The Return to Death Valley (A Trip Report)
- Thread starter Xtremluck
- Start date
jayhat
New member
Nice pics!
I went there a couple years back in my old 2010. Because of time restraints and the fact I was solo (Just 1 rig and I was by myself) stopped me from doing anything too crazy. I just camped for a night and went out to the race track. Such amazing views!
Few pics of the old 2010 SR5 out there
https://imgur.com/a/p6sek
I went there a couple years back in my old 2010. Because of time restraints and the fact I was solo (Just 1 rig and I was by myself) stopped me from doing anything too crazy. I just camped for a night and went out to the race track. Such amazing views!
Few pics of the old 2010 SR5 out there
https://imgur.com/a/p6sek
Xtremluck
New member
Racetrack Playa was one of my favorite stops last time around. Glad you got out there to enjoy!
Xtremluck
New member
Haha...I should have noted that the container next to the fire is actually filled with water. It's what I was using to put the fire out.
Totally get what you're saying about going out alone. Again, it wasn't ideal by any means and I definitely don't recommend it. However, I did take steps to mitigate some of that risk. For instance, whenever I do any sort of backcountry trip (4x4 or backpacking) I always make sure I bring a satellite transceiver/receiver. My Garmin InReach gives me the ability to communicate with friends/family from anywhere in the world as long as I have open sky. It also allows people to track my location in real time.
I also had a full tool kit with me, spare tire, tire plug kit, onboard air etc. I always tell people 90% of the reason that I do all the work on my truck myself is to ensure I know how to fix something that breaks when I'm miles from nowhere. The other 10% is because I'm cheap
Great post! Can't wait to get out there myself... Pictures look great and the overall write-up is solid. And, yeah, that video made my want to poop myself.
[MENTION=115572]DesertCanyons[/MENTION] I've been meaning to ask you: Your signature picture, is that up in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine forest? I forget the name -- Patriarch Grove? The one near the end of the road, approaching the Barcroft gate? I've been up there a few times and hiked White Mountain Peak once --- totally underrated!
-jk
[MENTION=115572]DesertCanyons[/MENTION] I've been meaning to ask you: Your signature picture, is that up in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine forest? I forget the name -- Patriarch Grove? The one near the end of the road, approaching the Barcroft gate? I've been up there a few times and hiked White Mountain Peak once --- totally underrated!
-jk
Great Pictures and narrative. But alone? You are a brave man.
This could not have come at a better time, Last month I bought a book "Secrets places in the Mojave Desert VOL II. By James Mattern (AKA Death valley Jim) Purchased from amazon. It has GPS Coords also.
Planning on going in March.
This could not have come at a better time, Last month I bought a book "Secrets places in the Mojave Desert VOL II. By James Mattern (AKA Death valley Jim) Purchased from amazon. It has GPS Coords also.
Planning on going in March.
DannyLlama
Elite Member
Thinking the same thing about going there solo...
When in march are you going? Was thinking the same.. Thanks for book recommendation!
DesertCanyons
New member
White Mountains
Hey there JK,
Yes, that's the White Mountains east of Lone Pine, Big Pine and the Owens Valley. Patriarch Grove is above 12,000 feet. It was beautiful and sparse there. Bristlecone Pine trees are about the only thing that thrive there. Go in the summer. It's closed from about October or the first snow until May. And it gets real cold in the campground at 8300 feet or so. Very dry too. Take all of the water you need. June and July are ideal times to go.
There's a rugged canyon road I want to explore that climbs from Bishop right into the middle of the White Mountains. I forget the name of it right now.
Hey there JK,
Yes, that's the White Mountains east of Lone Pine, Big Pine and the Owens Valley. Patriarch Grove is above 12,000 feet. It was beautiful and sparse there. Bristlecone Pine trees are about the only thing that thrive there. Go in the summer. It's closed from about October or the first snow until May. And it gets real cold in the campground at 8300 feet or so. Very dry too. Take all of the water you need. June and July are ideal times to go.
There's a rugged canyon road I want to explore that climbs from Bishop right into the middle of the White Mountains. I forget the name of it right now.
BilboSchwaggins
New member
I do 1000’ of elevation change on a 1 mile gravel road in KS - 12000 one-inch tall bumps :wow:
MTN4RNR
New member
I'm in the same boat. Between Southern California and Northern Nevada, there is way too much to see and never enough time!
Xtremluck
New member
Ill have to pick your brain on Northern Nevada. Will be pushing through there on my way to Moab in a couple of months and would love to be able to stop somewhere to do a little wheeling/camp.
mikey's2010SR5
New member
You can always hit me up in a pinch for company on a trip considering we are both in the Bay Area. If I can make it I will go. Always looking to meet new people and go out of the beaten path.
