Headed to Death Valley for first time. Any words of advice? (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
May 5, 2014
Threads
46
Messages
559
Hi All,

Headed to DV over 11/18 weekend for a 4 day trip. I have copied the itinerary below. I am the least experienced overlander in the group. Three other guys, each with their own truck. My brother will be in a 100 series, there will be a built Cherokee, and a Raptor. The other three have been before and said my truck will be fine, but I'm a little worried. I've googled some of the places (specifically Lippencott Mine Road) and it looks like some serious stuff. For me, anyway.

I'm on Bridgestone Dueler 31x10.50R16LT "A/T" tires. They're in good shape but they're not big knobby off road tires. Full size spare in good shape. Suspension is stock but I rebuilt it and there is no sag on any of the corners. Sits nice and high. I have no sliders and am now getting a little worried that perhaps I should- the body is in good condition and I's like to keep it that way.

Engine, transmission, 4wd all in good shape so I don't have any real concerns there.

Just curious if, based on the itinerary below, I'm getting in too far over my head. Would hate to drive up there (5 hours from LA) and realize I screwed up.

Any thoughts are really appreciated, thanks!

-Tighe

Itinerary and photos of my truck below.

On 11/15/17, the plan is to meet at the Arco in Ridgecrest sometime in the after noon. We can get fuel and other supplies (Albertson's) from this area. Then we hit the black top and go up Hwy 178 toward Trona. From there we take Trona Rd. to the pinnacles. We backtrack and get back on 178. We will take a dirt road off 178 to the Fish Canyon Pass. This trail is not marked and may be somewhat hard to find. I Googled it to get a better idea of where it is. Once we exit the canyon we will be on the D-Valley floor and on our way to the Gohler wash and to Barker Ranch for a quick stop. After Barker Ranch we head to the Stripped Butte, which is across from the Geologists Cabin. Depending on the time and mostly the amount of daylight left this should be our first camp.

 Day 2- we hit the trail toward the black top and on to Badwater. We get back on the trail to Chloride Cliffs. From there were hit the trail and get on the highway into Beaty NV. This will be another opportunity for fuel and food. From here we pick up a steep trail to Lead Field. This will lead us into Titus Canyon, which is a one way trail toward Badwater. Once we are back on the highway we will stop at the visitors center because we will (should) pay for visitor passes. The plan would be to camp at the nearby Mesquite Campground; however, it will be most likely be full and I had a bad experience with it last time.

 Day 3- we head to Ubehebe Crater. After that it will be the long and rough road through the valley. This will take us to Tea Kettle Junction and on to the Race Track. We will take the Lippancott Trail behind the Race Track. This road is steep and narrow. After we are over the ridge we head to the Warm Springs bathing/water hole. This will be our camp.

 Day 4- we can head out of the valley toward the Eureka Dunes. Steel Pass is one way to get there. However, I think we should locate another trail out. After the dunes it will be up and out of the park to Big Pine.


IMG_2991.JPG


View attachment 1569557

IMG_3008.JPG
 
Last edited:
My only suggestion is come back alive. A lot of people have died out there.
 
Laughing I was gonna say something along the lines of not getting lost.
And bring water. Plenty of extra water.
I feel like this was covered in some 70’s movie?
 
Thanks. I'll be with an experienced group so I'm not too worried about getting lost or stranded. I was hoping for some feedback on the suitability of my truck, if anyone has been there recently (or not recently) and could speak to the conditions and trail difficulty levels.
 
Last edited:
Tires aren't ideal for it, try to air down to around 15psi. Otherwise make sure your brakes are working well and fluids are topped off.

Having a lot of water is key out there. Go slow, you should be fine!
 
OK great, thanks for the input, I'll air down and will be careful.
 
Your truck will do just fine capability wise.

I've never needed anything more than a AT for Death Valley trips.
 
Misery loves company! PM'd you with my cell, if you're able to swing it let me know.
 
Bring a tire plug kit and a small compressor, or a second spare tire. You will be fine DV is a lot of fun.

Dyno
 
Good call, will pickup a patch kit. Thought about a second spare but not sure that's going to happen at this point. Thanks for the input!

Bring a tire plug kit and a small compressor, or a second spare tire. You will be fine DV is a lot of fun.

Dyno
 
Water.

People will most likely stop at the only gas station in DV so fill up or top off.

Spares.

Fix-a-flat

It will get colder than you think, there, this time of year, even if it's in the 70s during the day.

Coffee
Coffee
Coffee

Beer. (one follows t'other).

:steer:
 
take a can of carb cleaner, you will be doing plenty of uphill, and any particles in carb will aim 4 the jets.
 
  • Like
Reactions: OSS
Awesome, thanks for the input guys. All great suggestions, many of which would have not been thought of otherwise. I really appreciate it!
 
We had snow not much higher than the the floor of Death Valley in mid-November on a long-ago Southern Nevada Land Cruisers multi-day run. And there's a self-pay station on the road from Beatty to Death Valley (the main road, not Titus Canyon).
 
A lot of desert washboard roads, with some rocky sections going over the passes, your rig should do fine. It's been a while since I've made those trips, but take note of the comments on getting cold out there. Ice and snow can be a definite possibility, but no worries on your beer getting warm at night!
 
Nights will be colder than you think. Take some firewood if you have room. Others have covered it. I miss the desert since I left Cali. Striped Butte is a nice area. Scorpions are out at night so check rock fire rings etc. Once at Ballarat we were enjoying a nice big fire and had scorpions running all over the place! Keep your tent zipped if you are tenting it. Clear nights will give a star show! Enjoy.
 
Thanks to all for sharing so much info. I’m glad I posted up- I knew it would be cold but didn’t think we’d encounter snow. Good to know it’s a possibility and to plan for cold in general.

And...I will bring tons of water!
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom