Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

Plans are loose right now. Most likely heading up to the saline via south pass with a stop at lee flats on the way in. Maybe stop at the Minnieta area for a night. My friend and I will figure it out tomorrow. Leaving here about 9am tomorrow.

 

See ya in Saline!

 

Have fun.

 

We started out with a simple plan: Do as much of Death Valley and it's surroundings as possible in a 4 day weekend with ExPo regulars Trump, 4RunAmok and ExPoMike.

Day 1 was from home up the 15 to the 395 and on to Big Pine for lunch and fuel before heading into Saline Valley from the north over Waucoba/Death Valley/Saline Valley road.




Snow in the Sierras


Some snow and patches of ice going in but easy overall


Old mining operations




Saline Valley!


Bat Rock Road: Gateway to Saline Valley Hot Springs


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Or Saline Valley Warm Springs depending where you read it. Amazing place. Hippie culture. 100% off the grid and maintained by volunteers and good karma. We didn't want to leave here.




The feeding of the Burros at the springs has led them to raid food lockers and other rowdy behavior. They know how to open coolers... help keep them wild (and alive) by not feeding them.


Middle Springs. Lots of great camp spots here, a shaded grassy area, fire rings and two nice pit toilet bathrooms put in by NPS. And lots of hot water in the pools and a shower!


Joint Point. What's that in the distance?


Heading over to the Upper Springs


The Wizard Pool


Hot shower... priceless.


Dishwashing/laundry area


Volcano Pool aka Barnacle Pool


Volunteers keep these pools super clean, and there is a constant inflow of fresh hot water from deep in the earth


The "Source" at Upper Springs. Keep out!


Headed back down to Middle Springs on our way out towards Saline Valley Road and beyond. Inyo Mountains in the distance.


View of Middle Springs from Upper Springs. Note one of two NPS built vault toilets.


Leaving paradise behind...


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Day 2 saw us pushing on to the next nights camp at Mesquite Spring.

Reluctantly leaving the Hot Springs behind, we passed the dunes enroute to the Salt Tram remains and the famous Saline Valley washboards... they will test your rig and it's hardware every time.

Sand!


Salt Tram over the Inyos




Me and the Missus








Lunch on the road


Mitch's meticulous organization


Headed south on Saline Valley road enroute to Lippincott aka Ubehebe road


Turn off onto Lippincott


Headed up into the Panamints




Looking to see if the Dodge could make this washout (one of many). No problem.




Looking back into Saline Valley towards the Inyos


Top of Lippincott and as far as you'll get in a rental car from the south...


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After the climb up Lippincott it was faster going to the Racetrack and beyond.


The Playa


Magic rocks






Teakettle Junction




Ubehebe Crater... sun was low... We decided to air up and head for camp at Mesquite Spring and hit Scotty's Castle in the morning...


Spent the night at Mesquite Spring campground ($12). We were pretty tired and it was getting dark... cold and windy, no photos.
Day 3 we were up and at 'em and made the trip over to Scotty's Castle.


I couldn't get the chorus to "Hotel California" out of my head here... strange...
























After Scotty's we hit Stovepipe Well's for some fuel and supplies and headed down Badwater towards Butte Valley




Made it to Striped Butte and the geologists cabin just before dark. It was occupied by some folks with a Wildernest so we made a brief stop and then went down and camped at the base of Striped Butte


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Day 4: After a quiet, windless night we woke to clear blue morning skies in Butte Valley.

Mark and Heidi and I got in our morning PT by climbing Striped Butte on foot. At 4,744 feet (1,445.97 meters) above sea level it was a good workout. When we came back down we gathered up the group and began the last day of our trip by heading for Mengel Pass.





View from atop Striped Butte. Can you spot Mengel Pass, the Geologist's Cabin and Stella's in the distance?




Stella's Cabin




Mengel Pass... in a full size Dodge 2500 w/Cummins diesel and FWC!




Trump Overland


Looking back down Mengel at the gatekeeper. The trail is actually in pretty good shape as of 22JAN13


Top of Mengel Pass


Looking back into Butte Valley




Barker Ranch...


... or what's left of it.


Goler Wash Super Highway


Leaving Goler Wash behind


Ballarat






Manson's Power Wagon


After Ballarat we aired up and headed home... until next time!

More trip reports on my website

 

Dave, thanks for taking the time to share your trip story and post your pictures. I enjoyed them very much. It looks like you had a great trip.

 

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Wow what can one say. Great trip report and beautiful pictures. Thanks

 

Need to schedule a trip out there! Been quite a few years since I went there. Awesome post Tacodoc

 

Very jealous.

Maybe 2013 will be the year I go...

 

Great trip. Thanks for posting. I just got back myself from the weekend there.

This is actually the southern portion of the Last Chance Range with the Panamint Range to the East and Cottonwoods inbetween.

I camped at the base of the Butte once too. Found a camera down there but didn't get any responses from a couple websites I posted pictures on. Hiking the Butte on a winter morning is great. Glad you guys got some PT in.

Hope the random burning of these back country cabins doesn't continue. It is a great loss. I am one of the unfortunate who wasn't able to see the Barker Ranch before it burned.

After reading Emmett Harder's book "These Canyons are Full of Ghosts" I think this power wagon may actually be Mr. Harder's and not Mansons. Neat to look at the inside roof of the cab. It has stars painted inside.

 

In talking with a few folks I have seen out there year after year, I was told that it coincided with the guy that wanted to make a name for himself and his cadaver dogs - the guy that got a permit to dig a few spots for bodies. From what I was told, some Manson groupie type burned the thing down in retaliation. Who knows. Certainly the stuff stories are made from.

 

Thanks for the critique... Again

 

Not a critique, a clarification.

 

My cousin & I were there at Saline hot springs from the 26th to the 28th. We came in from Eureka Sand Dunes via Dedeckera/Steele Pass. Great trail. Lots of washouts though. Did you guys get buzzed by planes all day? We had many low fly-by's including one from an F/22 Raptor. Never seen one of those! The day before that, we had a nice wake up call at 8:00 am from an F/16 at 300 feet right over our trucks, afterburners & everything! These guys were dogfighting all day & night out there. Nothing like sitting in a hot spring with a free air show with a beautiful view!

 

I personally love that jet noise! I was leading a run out there and a guy locked in on me going down the straight part of the south pass. He flared on me and his afterburner blasted the guy behind me. He literally didn't know what hit him since he didn't see it coming through my dust. Man, I love that place.

 

Last weekend we only had some higher altitude F-16s goofing off. In my travels to Saline Valley and Eureka Dunes I have seen F-18s, B-1Bs, F-16s(to include Thunderbirds), King Airs, British/Canadian C-130(refueling probe), and a Tornado. Been targeted by A-10s at Eureka and F-18s at the springs. As someone who has grown up in and around aviation I welcome it any chance I get. Even when relaxing in the wonderful peacefulness of Saline/Death Valleys.