Eureka Valley or Bust

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I had some time in beginning of December, so I decided to make my annual pilgrimage to the Park a little bit earlier in the year than usual. I have spent a lot of time in the central and southern areas of the Park, but had not explored areas north of Ubehebe Crater and Eureka Valley before. The last time I made it out to Ubehebe Crater and looked north towards the mountains, it was striking how different the black rock in the area looked in contrast to other areas of Death Valley.


 
The plan was to drive north from Ubehebe Crater up Death Valley/Big Pine Rd. Making it six or seven miles north would have gotten me to the intersection with Skookum Mine Rd., which I could have used for a stepping off point for Eureka Valley and the dunes there.



However, Death Valley Rd. is an unpaved bacountry road, and there wasn’t any indication what recent conditions on the road were. I certainly did not want to take the risk of getting stuck on the road in a rental car with flat tires. When I was finally in the area last Tuesday, I drove about 100 yards down the road before turning back. Those 100 yards were very washboardy with occasional sharp rocks. It was not worth the risk in my opinion.


 
This would add additional miles to the hike and make it less likely that I could get to Eureka Valley. I ended up parking at the crater parking area.
 

 
I stepped off at about 2:30 that afternoon with about 3.5 gallons of water. Hiking north from the Crater towards Skookum Rd., there were some neat beds of what looked to be baby Joshua trees sprouting.
 
It was also odd to run across cairns in the area. There certainly weren’t any foot prints to be found other than my own.


 
There were also some old cans around the area.
 


The turn left (west) where my path crossed the mining road was just at the edge of hill on the right side:


 
Most of my backpacking time is spent hiking with headphones on. The combination of listening to podcasts or music while hiking is a perfect blend for me. After I made the turn west and started heading down the mining road area, I heard a sharp sound pierce the air. I turned to my left and saw a large fighter jet a few hundred feet from me. It looked like it had sped out of one of the neighboring canyons. He passed awfully close to me, and unfortunately I didn’t have my camera in hand. My camera also had a wide angle lens (14-24mm) affixed to the body at that time, so it wouldn’t have made for a good shot. Why had the plane passed so close to me, though? Surely the pilot couldn't have spotted me, a little blue dot with a backpack, from the air.

I ended up caching one of the gallons of water I was carrying near my paths intersection with the Skookum Road. It was interesting seeing fresh tire tracks, when I had read accounts of the road being closed. Apparently someone was still using this road.


 
I hiked further up the hills, west, into the Last Change Range.
 
The different washes and dry creeks started to get slightly confusing, and I admittedly went off course a couple of times. There were some larger Joshua trees, though.


 
One of the decisions I am always working through while hiking alone in the backcountry is the decision to head back. Being a party-of-one in a desert environment means trying to cut risk as much as possible.

As I reached the halfway point between Ubehebe Crater and Eureka Dunes, it was becoming apparent that it would be difficult reaching the dunes and getting back to the trailhead with only two nights remaining in the trip. I decided to turn around.
I would still spend a second night out under the stars though. It was great being able to camp with some terrific views across the valley that night, and that warm weather -- with daytime highs near 80 and nighttime lows in the 50s -- meant that I could sleep staring at the stars without a rain fly on my tent.


 
The next morning as I headed out, I was treated to a really beautiful sunrise as the sun hit the Last Chance Range.
 

 
I still really wanted to make it to Eureka Valley, however. Admittedly, part of the calculus in turning around during the hike was considering getting a rental jeep – and driving to Eureka Valley. I drove the one to two hours back south to Furnace Creek and went to Farabees to pick up jeep. The person at the rental counter was extremely nice to me, and I was back on the road heading back north towards Death Valley Rd./Big Pine Rd. in no time.

It became clear at this point that driving the rental car on those first seven miles of Death Valley Rd. would have been difficult. The washboard only gave way to smooth packed sand or dirt for small sections.

There were some remarkable looking fans and washes west across the valley that appeared on the drive towards Crankshaft Junction. Some of them looked like they would be neat for exploring at a later date.



The road became much windier and interesting after Crankshaft. This is probably the part of the route where high clearance and four-wheel drive is more important. It felt good to get on the short distance of paved road that happens to be in place before the turn onto Eureka Valley Road. But the most notable sight for me was when Eureka Valley came into view for the first time. The vast and empty space with different shades of blue, brown, and gray was awe-inspiring.



And then finally, the towering dunes came into view at the end of Eureka Valley Road.



I had about an hour left of sunlight when I arrived, so I quickly picked a camping spot and scurried up the dunes. Climbing the sand becomes incredibly frustrating toward the upper crest of the dunes, and it reminded me of hiking through deep snow, where each step up also means sinking down and exerting more effort.

Seeing the dunes for the first was incredible, though. The Mesquite Dunes near Stovepipe Wells are also brilliant, but here in Eureka Valley everything was on a much grander scale.





The possible letdown of the trip were some of the conditions at the Eureka Dry camp. It was clear that people who had been at my camping site previously had created small sand mounds for burying human waste immediately within the camp site. Also, after having two nights camping the backcountry, I had some rowdy neighbors with a loud radio, barking dogs, and loud chatter that went well into the evening. Fortunately, they were some distance away and the camping sites were well spaced, but it was still a shock after spending two nights in the backcountry.

Seeing a fire pit in the area, I decided to make a small fire since it was one of the few chances I've had to make a legal fire in the Park.



The next day would turn out to be one of the best days I had ever spent in the Park for a couple of reasons. The first highlight was climbing the dunes before dawn and waiting for the sun to come up. In contrast to the 50 degree weather I had woken up to in northern Death Valley the previous two mornings, in Eureka Valley, I woke up to ice crystals on the inside of my tent. Large chunks of ice were floating in my water supply too. It was therefore chilly waiting for the sun to rise while sitting atop the dunes that morning. But watching the sun's rays slide across the valley floor that December morning, before at long last hitting the peaks of the dunes, was an incredible sight.
 

 
On the way back to Furnace Creek to return the rental jeep, I stopped to take a couple of pictures of the road too.


 
As I pulled over and took this picture, something else caught my attention though: it was the sound of jet fighters flying around the valley a few miles west of me. I zoomed in as far as I could with my 70-200mm lens and tried to follow them.
I spotted them above Ubehebe Crater and Racetrack Road:


 

 
The next moment took my breath away, though. One of the jets flew south of their crossover point and turned east towards me.
 

 


 
I had been spotted, and it appeared the plane was coming in for a closer look. I had a split second to decide whether to film, take photos, or just experience what might be a close fly by. I decided to hold my camera down and shoot photos while trying to watch with my eyes at the same time.

It was pretty exhilarating as the plane swooped towards me. It was upon me in only a few moments and rushed by silently. It was only a moment later that the loud jet woosh sound caught up and blasted my ears.

I managed to get a couple of out-of-focus shots during the passing but I was content to have experienced the moment rather than looking at the whole thing through a camera viewfinder.
 

 
After that, I drove to Stovepipe Wells to fill up the jeep. I recall gas being more in the $4/gallon price range as opposed to the $6.50 they were charging at Furnace Creek.

My final though is that I think the Eureka Valley backpack trek is doable from Death Valley, but for me it will be on another day in another year.

All of that said, the highlights for me on this trip: exploring northern Death Valley on foot near Ubehebe Crater, experiencing a sunset and sunrise at the Eureka Dunes, and getting buzzed by a fighter jet. I don't rent jeeps often, but Farabee Jeep Rental was extremely nice and did me a favor for this trip, so I really appreciate getting to deal with them. 

Here's a final shot of Crankshaft and the rental jeep:

[Bluegreen kayak]

Wonderful pictures and descriptions, thank you. I haven't done much in the north part of the park either, but your photos of the Eureka Dunes make me think I should try it soon.  I'm often a solo hiker too, so I'm glad nothing went wrong for you.

[Kauri]

Great trip report, thank you for sharing, and especially enjoyed seeing all the photos!

I believe the cairns are probably mining claim markers, supported by the evidence of old cans in the area. (I think it was MojaveGeek who clued me in to this, in regards to cairns in a remote area near Tucki Mountain).

That's concerning to see fresh tire tracks on the Skookum Road. I'd be concerned someone illegally bypassed the road closure signs which I think are at the start of the road.

[DeathValleyDazed]

Here's a final shot of Crankshaft and the rental jeep:

Kauri, I felt the same thrills of seeing the Eureka Dunes and being flown over by jets for the first time. Never a dull moment in DEVA. (I'm typing this with the free but slow wifi at Stovepipe Wells.)