Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

Death Valley is officially closed. https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

 

Death Valley face mask.

 

Those are my go-to books for my trips to the park!

 

Lol got one of those at PSR years ago.

 

Kicking my self for not buying one at the visitors center when I saw it lol would have been more useful than the annual park pass...

 

I bought that DV bandanna map years ago actually thinking it would be a good backup navigation device. But other than general orientation the resolution - at least after many washings - make it useless except as a fashion statement, or personal hygiene product.

 

Got pulled over this morning by a Park Ranger on West Side Road just a few Miles before pavement. Had no idea that the Park was entirely closed as of 12 noon yesterday, and that's we she had pulled us over. The Ranger was pretty cool and we chatted for a few minutes before we both got on our way.

 

Also met one of the new four owners (husband and wife) of Ballarat. Rocky Novack is no longer there. The husband and wife did a lot of trash talking of Rocky and both contradicted each other many times during our conversation. Was a really weird experience meeting them.

 

Stopped there about a month ago and while I didn't see Rocky the guys around back thought he had just stepped away from the store. Wonder what happened?

 

That doesn't sound good.

 

He was fired according to what I was told

 

That sucks! He was the backbone of that place from what I understand.

 

Death Valley Recovery
DEATH VALLEY, CA. April 6, 2020 – On April 4, in the afternoon, Inyo County Sheriff’s Dispatch was notified of a possible deceased person found by a hiking party of three near the base of Manly Beacon out of the Zabriskie Point trailhead, Death Valley National Park.

An Inyo County Sheriff's Deputy and Death Valley Rangers responded. Rangers located the body and determined the subject was deceased. It is believed that the individual fell approximately 300 feet from Manly Beacon. Due to lack of sufficient resources and time, a recovery was not attempted that evening.

On April 5, Inyo County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Coordinators, Inyo County Search and Rescue, and Death Valley National Park Rangers responded. (H-82) from Apple Valley also responded to assist. Ground teams recovered the body from its position up a steep and loose draw. H-82 hoisted the decedent by air and transferred the body to the Inyo County Coroner's Office.

A rental vehicle was located at the trailhead; NPS Rangers reported the vehicle as being there for about three days prior to the discovery of the decedent. The identity of the recovered body is still pending positive identification by the Inyo County Coroner's office.

Currently, is closed to all recreation other than highway through-travel. A reminder: do not participate in risky outdoor recreation at this time due to emergency medical care being prioritized by COVID-19 patients and limited rescue resources.

 

Why am I not surprised?

 

I didn't even realize you could climb up to Manly Beacon, but apparently you can

https://www.summitpost.org/manly-beacon/152448

To many people, the peak may look unclimbable, but there is a narrow ridge that accesses the small summit, where there are unforgettable views of the surrounding badlands, the Death Valley salt pan, and Telescope Peak, the often-snowcapped highpoint of the Panamint Range.

I have hiked Golden Canyon a few times bottom to top and back. Not sure I'd ever want to climb up to that Beacon summit. Doesn't seem very smart to me

 

The loss of life is regrettable. The number one rule about going into Death Valley NP, is to come back alive!

I also was surprised to learn that manly beacon is not prohibited from being climbed. The substrate is soft and malleable I would think that The Park Service wouldn't want people f****** it up.

I agree with @Shwaa , it does not seem worth the risk when the viewpoint is so grand from the public viewpoint and concrete path from the parking area.

Go to Death Valley but come back alive!

 

Gotta say, I looked at the pictures and it's definitely a challenge and the views do seem worth it-but you have to be ready for it. Physically and mentally.

 

Echo Canyon Question

I’ve been using my extra free time to read and scheme about future trips. This can of course be a dangerous endeavor, especially when you mix bourbon into the equation.

In both Mitchell's DV SUV Trails book and Digonnet's hiking book, they mention the road past The Inyo Mine as rough and suitable for only short wheelbase vehicles. Looking at Google Earth I can see the 3 falls, of course they don’t “look bad” in the satellite image. So, my question is how bad are they? Could a long bed Tacoma make it?

For those that are wondering why, I don’t really know. It seems like a good adventure to run the entire canyon. I look forward to hearing from you desert rats. Thanks in advance.

 

Depends on a few factors. Driver ability, vehicle modifications, your comfort in sustaining damage to your vehicle, and what the rains have done.

It had been a few years since I've been past the mine in echo canyon so I'm not sure what the condition of the road is now.

 

Thanks for the reply. I Should have provided some more information in my original post. The truck is a 2019 Off Road, stock at the present. By the time I would be able to do a trip to DV it would have a mild 1-1 1/2” lift, 32 inch tires, sliders and aluminum skids. My driving ability is pretty good, I also walk and study a route before attempting it. I don’t want to damage my truck so that will be a hard stop before I do that. Thanks again.