2024-03-23, 08:05 PM
(2024-03-23, 10:57 AM)edward Wrote: I've never been on Willow Creek Road, but I was thinking about going around the tip of the Last Chance Range to explore that area near the CA/NV border. How are the road conditions out there?
I haven't been over those years in 16 years. When I lived in Big Pine, that was my backyard and I spent a lot of time in that area.
The road through Willow Wash and canyon between Eureka Valley and Fish Lake Valley is a county maintained road. The road in from Willow via Cucomungo Canyon is generally bladed annually. The confluence of Willow/Cucomungo is often washed out deeply and impassable. Years ago people have modified the sign to say "DANG! WASHOUT." Once you hit Cucomungo Spring, roads run seemingly everywhere. They vary from dim two track to semi-maintained.
A dim two-track north from Cucomungo Spring connects with the maintained road coming south from NV266 at Pigeon Spring. A road heads east from the spring and flirts all along the rim where Uncle Sam and Cottonwood creeks plummet into northernmost Death Valley and eventually connect with the Tule Canyon road, which drops back into Death Valley and connects with the Big Pine-Death Valley road at Crankshaft Crossing. Or you can access Oriental Wash, Gold Mountain and Gold Point.
None of the roads will pose any issue to a stock 4WD vehicle.
The rim country and upper Tule Canyon is above 7,000 and higher thus can hold deep snow well into spring due to dense piñon forests.
DAW
~When You Live in Nevada, "just down the road" is anywhere in the line of sight within the curvature of the earth.
~When You Live in Nevada, "just down the road" is anywhere in the line of sight within the curvature of the earth.