If you’ve been looking for an adventure, you WON’T want to miss this trip!

Check out this great writeup from when Peter lead the trip in 2021: Death Valley with LRCSD

Death Valley National Park — Friday, April 21, 2023 @ 8:00 am – Tuesday, April 25, 2023 @ 5:00 pm*

*Day 5 – is optional

​Trip Description:​​

• Rating: moderate, mostly because of remoteness of some parts of Death Valley, weather conditions, and potential water crossings.
• Highlights: Highlights: Dumont Dunes, Amargosa Opera House, Tecopa Hot Springs, Rhyolite, Titus Canyon (if open), Teakettle Junction, Racetrack, Lippincott Pass, Darwin, Darwin Falls, Nadeau Trail, Minnietta Mine, Lookout City, Charcoal Kilns (weather permitting), Aguereberry Point (weather permitting), Ballarat, Trona Pinnacles

Time & Place to Meet:​​ 

• Meet: Friday, March 19, 8:00 A.M, Depart 8:30 am. 
• Where: Park & Ride, Deer Springs/Mountain Meadow exit from I-15. Please arrive fueled up.

Itinerary

Friday (Day 1): 

We’ll meet at Deer Springs / Mountain Meadow exit parking area off I-15 at 8:00 AM, then drive on I-15 / I-215 / I-15 to the exit to CA SR 127 in Baker (200 miles). Fuel up in Baker. We will then take CA SR 127 to Dumont Dunes. We will visit the dunes, return to CA 127 and try to make a visit to Amargosa Opera House, and return to Tecopa Hot Springs Campground & Pools.

The plan is to camp at Tecopa Hot Springs; alternative – motels in Shoshone or Beatty, or Longstreet Inn & RV Resort near CA/NV border.’

Total distance – about 330 miles, all on pavement, driving time – 6-7.5 hours.

Saturday (Day 2): 

Drive north to ghost town of Rhyolite – either via NV SR 373/U.S.95 (fuel in Beatty), or via CA SR 190 (through Badwater Basin, fuel in Furnace Creek). Visit Rhyolite. Return to NV SR 374 to turn-off to Titus Canyon.
Drive through Titus Canyon and ghost town of Leadfield. Turn north on North Death Valley Road to Ubehebe Crater, visit the crater, proceed to Teakettle Junction. Turn Hunter Mountain Road to a camping location in Hidden Valley.

Total distance – about 180 miles (via Beatty) or 200 miles (via Furnace Creek), including 55 miles – off pavement, driving time – 7 hours.

​​​​Sunday (Day 3): 

Visit Racetrack in the morning, continue West on Lippincott Pass, then south along Saline Valley Road to CA SR 190. Take SR 190 and Darwin Road to the town of Darwin, then proceed on Old Toll Road to Darwin Falls. Visit Darwin Falls (time permitting). Proceed to CA SR 190 to Panamint Springs (fuel if necessary). (NOTE: those limited to 3 days of travel can leave for San Diego at this point.) Proceed to Nadeau Trail or Minnietta Road. Camp off Nadeau Trail between turn-offs to Defense Mine (Lookout City) or Minnietta Mine.

Total distance – 86-88 miles, off pavement – 76-78 miles, driving time – 5-6 hours.

Monday (Day 4): 

Visit Lookout City, time permitting – Minnietta Mine. Alternative – drive to Defense Mine – is rated difficult, vehicle damage possible.
Return to Trona Wildrose Road, then drive through the ghost town of Ballarat up the Panamint Range to visit Charcoal Kilns and Aguereberry Point (weather and time permitting). Return to Trona Wildrose Road, drive south to Trona (fuel stop) and to Trona Pinnacles.

Option 1: Camp at Trona Pinnacles.
Total distance – 123 miles (about 2/3 – off pavement), driving time – 4-5 hours.

Option 2: Return to Trona Road, proceed to U.S.395, I-15, and return to San Diego.

Total distance – 353 miles, driving time – 9-10 hours.

​​​​Tuesday (Day 5 – optional):

Return to San Diego via Trona Road, U.S.395, and I-15.

Total distance: 230 miles, driving time – 4.5-5 hours.

​>>>What to bring – EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR THIS TRIP – IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, ASK!​<<<

• It is recommended to have additional gas cans, at least one per vehicle.
• Food, drinks, and water for at least 2 days off the grid Count on at least a gallon of drinks/water per person + a gallon of water/day for a 50-lb dog (more if larger)
• Sunscreen and hat, hot and cold weather gear (it WILL be cold in Death Valley at nights).
  First aid kit is recommended.
• Amateur (Ham) 2M Radio or/and CB radio for those without a ham license
• Any emergency & recovery gear you may have.
• Any necessary tire changing tools, including anti-theft lug nut keys
• Camping gear appropriate for primitive camping
• Officially, no fires are allowed within DVNP, ONLY propane stoves and heaters.
• GPS (recommended) or GaiaGPS on a tablet.
• Radio Frequency:​2M: 147.580 MHz, no tone (146.54 MHz alt); CB: channel 31/33

​RSVP: Register below*. For questions contact Peter Matusov, matusovp@gmail.com, 619-840–0612. 

*Include a good contact phone number in case of last-minute changes.  Indicate name, number in party, and type of vehicle (all makes are welcome).

​NOTE:​ DVNP has a restriction for a number of vehicles in a party for camping purposes – 4, and in case there are more than 4 vehicles, we may have to camp in a couple of different areas. The exact disposition will depend on how many participants we have on the trip and camping locations.