Weekend of mischief in DV

[Beardilocks]

I ran across this place 4 years ago just after DV added several areas to the park back around 5yrs ago?  This is definitely now within the park boundaries.  My biggest issue with it is there is a road going through it and what was a vintage miners cabin there.  It had obviously been heavily modified by whoever was occupying it and there were homemade signs on the road that said something along the lines of “honk to drive though if shooting”.  Area was absolutely full of shell casings and other junk.

I filed a report with a LEO and he was eager to deal with it. But that was fully 4yrs ago now.  Glad to see that was taken care of.

[Daymoth]

Daymoth, a good source of information for Gold Butte is Jim Boone's website, birdandhike.com

Thanks! Im very much aware! His website is in general a goldmine for desert stuff.

[Beardilocks]

Also, check out gjhikes.com

[Daymoth]

Oh feel free to detail.

WHAT????? Not even take a report?

(I cant agree more with you on wishing they let Scotty's Castle alone and spent the money on the actual park)

Ok, here are the deets...

I'm camping in DV wilderness study area 17, at the south end of the park to ride out this storm front.  I start hearing a lot of shooting and wonder if recreational shooting is allowed in wilderness areas.  Beardilocks alerted me to a nearby cabin where he suspected they were located.  I grabbed my spy binoculars and went on a covert operation.  I scurried up a nearby hill and sure enough that's where they were.

(...)

Anyway, it took several phone calls to various numbers, both BLM and NPS to finally get a hold of someone in NPS death valley.  They said they'd alert a ranger but that it's outside the park bounday and generally seemed unconcerned.  I also left a message with the California BLM resources crime number and haven't heard back.  No surprise there.

Glad the operation was a success and you were exfiltrated safely!

I didnt appreciate WSA17 is not part of the NPS but BLM, I can then understand better if its not their jurisdiction. I had good luck with the Ridgecrest BLM office people, they have allways answered my emails within a week.

Edit: so it is within the park?? Sound like a beurocratic no mans land going on.

[Daymoth]

Also, check out gjhikes.com

Yup. Thats been my morning  . Ive used his site extensively for Utah, its so good.


Ive been trying to explore the vermillion cliffs but everytime we are there there is a snowstorm and the roads become muck and our soccermom SUV would so not make it. So maybe this is the time. 

Have only been once to the san rafael near the goblins. 

Also want to make it to NM and CO but thats so far and there are too many good distractions in between...

So much to do!

[GowerGulch42]

That particular cabin is 1.3 miles outside the current park boundary, which I got from the NPS spatial data library. The cabin is also outside the wilderness area, the Avawatz Mountains Wilderness within the 50-foot swath on either side of that road. You can see all the current boundaries for BLM lands here: https://webmaps.blm.gov/program_apps/BLM...rtunities/

[Beardilocks]

That particular cabin is 1.3 miles outside the current park boundary, which I got from the NPS spatial data library. The cabin is also outside the wilderness area, the Avawatz Mountains Wilderness within the 50-foot swath on either side of that road. You can see all the current boundaries for BLM lands here: https://webmaps.blm.gov/program_apps/BLM...rtunities/

Huh.  I was under the impression (an impression given to me by the NPS LEO I showned the cabin to on a map) that it was part of the new section acquired by the park a few years back from the BLM.   But I guess it’s still just outside that.  Likely law enforcement didn’t have a grasp on where the still-then-very-new boundary was.  

https://www.desertusa.com/dusablog/death...-and-more/

[MojaveGeek]

gjhikes doesn't have a lot of Gold Butte, mostly the well known petro sites (there are MANY more).  Jim's site is much more extensive, and I'm sure is the definitive web resource.  Now, full disclosure, I know Jim, I'll see him next week and I've spent a bunch of time hanging out in Gold Butte with him; in fact I'm in a few of his pix as the ubiquitous "hiker".  The "Uranium Ridge" route is my photos and narrative.  He also has some some quality DV hikes; again some of those are routes I showed him and we are in a few of the pix, though they are mostly the "tourist" routes and I asked him to not publish some that I thought were a bit sensitive (including one we have been discussing recently .  Jim is a real life biologist and knows his desert plants, birds, and animals, and he also did a lot of work in getting Gold Butte established as a national monument.  Good guy.

[Daymoth]

gjhikes doesn't have a lot of Gold Butte, mostly the well known petro sites (there are MANY more).  Jim's site is much more extensive, and I'm sure is the definitive web resource.  Now, full disclosure, I know Jim, I'll see him next week and I've spent a bunch of time hanging out in Gold Butte with him; in fact I'm in a few of his pix as the ubiquitous "hiker".  The "Uranium Ridge" route is my photos and narrative.  He also has some some quality DV hikes; again some of those are routes I showed him and we are in a few of the pix, though they are mostly the "tourist" routes and I asked him to not publish some that I thought were a bit sensitive (including one we have been discussing recently .  Jim is a real life biologist and knows his desert plants, birds, and animals, and he also did a lot of work in getting Gold Butte established as a national monument.  Good guy.

Tell Jim hi from a fan and thanks for all his work.

Ive also seen you as ubiquitous hiker in Hulteen's photo blog! You are everywhere! 

[Daymoth]

I come with news!

The bats are getting a gate in the next few weeks.