bearings, so preventing it is important. As such, using the stainless steel variant of the bearings (FKSSX10T-F1) in the lower shock eye position is worth the (small) additional cost in materials. Never use a "plain" COM10T.

For the curious, here's the overall timeline for spherical bearings in my lower front shock eye - the bearing that is subject to the most grit and grime of any bearing on the truck.

• The first set (from the ADS factory, I have no idea what brand they were) lasted 22K miles
• Second set of (as far as I know, unbranded, purchased from ADS) COM10T: 9K
• Third set of (as far as I know, unbranded, purchased from ADS) COM10T: 7K
• Fourth set of (as far as I know, unbranded, purchased from ADS) COM10T:10K
• Fifth set of (as far as I know, unbranded, purchased from ADS) COM10T:9K
• Sixth set of FKSSX10T-F1: 40K
• Seventh set of FKSSX10T-F1: 15K so far, still "like new"