Death Valley - West Side 2026

[frankentrd]

Death Valley - West Side 2026​

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Just got back from a killer trip exploring the west side of Death Valley!

A few years ago I did DV with a larger group but due to the group size it was slow going and we didn't really have time to explore some of the more remote areas I wanted to check out. We saw some really cool things but I was itching for more. This year I decided to plan a trip with just a few close friends and get out into some of those new areas. My wife and buddies girlfriends were also planning on coming along so I wanted to make sure we saw some cool things and had good places to camp at night.

I thought I might follow the route we originally did with some added offshoots but realized with some recent road closures due to rain we wouldn't be able to do most of that route. I spent some time mapping out a new route and found you can pretty much hug the west side of DV and stay on dirt nearly the entire time. My final route starts on Harry Wade Road outside of Baker and ends at the Eureka Dunes at the north end of the park. Total trip was ~230mi dirt miles with a short 40mi highway section in the middle. I tried to stay within the boarders of the NP for as much of the trip as possible but there are a few sections where we had to exit the park.

Day .5​

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With a half ass plan and a few days off of work we hit the road. I had planned to camp just outside the park off of Harry Wade Road on the 1st night. I work late so I figured I my buddies could find a spot and I'd roll up later in the night to their location. Somehow, despite not leaving until 10:30PM, I still ended up 1hr ahead of them. The drive there was uneventful and the wife and I found good spot up a canyon around 1:30 AM. Around 2:30 I picked up my buddies on the radio and helped guide them in. We were up until nearly 5AM just hanging out and going over the plan for the week.

Day 1​

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I had a slight itinerary in my head which required over 100mi of travel each day but I knew that was ambitious. I figured we'd shoot for my goals but knew this was gonna be a bit of a play it by ear type trip. We all woke up around 10, had some breakfast, and hit the road around 12. The plan was to go up Harry Wade Road, through Warm Springs/Butte Valley/Goler Canyon and up Pleasant Canyon to camp out in the Panamint Range.


Harry Wade Road was smooth sailing. We had 1 water "crossing" and got stopped at a locked gate due to the road closures but luckily my route took a left just before the gate so we didn't have any issues getting though the south end of the park.



When we started to go through Butte Valley I realized my goals were a little too ambitious. The roads were all washed out which made travel a bit slower and it was a lot colder than I was expecting. We decided to cut the day short and stay in Russel Camp for the night which also had the benefit of being a little warmer than the higher elevations I was aiming for.



We got to camp just before sunset and had a great time making dinner and hanging out around the fire.

 

[frankentrd]

Day 2​

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Day 2 started a bit earlier. We were up around 9 and the ladies were chatting while the men were packing up camp. One of them asked who was up using the bathroom ~4AM as the footsteps woke her up. They all turned and looked at each other and realized neither of them had gotten out of bed that night. They asked us the same question and neither of the boys had gotten up either. None of the men heard anything but all 3 girls said someone or something large was walking around our camp early this morning. We thought the only thing large enough could have been a burro but we had parked the cars in such a way that a burro wouldn't be able to squeeze in. That was enough to send a little chill down our spines and we decided to get on the road sooner rather than later. We were out by 10.

Today's goal was to get somewhere between Russels camp and the Hot Springs for the night. Things started out pretty normal and travel was smooth as we dropped out of Goler Canyon.


Around 2 we started heading up what I believe was South Park Road to do a loop around Rogers Pass and down Pleasant Canyon.


We stopped at a cabin to check it out and quickly learned it was one of the coolest cabins out here! It had running water, electricity, semi clean bunks, horseshoes, a shooting range and more! If we knew about this camp yesterday we may have pushed to stay here instead. We stayed here way longer than we planned just exploring the area and reading the log book.




I found some fun photos of the construction of the cabin/road in the mid 80's with a little Toyota Pickup putting in some serious work



We continued on around 4, checked out a couple other smaller cabins and mines, and made it up to a beautiful view point just in time for sunset.




There was 1 more set of cabins up an offshoot I wanted to check out but it was getting dark and both the FJ and 3rd Gen had to pour in their spare fuel at the viewpoint so we didn't have much spare gas to do anymore exploring. We opted to save it for next time and head down Pleasant Canyon and up the highway to Panamint springs to refuel. I made it with 0 miles left in my tank so if anyone was wondering what the fuel range of a 4th Gen 4Runner is, it's Baker to Panamint Springs.

We fueled up and headed up to Saline Valley road. We took a right off Saline Valley road up into the mountains to find a place to stay for the night. It was dark and we were all a bit tired so naturally this is when the trip took a bit of a turn. We were maybe 500' away from a turnout we found to camp in when I sunk the 4R in a mud puddle.


I was in AWD High range and for some reason the 4th gen cuts power when the tires spin in AWD so as soon as I hit the mud and sunk in it lost power and didn't have enough momentum to get me through. From a distance the ground looked solid but after sloshing around a bit it was clear there wasn't much solid ground. We spent the next hour getting me unstuck and clearing out some of the bushes to the left for the other 2 trucks to go around the puddle. I ended up needing to winch off a tree nearly 200' away from where I was stuck.

The best part, we could see the puddle from where our camp ended up being. The offshoot did a little loop and we ended up on top of the hill to the left of the puddle. We got to camp around 11, had a fire, ate dinner, and passed out.

 

[desert_steve]

I love the write-up!

Ive spent a ton of time out there in DV (mostly on a dual sport) and it never gets old/boring and theres always something new to see/find. That cabins badass, definitely the nicest one out there (and the one just down hill from it isnt bad either).

 

[frankentrd]

Day 3​

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Day 3 started out with some excitement. I forgot to attach the end of the dog lead to something and by the time we figured out they were gone they had made it a mile up the road. Thankfully the lead left a nice path in the dirt for us to follow and luckily she got stuck on a log so they didn't get further up the road.

The goal today was to make it to the hot springs by going up through Hidden Valley, down to Teakettle Junction, around Racetrack, and down Lipincott Pass back to Saline Valley road.

We started the day by checking out an old log cabin a few miles up the road.



The offshoot to the cabin was really muddy and on the way out my buddy did the same thing I did and sunk his 3rd gen in another mud hole. We were able to winch him backwards and were out in about 20 mins.


We continued on our way and everything was going smooth until I heard the FJ call out something on the radio. He was in the lead and I thought he said something about bumps in the road but what he was telling us was there was another very long, very deep mud puddle. When I got to it the 3rd gen was already 1/2 way through. My wife was driving and I gave her a rundown on getting through mud. After I saw the 3rd gen had made it out we went. We got about 3/4 of the way through the mud when the engine started to bog down. I learned from my last mud experience and we were already in real 4x4 Low range. I realized we were drinking water but with about 50' to go I just had my wife pin it and just keep bogging through. The ol 4th gen just barely made it to dry dirt when it stalled....great, I thought I had just killed my 2nd motor due to water.


I got out of the car to pop my hood when I noticed the 3rd gen had his hood open too. Turned out he had also sucked in water and also stalled when he got to dry land. We both looked at each other and laughed knowing we both could be in the market for new motors. The FJ has a snorkel so he had no issues with the mud.


We made the best of the situation. The ladies got lunch out, and we both got to work pulling spark plugs and intakes. Both our filters were SOAKED. I had a little water in cylinder 1 but the rest were all dry. We let the engines and filters air out for about an hour before attempting to start them again. To both of our surprise the trucks started right up! They weren't happy with wet filters so we took it slow to let the filters dry out as we went, stopping every so often to take them out and fling off any extra water.


We made it to Ractrack just before sunset. We took a walk out to the rocks and just admired the beautiful view for a bit before continuing down Lipincott. The lake had a little bit of water which had an amazing mirror like effect.




Just before heading down Lipincott the 3rd gen started making a bad crunching noise. We pulled over and found a broken CV axle. No one knows when or how it broke but no worries, we pulled over and swapped it out, taking in the amazing view. (sorry, the only photo I have of this is my friend peeing).


We made it down the pass and got onto Saline Valley road where we all pretended to be prerunners. We were mobbing around the lake bed trying to get to camp in time to relax in the springs. I stopped at the turnoff for the hot springs and got out to pee myself when I noticed something hanging off my bumper. Apparently somewhere along the way my entire jerry can mount broke off my bumper. It cracked and emptied my remaining water jug and I lost my shovel and axe. As I was grabbing a light to inspect the damage more closely the other 2 trucks pulled up and one got out to tell me my shovel fell off. As he walked over to hand it to me he saw the damage, stared at it for a bit, and just shook his head (he used to work for Nguyen Works and wasn't surprised at all that it broke but was also impressed how long it had lasted). We broke it off the rest of the way, threw it on the roof rack, and continued to the hotsprings. I never found the axe so if anyone finds it out there, it's all yours



We got to the springs around 9, showered off, found a pool without anyone in it, relaxed for a bit, had a fire and dinner and hit the sack. The hot springs were just what we needed after a day like that.

 

[frankentrd]

Day 4​

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We all woke up very well rested around 8. We all slept great after the shower. FJ owner had to be home today so we got on the road a bit earlier around 9. We headed up Steel Pass towards the Eureka Dunes.


We stopped for some lunch in the canyon when we noticed the LBJ's had loosed up on the 3rd gen. No stranger to working on this thing we pulled out our tools and got to work torquing and loctiting everything back down. We got both sides fixed up in about 30 mins.



We started heading down the last tight squeeze when I heard some air hiss out of one of my tires. I thought maybe it was just burping a bit from the squeeze but when we got out of the canyon something didn't quite feel right. I got out and noticed I had popped a tire. I tore it right along the bead. I've never seen a tire pop like that but it was no big deal, we swapped in my spare and continued on our way. The most annoying part is we were maybe 5 miles from the road at this point and the rest of the drive was nice and flat and sandy. I quite literally popped it in the last possible place I could pop it. We had a great view when changing it however.


We got to the pavement right at sunset. We aired up and drove up and over the pass into Big Pine. The 3rd gen was struggling due to the clogged air filter. I could tell I was missing power too but the V8 pulled us up the grade without any issues. We stopped for gas at the Mobil where the FJ owner said his goodbyes and continued on his way home. 3rd gen and I went up into Bishop for 1 more night out. We stopped at the AutoZone in town and bought ourselves some new air filters which fixed our power loss issues.

The next day we drove home from Bishop. I was having a hard time keeping the 4R in a straight line so we pulled over to investigate and found my steering rack had completely blown out. Nothing I could do about it so I embraced looking like a drunk driver and took it easy on the way home. We got back safely, and that's all that matters.

Overall the trip was a blast! We broke some things and mud sucks but in the end we were out with good people having a good time. I can't wait for the next DV trip!

 

[frankentrd]

I love the write-up!

Ive spent a ton of time out there in DV (mostly on a dual sport) and it never gets old/boring and theres always something new to see/find. That cabins badass, definitely the nicest one out there (and the one just down hill from it isnt bad either).

I'd love to get the bike out here! I wish we had some more time to explore some more of the cabin/mining camps in the area but it leaves some stuff to check out for next time.

 

[sixdee9er]

. We thought the only thing large enough could have been a burro but we had parked the cars in such a way that a burro wouldn't be able to squeeze in. That was enough to send a little chill down our spines and we decided to get on the road sooner rather than later. We were out by 10.​

Badass trip.

I had to comment on this. I had this same experience in butte valley back in 2018. Heard something big in camp in the middle of the night. It was rocky where we camped, so we didn’t find any tracks. Freaked me out. Wonder what else on the large side is in that area.

Forgot to add, I also had some friends camping at pinnacles for a trip before they went into the park. They were sleeping on cots and 2 bigger cats took swipes at 2 guys' heads in the middle of the night. Wasn't super serious from injuries, but they did have to go to the hospital the next day and get cleaned out/ a couple stiches.

I can't remember if it was parks service or fish and game, but they were not at all interested in letting them know of other incidents or opinion on what it was.

 

[sixdee9er]

Badass trip.

I had to comment on this. I had this same experience in butte valley back in 2018. Heard something big in camp in the middle of the night. It was rocky where we camped, so we didn’t find any tracks. Freaked me out. Wonder what else on the large side is in that area.

Forgot to add, I also had some friends camping at pinnacles for a trip before they went into the park. They were sleeping on cots and 2 bigger cats took swipes at 2 guys' heads in the middle of the night. Wasn't super serious from injuries, but they did have to go to the hospital the next day and get cleaned out/ a couple stiches.

I can't remember if it was parks service or fish and game, but they were not at all interested in letting them know of other incidents or opinion on what it was.

 

[badlinesgoodtimes]

Badass trip.

I had to comment on this. I had this same experience in butte valley back in 2018. Heard something big in camp in the middle of the night. It was rocky where we camped, so we didn’t find any tracks. Freaked me out. Wonder what else on the large side is in that area.

Forgot to add, I also had some friends camping at pinnacles for a trip before they went into the park. They were sleeping on cots and 2 bigger cats took swipes at 2 guys' heads in the middle of the night. Wasn't super serious from injuries, but they did have to go to the hospital the next day and get cleaned out/ a couple stiches.

I can't remember if it was parks service or fish and game, but they were not at all interested in letting them know of other incidents or opinion on what it was.

dude holy shit! that's gnarly!

 

[badlinesgoodtimes]

Day 4​

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We all woke up very well rested around 8. We all slept great after the shower. FJ owner had to be home today so we got on the road a bit earlier around 9. We headed up Steel Pass towards the Eureka Dunes.
View attachment 48994

We stopped for some lunch in the canyon when we noticed the LBJ's had loosed up on the 3rd gen. No stranger to working on this thing we pulled out our tools and got to work torquing and loctiting everything back down. We got both sides fixed up in about 30 mins.
View attachment 48995
View attachment 48996

We started heading down the last tight squeeze when I heard some air hiss out of one of my tires. I thought maybe it was just burping a bit from the squeeze but when we got out of the canyon something didn't quite feel right. I got out and noticed I had popped a tire. I tore it right along the bead. I've never seen a tire pop like that but it was no big deal, we swapped in my spare and continued on our way. The most annoying part is we were maybe 5 miles from the road at this point and the rest of the drive was nice and flat and sandy. I quite literally popped it in the last possible place I could pop it. We had a great view when changing it however.
View attachment 48997

We got to the pavement right at sunset. We aired up and drove up and over the pass into Big Pine. The 3rd gen was struggling due to the clogged air filter. I could tell I was missing power too but the V8 pulled us up the grade without any issues. We stopped for gas at the Mobil where the FJ owner said his goodbyes and continued on his way home. 3rd gen and I went up into Bishop for 1 more night out. We stopped at the AutoZone in town and bought ourselves some new air filters which fixed our power loss issues.

The next day we drove home from Bishop. I was having a hard time keeping the 4R in a straight line so we pulled over to investigate and found my steering rack had completely blown out. Nothing I could do about it so I embraced looking like a drunk driver and took it easy on the way home. We got back safely, and that's all that matters.

Overall the trip was a blast! We broke some things and mud sucks but in the end we were out with good people having a good time. I can't wait for the next DV trip!

Hell yea dude awesome shots and great write up! thank you for taking the time to post up...