Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

Very cool! In the past we used to ride our dirt bikes N of Adelanto and head W to the edge of Edwards AFB and get a few fly-by's and see supersonic flights as well. Anyone planning a trip to DV this spring?

 

As many trips as possible before the heat.

 

Oh yea, I loved every minute of it! Low flying jets do it for me too. Big thrill for sure! I've been out there many times though & have never seen that many planes before.

 

Hope to see you on one sometime.

 

This coming weekend is the Las Vegas Astronomical Society Star Party at the Furnace Creek Airport. The event is free and way cool. Lots of different telescopes. Camping or lodging nearby. It will be Friday and Saturday nights. Saturday night there is a death valley hiking movie premire somewhere out yonder as well. I may be going to both events.

 

Nice. If it wasn't for KOH, I would love to go!

 

This sounds and looks great. I am picking up a 2013 TAC DB 4X4. I do not plan on lifting it. Are there trips/trails/road old history to see for vehs that are not raised.

 

There are a few trails where a stock 4x4 might have problems but not many. It's usually how good the driver is and if he has a spotter. Wheelbase would be more of a problem but a Tacoma is OK. A very good map is the AAA Death Valley National Park Guide Map. There are also several guide books that rate the trails. The one by Mitchell is consider among the best. Most are about 10 years old and some of the trails could have changed due to rain.

 

It's also a good idea to check with the rangers too, they have the most up to date info on the trails

 

Good choice. Is it TRD OR, Sport, or SR5?

I beg to differ. The only non stock thing I run is tires and sliders. I plan on getting some suspension in the future but nothing crazy. I have done the majority of trails in Death Valley not to mention a variety of others in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and Canyonlands in Utah. Spotters help immensely but taking it easy on trails without spotters can do as well. My first time down Lippencott was with my friend who had less off-road experience than I had at the time. He spotted me just fine.

I prefer to use GPS, Benchmark Atlas', Nat Geo Trails Illustrated maps, and also a variety of supplemental maps from various sources such as BLM maps. Trail books are good too but read reviews on specific ones. Roger Mitchell's books offer good history as well as road information. All these sources in addition to recent trip/road reports will serve you well.

I just got back tonight from an awesome trip to DV and the vicinity.
Friday night my friend and I stayed in the Wagonwheel OHV place. We woke up and hit the road to Panamint Springs Resort to meet another guy. Once the party was together we headed up to Lee Flat for some exploring. After the long day of hiking we headed back to PSR for dinner and a documentary about the 49'ers and the escape from Death Valley. The next day (Today) would be driving the Escape Trail so before I fell asleep I read the sections about the Escape Trail and Goler Wash in Roger Mitchell's book about DV.

Woke up bright and early to get a few sunrise photos of Panamint Valley then a great breakfast at PSR for only $10. All you can eat! We were on the road south by 1000. Headed up Goler Wash which as been graded. This was my first time to Goler. I've been wanting to do it for quite a long time. With the waterfalls filled in they aren't anything to worry about. We stopped at Barker Ranch and it truely must have been a wonderful place. I'm certain the Barkers enjoyed many days and nights there in serenity long before Charles Manson made the location famous. It is an atrocity that the house was burned by dipshits.

After the Barker Ranch I found the more sphincter tightening aspect was the climb to Mengal's memorial. That was pretty hairy and I'm glad I had my sliders. A jeeper we had with us went down further into Butte Valley and said it was the worst he's seen it past the memorial. We turned around and headed back down Goler Wash.

Once down on the valley floor again our leader (in a Nissan Frontier) led us to the Escape Trail. The first part was a hellacious rock field mostly made up of volcanic debris. Once you begin the climb you get a new vista of the Panamints. It was late afternoon so the lighting was perfect in conjunction with some clouds working themselves eastward. Telescope Peak is coated in snow and when the light hit it it was like a magnet for your eyes.

Once again I am surprised and impressed with what Death Valley has to share if only I decide to visit. Pictures to follow.

 

Absolutely right about what you need. I grew up with a field car and you would be amazed what calculated wheel placement and patience will get you. I hate to admit it but I've taken my 745 from the top of Snow Summit down to Seven Springs - that was the day I bought my Taco on the way home from that trip. I have a M3 that has gone more places off-road than most trucks! lol

A winch is an amazing thing too. And I forget where I saw it but someone mounted on inside the stock bumper.

I have wheeled with skilled 2wd guys in places that would be darn near impossible with a 2wd - Skilled driving an a tug or two can get you to a lot of places.

Wish I had made it. Isn't it funny how they smoothed out the waterfall on Goler and now Mengal has gotten a bit hairy. I lost a CV earlier and was 3wd and had a helluva time getting back out the other week.

 

I will have to get that book. Its really going to be just me and my daughter. enjoying all these trails and exploreing. Dont want to get stuck because of something I thought I could do but really wasnt able to do. I saw some of those photos in here driving between these high mountains and looked awesome. It was like you were at the bottom of the grand canyon but only here.

 

I am going to get the TRD Sport Long Bed. I have an opportunity for once in my life, to get a fully loaded vehcile. So I am going to get everything but the limited package (I hate leather seats).