Awesome report and photos, super jealous of your trip.
I am hoping to get a trip out there on President's Weekend!
Awesome report and photos, super jealous of your trip.
I am hoping to get a trip out there on President's Weekend!
4Rager
New member
What did you think of Saline Valley? I'm assuming you went that way to get to the abandoned hot springs resort. I've been to DV the past two years and have my trip planned for late March this year, and driving through Saline Valley is something I will never do again. This last year I took my Duramax, having just sold the 4Runner, and driving through Saline Valley was 3 straight hours of the worst washboard I have ever experienced. And it's not just sections, it's throughout the entire valley floor. Even going 10-15mph I seriously thought my truck was going to rattle apart. However the portions of the trail at the southern and northern ends where you're ascending/descending were fun and scenic (we went S to N).
Here's my real question though. My Sierra does not have any mods besides a leveling kit and 33" Duratracs, and being this is my first diesel I wasn't sure how low I could air down. Seeing as the tires are 60psi+ for everyday driving I aired them down to 45psi to be safe, and while that made a difference, it was still brutal. I kept wondering to myself how much smoother it would have been in my 4Runner with the aftermarket coilovers and shocks and that I could comfortably air down much lower. So my question to you is, with a modified rig, was it unpleasant but tolerable, or were you in the same boat as me (did it once, had the experience, but never again)?
Here's my real question though. My Sierra does not have any mods besides a leveling kit and 33" Duratracs, and being this is my first diesel I wasn't sure how low I could air down. Seeing as the tires are 60psi+ for everyday driving I aired them down to 45psi to be safe, and while that made a difference, it was still brutal. I kept wondering to myself how much smoother it would have been in my 4Runner with the aftermarket coilovers and shocks and that I could comfortably air down much lower. So my question to you is, with a modified rig, was it unpleasant but tolerable, or were you in the same boat as me (did it once, had the experience, but never again)?
Xtremluck
New member
Thanks man, funny your rig was a bit of inspiration when I joined this site a couple of years back. Great to see you're still on here. I have a pretty active Slack 4x4 chat group composed of mostly 5th gen 4runner owners in the Bay. DM me your email address if you want to be added!
Planning a trip out to Moab first week of April if you're interested. Mountain bike in the morning, wheel in the afternoon and dispersed camping at night. cc: [MENTION=129593]MTN4RNR[/MENTION] [MENTION=44305]weeeee[/MENTION]
Xtremluck
New member
I didn't actually hit Saline Valley on this trip but definitely did the last one. The washboard roads were certainly brutal but I found driving at higher speeds made them much more tolerable. I was also aired down to 22 psi though!
weeeee
New member
Thanks for the offer! I’ll probably be prepping for Baja right those couple weeks though
KingTaco
New member
I'm doing some reading up for my 2nd trip to DV that's coming up real soon. I know this post is a year old, but wanted to say thanks for mentioning you went outside of the park to camp and make a fire. A lot of the reports I'm reading show people starting fires wherever they want, bringing guns in the park and open carrying while drinking, not necessarily taking care of the trails, and it's pretty disappointing. I know drones are outlawed at all the parks now too, but obviously you used yours knowing the alternative was maybe falling over a cliff to your death. That seems like a pretty reasonable exception to me.
The more we follow the rules and lead by example, the better it will be for us (and more importantly, the parks) in the long run. If people look at the off road community as a bunch of drunken rednecks that don't follow the rules, it's only going to become more difficult for us to do what we enjoy. I was really saddened to see the photos of Joshua trees in JTNP knocked over so a couple of *******s could drive through and car camp last week. One of the first things I noticed was that the truck in the photos where the tracks ended was a Tacoma. I was kind of hoping that the TacomaWorld folks would track them down.
Anyway, that's the end of my rambling. Leave no trace, folks! :thumb:
Xtremluck
New member
It's a shame what's going on in JTNP I was just there a couple of weeks ago before all hell started breaking loose. Really breaks my heart and I agree with all of the things you outlined above. People need to respect our lands better and really view it as a privilege rather than a right to enjoy these things.
One point of clarification though, Chicken Rock is actually located on BLM land so it was legal for me to use my drone there. A portion of the trail does in fact enter the park though but at that point I was outside its boundaries.
KingTaco
New member
I didn't realize that - even more of a reason to say thanks for your approach.
There's a chance I end up going solo too, but I hope not. If I do, I'll probably adjust my routes a little. I also use the InReach just in case. It's not perfect, but is definitely a great backup. My wife definitely appreciates it. :cheers:
