offroadcpa

I have lived in California my entire life and have never made it up to Death Valley. One of my buddies planned a 750 mile round trip through Death Valley. I am not sure of the specifics, but it felt like 400 miles of it was off road. We were definitely off road the majority of the time. There was 3 Jeeps, 1 older Bronco, 1 FJ Curser and I was the only full size truck. The trip was amazing, but there were several sections that were not meant for a full size truck.

I was extremely impressed with what my truck was able to get through and over. As such, I thought I would post some pictures that were taken of my truck in these sections.

offroadcpa

FYI – here is the original itinerary. We ended up staying very close to it thanks to my friend who planned the trip. The only change was we stayed at the Warm Springs Cabin/Mine instead of one of the geologist cabins. It turned out to be a great place.

Departed Thursday night and head for Fossil Falls that is just off of Hwy 395 (~150 miles).

Friday (~165-miles of driving today) morning we will explore the old school Fossil Falls for about an hour and then hit the road. Traveling North for about an hour and a half should put us in Big Pine. This will be our last petrol stop for quite a while (~184-miles, mostly off road) and where I plan on filling up my spare petrol container/s. From Big Pine we will catch Death Valley Road that will take us to Eureka Dunes and Cliffs though not before climbing to 7800' and then back down to sea level (read that: going to burn some fuel). Though the dunes are only a few square mile they are supposed to be the tallest sand dunes in North America towering up 700' off of the valley floor. From there we will head South-East and work our way across what is supposed to be soft sand and up a small unnamed canyon. This canyon could be a bit interesting as I have never been up it but am sure it will only add fun to the adventure. Exiting the canyon we will head South and take a quick stop at the Marble Bath and from there to our final destination of the day The Upper Warm Springs. We will make camp here and be sure to bring a bathing suit!

Saturday (~219-miles of driving today): Break camp and hit the road! Today is a long day! We will exit the Saline Valley via Saline Valley Road and head towards the Race Track, Tea Kettle Junction and Ubehebe Crater via Ubehebe Crater Road. U.C. Road exiting the valley requires a small climb and has flattened many a tires with its sharp rocks. A good plug kit and perhaps a second spare could prove invaluable here! Our first stop of the day is at The Race Track, which is famous for its mysterious sliding rocks over the dry lake bed. From here we head toward Tea Kettle Junction and Ubehebe Crater. We will plan to have lunch at Ubehebe prior to going to Scotty's Castle. We will forego any tours and just see what we can from the outside. There is/was petrol here, however, the Park Service now says fuel is NOT available due to mechanical problems. From here we head South on pavement to Stove Pipe Wells to refuel, then back track a few miles and head South past Furnace Creek and to The Devil's Golf Course. After a brief visit there we move on to Badwater, the lowest point in elevation in North America. Our last leg of the day will be heading off the pavement and into the Panamint Valley for the night. If we are really really lucky we will get one of the cabins (first come kinda deal) built by the early settlers of the day, though I am not betting on it.

Sunday (~207-miles of driving today): Today we will visit all the cabins in the Panamint Valley; Geoligst's, Stellas Place, Russels Camp and after crossing over the Mengel Pass to the infamous Barker Ranch where Chalie Manson and his band of crazed brothers and sisters were finally captured. From the Barker Ranch we will head south down the Coyote Canyon (aka Goler Wash) exiting the Panamint Valley and over to Fish Canyon that will lead us into Trona hopefully by 15:00. This will be our last planned stop where we will top off with fuel, do a vehicle "check" and head home. If we are ahead of schedule we might swing by the Trona Pinnacles after exiting Trona???

bkrukow

Thats some prety serious off roading for these big trucks. I wouldent even want to take mine threw some of that stuff. I used to offroad my trucks but now I have ATVs for that. Cheaper and eisier to fix if ya ever break something.

Raspy

offroadcpa,

If you feel like going to a fantastic hot springs you could take the Lippincott Road from the Racetrack area down into Saline Valley. Look on the map and find Saline Valley Road where Lippincott joins it. You go north from there a few miles then six miles NE to the lower and upper warm springs. An unforgettable place. It's all dirt roads and can be a bit rough on the Lippincott, but Saline Valley road is gravel and fine. Then you could get back to where you were by going out either South or North on Saline Valey road.

Just a thought. Have a great trip!

offroadcpa

We actually came from the other way – started at the dunes, went by the marble bath and then headed down to the upper warm springs. We camped at the upper warm springs since they are less crowded. The next day we stopped by the lower warm springs. Definitely a lot nicer, but busier. I was not a big fan of the naked old people waling around.

We did take Lippincott Pass over to the Race Track. That road was not made for a long truck. I had to fold in my mirrors to get close to one side of the mountain so I did not go off the cliff. One turn, my rear passenger tire dropped off the end off the road and then came back on. I do not think my truck would have liked the couple hundred foot roll down, and neither would I. My buddies in the Jeeps really enjoyed Lippincott. We had to help out a RAV 4 that was stuck on a rocky section up Lippincott.

Raspy

I'm glad you got to see the springs. Lippincott can be easy or impossible, you never know.

When you say you came in from the other way, do you mean from Eureka Valley and the dunes there? That's a fun road too, but long and rough the last time I went through.

The Spring's flow seems to vary lately with earthquakes and whatever is going on down there. Was there plenty of water?

Nice pix. It's good the see a Dodge actually getting used in the desert. That heavy front end is definately not our friend on steep stuff!