Any trips planned this weekend / next week? (now Death Valley planning) (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter sdnative
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Cancelled the desert trip this weekend due to heat and needing to get ready for Cruise Moab.
RET2
SILVER Star
Never been? There's sooo much to see and do. It is the largest NP in the lower 48.
- Thread starter
- #4
Yes I know and pretty much right in our backyard.
RET2
SILVER Star
If you go, fuel is cheaper at Stovepipe Wells vs Furnace Creek and even cheaper in Beatty if you head out Titus Canyon way.
If you like hot springs be sure to check out the warm springs at Saline Valley in DV, the middle springs there had great camping spots and a very mellow older crowd when we were there in November (PS - most folks were naked when basking in the pools...) Such a neat place though with immaculately clean restrooms, spectacular scenery and occasional low altitude high speed jet passes which are neat if not a little noisy... Warm spring camp at the southern end of Panamint was nice as well with no people at all in November. I'd go back to DV in a heartbeat if not for the blown head gasket I'm dealing with at the moment...
- Thread starter
- #7
RET2
SILVER Star
Nah it's a dry heat. Actually it's quite comfortable with the breeze. Bad Water may be warmer.
- Thread starter
- #10
Any suggestions for good itinerary or must see places given:
-We have never been there
-We will have 3-4 days
-Can camp anywhere, not limited to established campgrounds
We will most likely be entering the park from the south heading up from Baker, and thinking exit up by Panamint to the 395.
Feel free to PM if you don't want to post info here.
Thanks in advance.
-We have never been there
-We will have 3-4 days
-Can camp anywhere, not limited to established campgrounds
We will most likely be entering the park from the south heading up from Baker, and thinking exit up by Panamint to the 395.
Feel free to PM if you don't want to post info here.
Thanks in advance.
An interesting stop on the way into DV from the south via Jubilee Pass Rd (Hwy 178) is Warm Spring Camp. There you have the ruins of what was the warm springs resort from not so long ago. Plenty of camping there probably not crowded. The springs themselves are up the hill from the resort ruins. There's also mine ruins in the immediate area. All in all an hour or so off the highway all uphill.
If you've never done DV at all, it is well worth the drive through the Artist's Pallette loop about 10 miles south of Furnace Creek.
Likewise, a side trip up to Zabriskie Point from Furnace Creek is well worthwhile.
Neither of these spots are off road trips in the least, but are very scenic must sees in DV, and as such there will be plenty of tourists enjoying the views there with you...
Likewise, a side trip up to Zabriskie Point from Furnace Creek is well worthwhile.
Neither of these spots are off road trips in the least, but are very scenic must sees in DV, and as such there will be plenty of tourists enjoying the views there with you...
On our last trip there in November we came in from Trona across Goff Canyon, Fish Canyon, Goler Canyon, past Barker Ranch, and through Mengel Pass to Warm Spring Camp. While it was a great and scenic drive with a little challenging 4WD terrain, I would not recommend that route as a lone vehicle. It's sparsely traveled and no access whatsoever to cell phone or ham radio repeaters. And while camped at the intersection of Fish Canyon and Goler Canyon roads we encountered some rather odd folks in rental Jeeps who were trying to drive up to Barker Ranch at night with poor maps and no desert driving experience...
Once we left Furnace Creek we headed up Hwy 190 to Dayllight Pass Cutoff Rd to exit the park in search of fuel in Beatty. We camped a couple miles off the highway in BLM land just outside the park. Not a great place to camp really, not particularly scenic, rocky and windy; but it placed us near Beatty for fuel for our next leg down Titus Canyon which is fantastically scenic, 4WD recommended but not difficult in the least and you'll see plenty AWD cars on that well traveled route. (PS - it is a one way loop... starting near Beatty).
