First trip to DVNP questions

[ski3pin]

$2.29 at Rebel in Beatty

Panamint Springs Resort is off the grid and runs generators. After seeing it at $5.98, $4.99 was looking good..................but not quite good enough.

 

[ETAV8R]

Paul, for your first trip stay at the Furnace Creek campground (get reservations). From here you can walk to the Visitors Center and get oriented and collect information. You will get hooked. Drive the Artists Drive and Twenty Mule Team Canyon. Get information and if you like to hike, do the Golden Canyon Gowers Gulch Loop. Hike Mosaic Canyon in the Stovepipe Wells area (about 30 miles from Furnace Creek). Pack up early one morning and drive Titus Canyon. Take your time. Camp that night at Mesquite Springs and do the main tour of Scottys Castle. Ubehebe Crater is also close by. Don't try to do too much and leave the further away adventures for another visit. Talk with the rangers and get a sense of the history and geology. You will very soon be planning your next trip.

As Doug says, go through the information here in "the forgotten" WTW areas. Many members have posted good information and photos.

Have fun, we know you will.

^^^^ This ^^^^

I would say though that it seems you have a lot of time. What are you driving? Not sure if I missed it or not. If you have that much time you could complete Ski's plan and also camp at Homestake near the Racetrack. Depending on what you're driving and what experience you have you could take Lippencott or Hunter Mountain to Saline towards the end of the trip and exit North Pass and Owens Valley/395 to get home.

 

[PaulT]

I'm driving a 2010 Tundra with Hawk. Haven't done any rock walking with it. My old CJ-5 was better suited for that. Thought I'd be taking it a little easier than that for this trip. Don't want to get the navigator too shrill.

Paul

 

[ETAV8R]

Gotcha.

If Ubehebe is one of your later goals you could still drive down to the Racetrack or north to Crankshaft and onto Eureka Dunes/Valley. Nothing other than washboards on those roads. I think you will have plenty of time.

Artists Drive, Twenty Mule Team Canyon, and Dante's View can be done in one day.

 

[Paul B.]

^^^^ This ^^^^

Depending on what you're driving and what experience you have you could take Lippencott or Hunter Mountain to Saline towards the end of the trip and exit North Pass and Owens Valley/395 to get home.

Doing the Lippencott Road in a full size truck with a camper? Really? I haven't been up there in quite a few years. It that advisable?

 

[kmcintyre]

If you ride road bikes at all, we did a few rides while down there. Great fun and the roads (paved) were great. Not much traffic but we were there on the shoulder season.

 

[PaulT]

Yeah, well, Lippincott looks like something to do on another trip. Want to return with a willing partner.

Paul

 

[ETAV8R]

Doing the Lippencott Road in a full size truck with a camper? Really? I haven't been up there in quite a few years. It that advisable?

I stated "depending on what you're driving".
Before I had my FWC I saw a Tacoma with an Eagle coming down Lippencott. I was impressed. I wouldn't want to do it with a full size. It's tight with a Tacoma.

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

PaulT, there is an amazing amount of experience and knowledge expressed in all the above posts. You might keep in mind that there are backcountry cabins (some with solar showers) on 4x4 roads. Butte Valley, Golar Wash and South Park Road (Tundra too big likely) come to mind. Even if you don't stay in the cabins there are close-by spots to camp. This info is not passed on by the rangers because many, mostly rookies in 4x2s, have broken down and/or died. Check with rangers about road conditions but figure they may exaggerate the dangers. Not that I blame them; backcountry rescues are a PITA for them and cost us all big money. If you are interested in taking back roads, check back with specific questions here at WtW.

Generally, when on week or longer trips to DV, we would bring enough food for the trip and figure on buying pricey gas and ice (back in the day) rather than drive out for supplies. With showers and gas at Panamint Springs, Furnace Creek and Stovepipe, why leave the Valley, if that is your main objective, even for half a day?

Have a great trip!

Stew

 

[ntsqd]

Doing the Lippencott Road in a full size truck with a camper? Really? I haven't been up there in quite a few years. It that advisable?

