Since we weren’t able to make it out to The 24 Hours in The Old Pueblo this year, my good friend and I decided to head out to Death Valley National park for a few days of camping and exploring.
Our trip would take us on two loops thru the Park, beginning in the mid-north part of the Park. We made our way east on Highway 395, then East on Highway 190 to Saline Valley road, that led us to Hunter Mountain road, a dirt road that climbed and curved up and provided great views of Panamint Valley.
Even after researching this trip for several weeks, we still did not know where exactly where we would be camping. To me this is all part of a great adventure. So after checking out Hunter Cabin, we continued on, exploring the area looking for a camp spot. We took a road that led us about 8 miles off the main road, it was a dead end on a exposed saddle that provided a great view of the massive valley floor below. This would be a great campsite, but we figured it would be quite windy so we turned around to check out a spur we noticed. And we are glad we did!
This spur led us to where we would end up camping the next 2 nights, a great spot, tucked away in a little bowl on the side of Hunter Mountain at about 6,000′. This spot had everything we were looking; shelter from the evening desert winds, a fire ring, and a steep, rocky, winding dry creek bed that made for good exploration. We set up camp, hiked up the dry creek bed and prepared for what seemed like might be a chilly night. We made a delicious Steak and Pilaf dinner and sat around the fire. We wrapped some potatoes in foil and roasted them in the fire, we would use these in our breakfast burritos the next morning.
At this point the temperature had plummeted, and unfortunately, I under packed… as usual. We decided it was time for bed, the next morning we a\woke to bitter cold and frozen jugs of water. Even Mike’s Yeti cup full of water that he took with him into his tent froze! We got up, made delicious breakfast burritos and hit the road.
We headed north towards the Racetrack Playa, but first we checked out the Lost Burro Mine about 6 miles south of Teakettle Junction. There must have been almost a dozen old mine shafts to check out here. After about an hour of exploring the impressive abandoned mining operation, we continued on to the Playa. The road from Teakettle Junction to the Playa was a bumpy corrugated ride, but we made it one piece. We checked out the moving rocks, ate a sandwich and contemplated where we would go next. After checking the map, the choice was easy, head west to Lippincott Road towards Saline Valley. This made for an exciting little excursion, there was nothing necessarily challenging about the steep rocky shelf road, but the terrain and steep cliffs were impressive! After about an hour and a half we were back at our camp, ready for some beers and chips and guac. It was a good day out in the desert.
The second evening at our great little camp, was similar to the first, however it was much windier. I’m guessing 15 mph winds with around 25-30mph gusts. So we spent some time beefing up our tent guys. While we were tying down my Roof Top Tents fold out platform, Mike’s folding camp chair was blown right into our camp fire…. oops! Luckily, his jacket that was hanging on the back of the chair wasn’t scorched! We made some Sausage sandwiches and headed to bed.
Day 3 out in DVNP, would entail some driving so we got up early and packed up. We said good by to our awesome camp, and headed north back up to Teakettle Junction, this time we would head east towards Ubehebe Crater. The road was wash board and it took about an hour to go 19 miles. We didn’t spend much time at Ubehebe, as it was WINDY, we took some pictures, aired up the tires and headed to south to check out Furnace creek. We were excited to check out the Visitors Center, but unfortunately it was rather disappointing. So we fueled up, and headed to Stove Pipe wells, which is a neat little community with a decent little store, and gas station. There is also a saloon, deli, and hotel. We continued on as it was already after 2, and we did not know where we were camping, and we wanted to check out the Charcoal Kilns.
So we headed West, towards Emigrant Pass Road. At this point the wind was picking up, and we decided we should find a place to set up camp rather than trying to make it to the kilns. We motored up the road towards Wildrose Road, battling a stiff head wind, and steady grade. After checking out Wildrose Campground, we decided it wasn’t our style, and would try to find another spot further down Wildrose Road. There was one promising spot, but it was occupied. So we continued West, hoping to get lucky, but off in the distant we could tell there was a wind storm brewing on the Panamint Valley floor. We had cell service, so we googled mapped and Gaia’d our location to try and find some options, but after checking the weather for the surrounding area, we decided to head home, after all, we were only 3 hours away at this point. We were glad we did, because there were 40 mph winds, with even greater gusts. Unfrotunately, there would not be a thrid night under the desert stars for us.
I was able to make it home in time to tuck my kids in bed, a perfect way to end any trip!
Adventure Farmer 