 

I was reading all your posts. I am a begining beginner, not a rock climber. I would consider me more of an explorer type, (ghost towns, mines etc). With my luck as I was exploring and looking at something great I would fall off the side of the road and down the mountain. So for now I just want explore and check out whats out there.

 

subd...great thread

 

As a bare minimum have a Good Quality tire like a All Terrain A/T or KM2 - You may make it with Rugged Trails but I would not bank on it!

I know I will sound like a Boy Scout but, I really don't recommend a 'beginner' go there alone unless you are going on paved roads. There are plenty of suckers, I mean people that go there everyday. I have hooked up with complete strangers before If you go to the ranger station and hang out for a while and have a decent personality (something I lack) you will find that Jeeper or Toyota guy that is going someplace 'interesting' and who won't mind another, in no time at all.

People talk about equipment but here is the list that I think you should have if you are going alone or with someone else .... or just want to be well equipped...

- Ham Radio, how to use it and all frequencies of repeaters, park service, Ridgecrest BLM, Inyo County Services, etc. - It is real nice to just have that as a scan and program the freq that you are using as your TX freq. A SPOT may be an option.
- Full sized spare and preferably two
- A method to air up - I have two. CO2 so that I can set beads and an ARB compressor to air up tires and air mattresses.
- Tire repair kit including extra plugs (I have 150 in my truck right now ) stainless wire and an awl to wire up a sidewall
- A well stocked first aid kit (and hopefully an Advanced First Aid course under your belt - available through the American Red Cross)
- Plenty of water - In addition to my drinking water, I carry an additional 5 gal of potable water - I rarely use but always have
- Plenty of gas - I carry 20 extra gallons when I go to DV. If not only for emergency but to combat the $6-7 a gallon gas prices in the 2 locations you can get gas
- Plenty of food (at least 2 days extra - nothing fancy - just something to keep you comfortable in case you are waiting for help)
- If you are an avid hiker, a bug out bag (high density energy, water, a signaling mirror, whistle and layers to keep you warm) - in the remote chance you have to hike out.
- Layers of clothing, sleeping bag, hat, etc. - You never know when you will be without heat in the winter and way too hot in the summer.
- If you can afford to take a Bill Burke class, I highly recommend it. Not only will you learn from one of the best, you will have a 3-5 day trip you will never forget.


I know most will NEVER need most of those things on the average trip, but having them will ensure that it will not be your last in the remote chance you do.

Just yesterday I was flagged down by someone I met there a couple of years ago. He and his wife told me that they just helped someone who had street tires and got 3 flats near the racetrack. My friend relayed (with his HAM radio) to the rangers and arranged for a truck out of Las Vegas to come and give them a tow that will run into the $1000s.

Don't end up like the famous German family that was just found in 2009 that died about 13 years earlier!

Story:
Death Valley skeletons solve riddle of missing German tourists

Human bones found in California's remote Death Valley probably belong to four German tourists who disappeared in scorching summer heat 13 years ago, US police announced on Friday.
Published: 14 Nov 09 16:23 CET




Hikers discovered the bones in a rugged area of the valley in the Mojave Desert, near California’s border with Nevada, according to a report in the Contra Costa Times.

Near the bones, they also found identification belonging to one member of the group from Dresden.

Police spokeswoman Carma Roper said the police were "fairly certain" the remains were of the German tourists, though a proper identification would take time.

Nevertheless, she called the discovery “an important milestone, since this thing began in 1996.” She said it was being treated for now as a criminal investigation though so far there was no sign of foul play.

The group – Cornelia Meyer, 27; her 4-year-old son, Max; her boyfriend, architect Egbert Rimkus, 34, and his 10-year-old son, Georg Weber – are thought to have got lost around July 23, 1996 in the valley, which is considered the hottest and most arid part of North America. Temperatures there can reach 50 degrees Celsius.

The last sign of them was their signatures in a guest book left in a box on a metal pole at a camp site. Their entry mentioned that they were aiming to go through “the pass” – possibly the Mengel Pass, a dirt road that crosses a barren mountain range.

The skeletal remains were found several kilometres from where the group’s abandoned minivan was found in Anvil Spring Canyon, several months after they disappeared.

The van had three punctured tires and tracks indicated it had been driven on the metal wheel rims for four kilometres before being abandoned.

The family was reported missing in Dresden when they failed to return. A massive search was mounted but, despite finding the van, the search team was unable to find the tourists’ remains.

Spokespeople for the German Interior Ministry and the Saxony office for criminal investigation said they had no information on the latest development.

 

Oh, did I fail to mention to have a real map of DV and a GPS and how to use it?

 

http://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/

http://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/tom-we-have-some-bones-here/

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2057dfca.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2089dmca.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2076dmca.html

 

Absolutely top notch advice HB. Death Valley can and will kill the weak and unprepared.

 

Undercover Hidden Winch Mount

I Thought about getting one of these, but am still up in the air. I need (want) a winch, just not sure if this is the way to go. The sleeper aspect of it is pretty cool for sure!