A friend went up it in his extended cab, short-bed PowerStroke. Dave, of the Adventure Duo, once told of seeing an H1 Hummer on it.

 

[Basin Deranged]

The Lippincott Road can change dramatically from year to year. A couple of the drainages erode away to the point where the road becomes very narrow. Then someone goes in and rebuilds the roadway and the whole process begins again.

I first drove up the Lippincott Road in about 1973 in a 2-wheel-drive Ford Econoline Van full of high school students on a spring field trip. We accomplished this miraculous feat not because of any stellar driving skills but because the road had seen regular maintenance in the not-too-distant past. The students did have to all get out and push a couple of times.

The same scenario plays itself out on many of the Death Valley Roads. They can change dramatically from year to year.

From the early eighties through the late nineties we drove into Cottonwood and Marble Canyons a half dozen times on family camping trips in either our old Toyota Corolla or our 2wd VW Westfalia. We bought our first 4wd vehicle in 2000 after being stopped in our tracks in the 2wd Westy after heavy storms washed out the nice gentle ramp into the mouth of Cottonwood Canyon and replaced it with a steep pile of rocks. The ramp is now back and I do suggest considering a hike up Marble Canyon for part of your itinerary.

 

[ski3pin]

It is a good idea to keep an eye on the DVNP Morning Report

Interesting item is that currently only cash is accepted at the Furnace Creek Gas Station.

 

[craig333]

Darned interwebs must be down.

 

[BillM]

Don't know if I missed it but what kind of tires do you have? The backroads of DV are awesome but I would not travel them on P rated tires. I'd recommend at least D rated LTR's and I use E rated LTR's on my Frontier/Eagle. Also an LTR spare, plug kit and compressor. Go prepared and have fun, it's awesome!

 

[PaulT]

Thanks for the heads up on the fuel. I have read the Morning Report a few times. It looks like I should check it out daily this week. Thanks for pointing out the "cash only" for fuel. That could be a real issue were I low on gas.

I presently have P rated Michelin LTx M/S tires. They are relatively new. I'm checking out an upgrade to E series but it might not happen before this trip so I will not be looking at visiting the more challenging roads. As this is our first visit, every place in DVNP is new to us anyway. We're playing it by ear and will stop at the ranger station at Furnace Creek where we are staying the first 2 nights anyway to check conditions. I have been reading the great trip ports posted here. There are several places we will want to go on our next visit at which point I will have the E series tires. I do have the plug kit and compressor.

PAul

 

[ski3pin]

Paul, you are going to have a great time and enjoy getting oriented. I hope you are prepared to get hooked! Have a wonderful trip and safe travels.

 

[BillM]

There is plenty of DV to explore on pavement so you'll enjoy it no matter what. Check road conditions and if Titus Canyon is in good shape then do it, it'll give you a chance to reprovision in Beatty and if graded recently almost any vehicle can do it, just take your time. Are you coming into DV from the West (Big Pine) or the East (Beatty).

 

[PaulT]

We're entering from the east. Wife is taking navigator role this trip. Am having challenge keeping the excitement level down to a dull roar. We're not worried about missing some of the more remote spots. To many places, too little time on one trip anyway. Just leaving those for the next time.
As far as off pavement, we drive on gravel with washboard surface daily. I'm sure that places we used to camp in a '78 VW pop-up had roads as bad as many in DVNP. Like the road to Bench Lake on Mt Adams, Wa.
A couple of years ago we spent 4 nights in Glacier NP. It was nowhere near enough time to see all we wanted to see and didn't get to the Canadian side at all. We were pulling a rented travel trailer and while very comfortable, it seemed to encourage setting it up and staying in one place taking day trips in the truck. The camper certainly encourages impulse side trips and being more of a nomad rather than returning to the barn nightly.
Thanks to all the advice, ideas & suggestions to my queries. I have printed out the entire thread, one screen at a time. Is there a way to print from a beginning message to an end message in one command?

Paul

 

[craig333]

Thats pretty much been what I've been trying to do. Get the big picture of the park before coming back and seeing parts in depth.

 

[100acrehuphalump]

I'm taking notes!