Heading to Death Valley Tomorrow

[Off Trail Yeti]

Hi everyone. We finally got the rig together and we are not going to let my wives disability get in the way of our life. Our plan is to drive from North county San Diego via 15, 395, to Ridgecrest head to Death Valley via hwy 178. First night we we just going to try and stay at wildrose campground. Day 2 head to Racetrack via Hunter mountain and then off to funace Creek area. We have 10 extra gallons of gas, ham radio, and all the accessories to make this an enjoyable trip.[emoji2] Does anyone have recommendations for Death Valley backcountry camping instead of campgrounds that would be friendly for a wheelchair , flat and less sand? I checked out website but just want to know what the etiquette is for camping offback roads in Death Valley. Thanks Doug and Susie.

 

[Mojavewanderer]

Nice rig! My buddy has an fj62, and loves it. Wild rose may be full, but there are flat spots in Panamint Valley that you can camp on. There are plenty of dirt roads, just find a spot off one and set up camp. Panamint Valley is mostly BLM land, so dispersed camping is fine. Have fun and enjoy your trip, Death Valley is an amazing place! The pictures are my camp in Panamint Valley this past thanksgiving.

 

[Off Trail Yeti]

Nice rig! My buddy has an fj62, and loves it. Wild rose may be full, but there are flat spots in Panamint Valley that you can camp on. There are plenty of dirt roads, just find a spot off one and set up camp. Panamint Valley is mostly BLM land, so dispersed camping is fine. Have fun and enjoy your trip, Death Valley is an amazing place! The pictures are my camp in Panamint Valley this past thanksgiving.

Thanks Mojavewanderer! That will work better for us since we will be driving on Panamint valley road and have a canine friend with us as well. We love our Fj62, has been a great rig. We put a H55F 5 speed in a year ago and it has made a huge difference compared to the AT. Appreciate the info and we will be posting pictures.

 

[Reid Adventures]

We are headed there in January. Will be looking forward to hearing how your trip went and if you find any great spots please share

 

[Mrod]

I was just there a couple of days ago. With the shutdown, Furnace Creek was closed, but Stovepipe Wells was open (and free). Things may change if it drags on further and developed camps may close. There are some great dispersed sites in the North of Mojave that are private and flat, if you are headed up that way.

 

[Reid Adventures]

I was just there a couple of days ago. With the shutdown, Furnace Creek was closed, but Stovepipe Wells was open (and free). Things may change if it drags on further and developed camps may close. There are some great dispersed sites in the North of Mojave that are private and flat, if you are headed up that way.

I didn’t even consider the shutdowns. Here’s to hoping...

 

[Off Trail Yeti]

Wow! What an incredible region to explore! Need more than a few days to explore the area. We drove up the 395 from Victorsville toward Death Valley. The 395 is in even worse conditions with pot holes, construction and congestion than we thought it would be. Instead of heading into Ridgecrest via the 395 we detoured right on Trona road , Searless Station and 178 (Trona Wildrose Rd) toward Panamint Valley. Oh and you will lose cell reception very quickly so make sure you are carrying a satellite communicator if want to communicate with the outside world. We use an Garmin InReach for two way text communications. Day light was quickly diminishing so we pulled of Trona Wildrose Road on one of the many trails that branched off and drove west looking for a camp site for the night. There are no words to describe the beauty we were immersed, beautiful. Camp setup was quick using our Oztent, cots and the Mr Buddy Heater. It was cold, 30F first night. Next day we ate a quick breakfast and started exploring Panamint Valley from Ballarat Ghost town to Panamint Valley Crater (36.09627, -117.37381). We ended up spending another cold night in Panamint Valley underneath the amazing night sky. We stuck to our original plan and headed to Racetrack via Hunter Mountain. A moderate drive with incredible views that you will have to experience , there are no words to express. If you have an old tea kettle not being used bring it. You'll know why.

 

[Reid Adventures]

Wow! What an incredible region to explore! Need more than a few days to explore the area. We drove up the 395 from Victorsville toward Death Valley. The 395 is in even worse conditions with pot holes, construction and congestion than we thought it would be. Instead of heading into Ridgecrest via the 395 we detoured right on Trona road , Searless Station and 178 (Trona Wildrose Rd) toward Panamint Valley. Oh and you will lose cell reception very quickly so make sure you are carrying a satellite communicator if want to communicate with the outside world. We use an Garmin InReach for two way text communications. Day light was quickly diminishing so we pulled of Trona Wildrose Road on one of the many trails that branched off and drove west looking for a camp site for the night. There are no words to describe the beauty we were immersed, beautiful. Camp setup was quick using our Oztent, cots and the Mr Buddy Heater. It was cold, 30F first night. Next day we ate a quick breakfast and started exploring Panamint Valley from Ballarat Ghost town to Panamint Valley Crater (36.09627, -117.37381). We ended up spending another cold night in Panamint Valley underneath the amazing night sky. We stuck to our original plan and headed to Racetrack via Hunter Mountain. A moderate drive with incredible views that you will have to experience , there are no words to express. If you have an old tea kettle not being used bring it. You'll know why.

That’s awesome! Thanks for the info. I am headed that way in about 10 days. Not sure exactly what our track will be but am really looking forward to exploring it.