Once we left Furnace Creek we headed up Hwy 190 to Dayllight Pass Cutoff Rd to exit the park in search of fuel in Beatty. We camped a couple miles off the highway in BLM land just outside the park. Not a great place to camp really, not particularly scenic, rocky and windy; but it placed us near Beatty for fuel for our next leg down Titus Canyon which is fantastically scenic, 4WD recommended but not difficult in the least and you'll see plenty AWD cars on that well traveled route. (PS - it is a one way loop... starting near Beatty).
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #14
Thanks for the recommendations. I will look at these on the map and get my bearings.
Forgot to mention, we should have at least two vehicles.
That reminds me, I need to find the list of DV repeaters I saved a couple years ago.
Forgot to mention, we should have at least two vehicles.
That reminds me, I need to find the list of DV repeaters I saved a couple years ago.
RET2
SILVER Star
If you do the Artists Palette drive it's best seen early or around sunset otherwise the sun blows out the colors. Charcoal Kilns is another interesting sight, bit out of the way but still interesting. Points of interest are not close together so fuel planning is wise. I'd fuel in Shoshone then stretch to Stovepipe or Beatty prior to doing Titus Canyon. If you decide to go over mountain to Lone Pine a stop at Father Crowley Pt. may reward you with entertainment at Star Wars Canyon by our military aircraft. The Visitors Center at Furnace Creek has a tremendous amount of info /history about the park.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #16
Thanks. I have been getting Mach loop videos in my YouTube feed, so wanted to check out the US equivalent.
I programmed all the alleged DV accessible repeaters before our trip and they were unreachable from all but one or two spots along our route. I wouldn't count on them if needed for an emergency. My current list of repeaters as programmed into my Anytone AT-D578 radio is below... The list also includes many of the USFS Forest Net frequencies which are handy to monitor if traveling in fire prone areas...
| Channel Name | Receive Frequency | Transmit Frequency | CTCSS Decode | CTCSS Encode |
| SnBdo Forest Net | 171.4750 | 171.4750 | Off | Off |
| Angls Forest Net | 172.3750 | 172.3750 | Off | Off |
| Eldro Forest Net | 171.5250 | 171.5250 | Off | Off |
| lnyo Forest NetN | 173.8000 | 168.0125 | Off | Off |
| Inyo Forest NetS | 173.8375 | 166.2625 | Off | Off |
| Seqia Forest Net | 168.6750 | 168.6750 | Off | Off |
| Siera Forest Net | 172.2250 | 172.2250 | Off | Off |
| 6Rvrs Forest Net | 168.7250 | 168.7250 | Off | Off |
| Stanl Forest Net | 168.7500 | 168.7500 | Off | Off |
| Tahoe Forest Net | 168.7750 | 168.7750 | Off | Off |
| Shast Forest Net | 171.5750 | 171.5750 | Off | Off |
| Pluma Forest Net | 170.5500 | 170.5500 | Off | Off |
| Modoc Forest Net | 168.7500 | 168.7500 | Off | Off |
| Mndco Forest Net | 169.1750 | 169.1750 | Off | Off |
| LsPdr Forest Net | 170.5500 | 170.5500 | Off | Off |
| Lasen Forest Net | 172.2250 | 172.2250 | Off | Off |
| Klmth Forest Net | 164.1750 | 164.1750 | Off | Off |
| Death Valley NPS | 170.1000 | 170.1000 | Off | Off |
| Mazourka Peak | 146.7600 | 146.1600 | Off | 103.5 |
| Hauser Peak | 146.7300 | 146.1300 | Off | 100.0 |
| Keller Big Bear | 146.3850 | 146.9850 | Off | 146.2 |
| Lone Pine | 147.2100 | 147.8100 | Off | 103.5 |
| Bird Springs | 146.0850 | 146.6850 | Off | 141.3 |
| Lake Isabella | 145.4500 | 146.0500 | Off | 156.7 |
| Alabama Hills | 147.2100 | 147.8100 | Off | 103.5 |
| Leviathan Peak | 147.3300 | 147.9300 | Off | 123.0 |
| Mammoth Lakes | 146.7300 | 146.1300 | Off | 100.0 |
| Silver Peak | 146.9400 | 146.3400 | Off | 103.5 |
| El Paso Peak | 147.9750 | 147.3750 | Off | 100.0 |
| Government Peak | 145.3400 | 144.7400 | Off | 100.0 |
An F/A18E crashed there at Father Crowley Pt about two years ago, injuring several French tourists who were there watching for planes...
A Year Later, Death Valley Overlook Recalls Navy Pilot Who Died In "Star Wars Canyon"
It was a year ago when a Navy pilot on a training run through a canyon on the west side of Death Valley National Park was killed in a crash that also injured several visitors who had come to watch the flights. Today you can find an exhibit at the Rainbow Canyon overlook that explains the...
www.nationalparkstraveler.org
- Thread starter
- #19
Wow DV is huge... I didn't realize how big some of these loops are. We clearly will not be able to see large parts of the park.
I think I have a rough itinerary. Let me know what you guys think and if I should change anything. We are looking for a mixture of vehicle exploring as well as out of vehicle time at POIs and relaxing. We want to leave some time in the morning and evening to cook meals, unless there is a restaurant nearby then we will probably do that.
Day 1: drive from San Diego, up the 395. Fuel up in Ridgecrest. Camp somewhere near the park. Maybe Trona Pinnacles? Suggestions?
Day 2: Take Indian Ranch Road (is this Goff Canyon?) to Goler Canyon and Butte Canyon to Badwater Road and up to Furnace Creek. Stop by Barker Ranch, Warm Springs Camp and Badwater Basin along the way. Get fuel in Furnace Creek.
Day 3: Quickly check out POIs around Furnace Creek (Artist's Drive, Zabriskie Point, other suggestions?). May be able to do some of this on day 2. Take Echo Canyon to hwy 95 to Beatty. Get fuel. Take Titus Canyon back down to Death Valley Road. Find somewhere to camp.
Day 4: Take the Ubehebe Crater / Racetrack Playa / Lippincott Road / Saline Valley Road / Hunter Mountain Road loop returning to Ubehebe Crater. from there ?? (depending on morale, optionally take Saline Valley Road south to hwy 190 out to 395 and back to San Diego).
Reality check? Is this too much driving and not enough relaxing? How to optimize / streamline?
We have two vehicles so far. Between us we will be carrying at least 13 gal extra fuel (possibly 18 gal) and 20 gal water in jerry cans (not counting several gallon jugs for drinking and cooking).
Thoughts?
I think I have a rough itinerary. Let me know what you guys think and if I should change anything. We are looking for a mixture of vehicle exploring as well as out of vehicle time at POIs and relaxing. We want to leave some time in the morning and evening to cook meals, unless there is a restaurant nearby then we will probably do that.
Day 1: drive from San Diego, up the 395. Fuel up in Ridgecrest. Camp somewhere near the park. Maybe Trona Pinnacles? Suggestions?
Day 2: Take Indian Ranch Road (is this Goff Canyon?) to Goler Canyon and Butte Canyon to Badwater Road and up to Furnace Creek. Stop by Barker Ranch, Warm Springs Camp and Badwater Basin along the way. Get fuel in Furnace Creek.
Day 3: Quickly check out POIs around Furnace Creek (Artist's Drive, Zabriskie Point, other suggestions?). May be able to do some of this on day 2. Take Echo Canyon to hwy 95 to Beatty. Get fuel. Take Titus Canyon back down to Death Valley Road. Find somewhere to camp.
Day 4: Take the Ubehebe Crater / Racetrack Playa / Lippincott Road / Saline Valley Road / Hunter Mountain Road loop returning to Ubehebe Crater. from there ?? (depending on morale, optionally take Saline Valley Road south to hwy 190 out to 395 and back to San Diego).
Reality check? Is this too much driving and not enough relaxing? How to optimize / streamline?
We have two vehicles so far. Between us we will be carrying at least 13 gal extra fuel (possibly 18 gal) and 20 gal water in jerry cans (not counting several gallon jugs for drinking and cooking).
Thoughts?
