Any intel on the first 7 miles of Death Valley Rd. from Ubehebe Crater area?

[bbbb]

I saw some recent information that Racetrack Road was freshly grated over the past few weeks. Does anyone have any knowledge on the present condition of Death Valley Rd north from the Ubehebe Crater area? I believe the official backcountry road map has it listed in the generic unpaved-high-clearance-recommended category. I'm interested in driving the first 6 or 7 miles on it. The bonus question is -- are there reasonable places to pull to the side and park (a rental sedan) at the 6 or 7 mile point?

Thanks!

[TacoLand]

Need some confirmation here ... Racetrack Road, freshly graded, is south of Ubehebe Crater.

Is that the road you're interested in, or the road that heads north from Ubehebe Crater towards Crankshaft Junction?

I'll let others weigh in but I would not recommend driving a sedan or low-clearance vehicle south from Ubehebe on Racetrack Road. And while there may be places you can pull aside on the road, there are no sanctioned pullouts until Teakettle Junction which is 20 miles. I've seen a sedan or two on Racetrack Road before and alternated between laughing & crying.

If you're interested in heading north from Ubehebe Crater towards Crankshaft Junction that is in fact a wider unpaved country road of sorts. Much less traffic than Racetrack and you've got general areas where you could pull to the side without getting passed by a lifted truck blasting through every couple of minutes. I also wouldn't recommend other people drive a sedan or low-clearance vehicle on such roads for multiple reasons.

YMMV. Could use some more info I guess, but doesn't sound like any fun at all.

[bbbb]

Is that the road you're interested in, or the road that heads north from Ubehebe Crater towards Crankshaft Junction?

I'm indeed interested in the road that heads north from Ubehebe Crater towards Crankshaft Junction. I've done Racetrack Road in a rental car and a jeep and would probably not do it in a rental car again regardless of the condition. That was a looong slow drive in a car.

[MojaveGeek]

I thought the road in question was called the Big Pine Rd, any maybe sometimes it is, but MapBuilder calls it Death ValleyRd.

I've driven it in a rental sedan several times, but not in about 10 years. I don't recall any problems. It tends to get very washboarded for a while so it's a bit tedious. As mentioned above, it is pretty wide with plenty of spots to pull over - especially where it is crossed by some sandy washes. I think every now and then one of those washes creates a bit of a rut across the road. As usual, just take it a bit slow, but it wasn't, in my experience, a white knuckle drive at all.

That being said, a ranger really chewed me out one year when I stopped in at SPW to inquire about current conditions. I had my young daughter with me and she was really upset that I'd consider taking my kid on that road. Eeek. When tourists ask me how the road is, I ask them how much water they are carrying. If their answer includes "gallon" I tell them its fine, 30 mph, but watch carefully. If not, or a "huh" expression, I say it is very rough.

I've also driving the Racetrack road a couple of times in a sedan. If freshly graded, I would do it again. The last time I went up it there was a ton of loose gravel for miles, due to some side canyon washout. I needed to keep a wheel on the center to not get high centered, but I was having a lot of trouble with traction while going up, and no place to turn around. I just toughed it out (had no choice, really, at that point) and figured, correctly, that I would be able to drive down without an issue.

The side roads off that Death Valley road are pretty rough, but I've driven some of them in a sedan as well. But that was back in my younger days and I might not try it now

[Kauri]

Hopefully someone will be able to weigh in about the current conditions (or, at least, more recent info) on the Death Valley-Big Pine Road (which is, I believe, what it is called on road signs on the Big Pine side).

The first, and only, time I've been on that road was in December 2013, in a Farabee's rental Jeep. The washboard was terrible, and there were some washouts that were nasty because they were very hard to see, up near Crankshaft Crossing, but those might be further north than you're planning on going (one particularly bad one I hit at just over 30mph and felt like if I'd hit it any faster I could have lost control of the Jeep, which freaked me out a bit and I drove the rest of the way really slowly).

Other than that, I recall the road being in good condition compared to the Racetrack Road; like Taco said, it's more of a unpaved country road. So my biggest concern about a rental sedan would be the washboard and deep, hard-to-see washouts. If you do try it, be sure to take it slow and carefully, and have a tire repair kit.

In regards to parking, my immediate thought (without measuring distances) is that you'd be parking near to the old road to the Skookum Mine (should be able to see the old road on TOPO maps, probably also Google Earth). If so, I recall from Steve Hall's trip report that there was a good parking spot at the start of that old road, which hopefully will also work for your planned hike.

[MojaveGeek]

And Kauri says "Stop, you're both right, Big Pine Rd and Death Valley Rd"

Which reminds me... in the "old days" before the formation of the national park, Inyo County used to regularly grade that road up to the park boundary. But now it is entirely in the park, so it may get less attention.

It was exactly the narrow washout of the type that she describes which made me say "watch carefully". When the road is good, or where it is good, it can seduce you to drive 25-30. I had a similar experience driving into the Saratoga Springs from the south. The rut I hit was not much more than a foot wide, but wham, that's enough to seriously screw things up - even though I braked hard. There was a styrofoam ice chest in the back seat, next to my daughter in her car seat, and her comment after we stopped was "Dad the ice chest just exploded" - it flew into the back of my seat and, indeed, fell apart.

And that was what I was trying to ask from the ranger who chastised me for wanting to take the same daughter up to the Eureka dunes..

[TacoLand]

Okay, making sense now. Thanks for the clarification & agree with everything Kauri and Mojave weighed in with.

Best news about Big Pine Road (what I've always called it) is that it is wider, has better sight lines, and is WAY less-trafficked than Racetrack. In a sedan / low-clearance that should dial the stress down a few notches. Disclaimer goes here about spare tire, extra water, etc. etc. ... basically, be smart, don't die, and Bob's your uncle.

I've driven Big Pine Road many times, most recently 2020, and with my old 4Runner no problem cruising 40-50+ mph up and down before hitting Crankshaft Junction. Once a few years ago I saw a woman bicycle touring headed north on the road. I've always lamented that while I slowed down to 5mph and waved, I did not stop to offer her a cold drink out of my cooler.

* Editor's Note: Please don't drive 40-50+ mph on dirt roads

[bbbb]

To close the loop on this -- I found the beginning stretch of Death Valley Rd. very bumpy last week, so I decided to turn back after a short distance in the rental car. I think someone with a higher risk threshold and more patience could do it though and make it in the first few miles. I even had a patch kit, tire pump, and fix-a-flat.

More on this adventure coming soon.

[DeathValleyDazed]

More on this adventure coming soon.

OK, thanks for your updates and I anxiously await your trip reports.