The 395 and Owens Valley-Eastern Sierra Region

Anyone know if the road from Cerro Gordo to Swansea is passable?



Can't find anyone here to ask. I guess I'll try, but let me know if it's hopeless!


Edit: Nevermid, road is closed.


Edit 2: I forgot to mention, but they had just erected the framing for the first floor of the hotel reconstruction project earlier that day! It's great to see progress being made despite all the setbacks, and to feel welcome there every time I stop by.

 

How do you know it's closed? I haven't looked anywhere online. It's on the shortlist for an upcoming trip.

 

I eventually ran into Brent, he told me the salt tram road is currently closed by the BLM. (Or maybe he said forest service, I kinda forget.) I was just out randomly driving around, so I didn't care too much, and I didn't even drive up to see if the gate was in fact closed.

So this is now third-hand info. If you really want to go, I'd recommend calling the BLM or forest service office to find out for sure.

Edit: Here's some random photos though...



Hiked up towards Cerro Gordo peak from the Belmont. Didn't quite make the peak, ran out of water and didn't want to push my luck. Not as young as I used to be, I guess, and the thin air made the going slower than hoped.

Oh, and I found an insanely long and straight mine tunnel. I recently put together a flashlight with a laser-pumped LED; no brighter than any other LED flashlight, but can be focused into an incredibly narrow beam, and light things up hundreds of yards away. Kind of a stupid novelty, really, and useless as a flashlight.



But man, it was jaw-dropping to see how far that tunnel went into this mountain. Downright creepy in fact. I read up on it today, evidently it once extended over 8,000 feet. I made it about 20 feet in, turned on the flashlight, and noped right out of there. Spooky!

 

It's probably due to the washout from last summer's storms. I don't recall a gate on the Swansea side but that side is more technical than the Cerro Gordo side. Isn't the gate part of Cerro Gordo?

I'm planning on heading out this weekend. Been a long time since I went anywhere. Can't wait for dark skies.

 

In typical fashion I was editing in some photos to my post while you were replying. I'll go ahead and add a few more though.

To be clear, I don't know if the gate is closed, I didn't check. I've only driven the CG-to-salt-tram side, and before the big storms impacted the area. My recollection is that there was a gate somewhere near the start, near CG, but I didn't look at it as I was coming over the saddle yesterday, because I wanted to stop in CG first either way. Got a fun t-shirt for the wife.

Regarding the dark skies, oh man, they are getting good these days. Glad you are heading out to enjoy them before it gets too hot. Weather yesterday was perfect.



Playing around with that goofy flashlight...



It seems bizarre to me that the visible beam abruptly stops... must be where airflow transitions to being relatively dust-free. I was camped at the Santa Rosa, so in the wind shadow of a big dusty hill.

 

Great photos!
I have an idea of where you might have been.

 

Scan the QR code on the bottom of the flashlight to download the app for your phone, connect to the flashlight via Bluetooth, and then sign up for the in app $3.99/month Extended Range subscription.

 

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Really like the globemallow photo, the Lighting Gods were smiling down upon you.

 

Great photos all around.

 

So crazy haha.

 

Thinking about a weekday trip to the Eureka Dunes. The official NPS map says that the South Eureka Valley Road was impacted by floods.

Anyone been that way lately?

 

Welcome to Tacoma world. The road is drivable. Temperatures are already getting warm. If you haven't found it already, there is a great Death Valley thread here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/death-valley-off-road-adventures.60777/

 

Spent most of Saturday close enough to count.

 

Is that Wyman? Did you make it thru?

 

Nope. This was in Nevada, en route to Bodie. That busted culvert is the end of the line.