Brad, here are 15 off road destinations in Death Valley National Park itself; many more are just outside. Thousand miles of offroading in Death Valley NP!http://www.nps.gov/d...e&PageID=129616
1) Hole-in-the-Wall
Vehicle needed: high-clearance
first 4 miles; 4x4 required
beyond
Distance: 4 miles to the “hole”;
2 more miles to road’s end
Start: 5.5 miles east of Furnace
Creek Inn on Hwy 190
Camping: yes, after first 2 miles
Description: This road traverses
east up a gravel wash. After
passing through the 400' deep
gap called Hole-in-the-Wall, the
road becomes rougher.
2) Echo Canyon
Vehicle needed: high-clearance
first 3 miles, 4x4 required
beyond
Distance: 10 miles to Inyo Mine
Start: 2 miles east of Furnace
Creek Inn on Hwy 190
Camping: yes, after first 2 miles
Description: The road tends to
have deep gravel and is quite rocky 3
miles from the highway. The Needle’s
Eye, a natural arch, is located within the
canyon narrows. A side road to the left
climbs over a small saddle and
eventually leads to Amargosa Valley,
but is very rough, requiring a short
wheelbase 4x4 and an experienced
driver. The main road continues to
the Inyo Mine with its old
structures and remnants of
mining
equipment.
4) Titus Canyon
Vehicle needed: high-clearance
Distance: 27 miles
Start: Nevada Highway 374
(Daylight Pass Road), 2 miles
east of park boundary
Camping: no
Description: This popular road is
ONE-WAY from east to west.
The road re-enters the park and
winds through the Grapevine
Mountains, then drops down
through one of Death Valley’s
most spectacular canyons.
Along the way watch for the
ghost town of Leadfield and
petroglyphs at Klare Spring.
Please report sightings of
Bighorn Sheep to the visitor
center. A free information
handout describing the trip
highlights can be picked up at
the visitor center.
5) Phinney Canyon
Vehicle needed: high-clearance first 21
miles, 4x4 required beyond.
Distance: 23 miles to pass
Start: 11.7 miles north of Beatty, Nevada
on Highway 95, watch for gated road to
the left
Camping: yes
Description: Heading west across
Sarcobatus Flats, the road forks in 12
miles to Strozzi Ranch on the left, and to
Phinney Canyon on the right. Pinyon
pine woodlands appear after the canyon
is entered, and the road quickly becomes
4x4. From the pass there are views of
the Grapevine Mountains high country
and glimpses of the Sierra Nevada
Range.
◆ A vehicle with high-clearance will be
necessary for all of the roads described
below, but four wheel-drive may also be
required on some of the rougher roads.
Inquire at the Furnace Creek Visitor
Center or other ranger stations for
additional information and current road
conditions.
3) Chloride City
Vehicle needed: high-clearance first 2
miles, 4x4 required beyond
Distance: 14 miles
Start: 3.4 miles east of Hell's Gate on
Daylight Pass Road
Camping: yes, after first 2 miles
Description: One of the earliest sites of
mining in Death Valley can be reached
via a loop drive. Two miles from the
Daylight Pass Road is Monarch
Canyon where the road becomes deeply
rutted. The side road to Chloride City
and Chloride Cliff beyond climbs
steeply to the right at 5.3 miles. Loop
back to the paved road an easier way by
continuing northeast down the road
from the Chloride City junction.
◆ Please stay on established roads and
respect wilderness closures.
◆ Do not remove or disturb any cultural
or natural features in the park.
◆ Be sure to carry plenty of water; never
rely on backcountry water sources.
◆ Backcountry camping is restricted to
certain areas, please check in at the
visitor center before planning an
overnight trip and fill out a free
Backcountry Camping Permit.
◆ Travel and camp using "Leave No
Trace" principles.
Inquire about all unpaved road
conditions before traveling.
Backcountry Roads
Death Valley National Park
9) Cottonwood and
Marble Canyons
Vehicle needed: high-clearance first
8 miles, 4x4 recommended beyond
Distance: 13 miles Marble Canyon;
16 miles Cottonwood Canyon
Start: east of the Stovepipe Wells airstrip
Camping: yes, after first 8 miles
Description: For the first 8 miles, the
road crosses Mesquite Flat and climbs
a broad alluvial fan before reaching the
canyon mouth. The road drops into the
wash and becomes rocky and rough.
One mile past the end of the first
narrows, a side road leads up to Marble
Canyon. Hikers can continue up the
canyon beyond road’s end to see some
of the finest canyon narrows in the
park. Two miles beyond road's end up
Cottonwood Canyon is a flowing
stream lined with cottonwood trees.
10) Tucki Mine Road
Vehicle needed: 4x4 required
Distance: 10 miles
Start: 1.7 miles up Emigrant Canyon
Road from Emigrant Junction. At the
mouth of the canyon the road can be seen
climbing up the bank on the other side
Camping: yes, after first 2 miles
Description: After following along the
base of the mountains the road enters
Telephone Canyon. Two and a half
miles from its mouth, the canyon forks.
A short walk up the right fork will
bring you to a natural arch and an old
mill site. The road continues up the left
fork to the ruins of Tucki Mine.
11) Trail Canyon
Vehicle needed: high-clearance first 4
miles, 4x4 required beyond
Distance: 12 miles
Start: 5 miles from the north end of
West Side Road
Camping: yes, after first 2 miles
Description: This road leads to a spring
and old mining area at the forks of the
canyon. After entering the wash, the
first side canyon on your left (south)
makes a nice short hike.
12) Hanaupah Canyon
Vehicle needed: high-clearance first 5
miles, 4x4 recommended in wash
Distance: 8 miles
Sart: 11 miles from the north end of
West Side Road
Camping: yes, after first 2 miles
Description: It climbs the huge alluvial fan
before dropping into the gravel wash at
the canyon’s mouth 5 miles in. Follow
the south fork of the canyon to road’s
end, downstream from Hanaupah
Springs. Hikers can continue past the
end of the road to the spring and old
mining area.
13) Johnson Canyon
Vehicle needed: high-clearance first
6 miles; 4x4 beyond
Distance: 10 miles
Start: about 20 miles from either end of
the West Side Road
Camping: yes, after first 2 miles
Description: Beyond the end of the road
a 2 mile hike leads up the canyon to
Hungry Bill’s Ranch, with its rockwalled
terraces and fruit trees.
Continue on foot up the south fork
another ½ mile to several old mining
prospects.
14) Butte Valley via
Warm Springs Canyon
Vehicle needed: high-clearance first 10
miles to talc mines; 4x4 required
beyond
Distance: 21 miles to Butte Valley
Start: West Side Road, 2.9 miles from
southern end
Camping: yes, after first 2 miles
Description: This road follows Warm
Springs Canyon past several talc mines
before leading into scenic Butte Valley,
at an elevation of 4500'. A rough road
leads out of the park over Mengle Pass
and into Panamint Valley to the west
via Goler Wash (4x4 required).
15) Greenwater Valley
Vehicle needed: high-clearance
Distance: 28 miles
Start: Dante's View Road, 7.5 miles
south of Hwy 190
Camping: yes, after 2 miles from either
end
Description: From the Dante's View
Road to Hwy 178, this road follows the
length of this mid-elevation valley.
Good for spring wildflowers if winter
rains fall. Once bustling during mining
booms, little remains of the ghost
towns of Furnace and Greenwater
accessible via side roads. A rough,
dead-end road to Gold Valley (4x4
required) leads off to the west 17 miles
from the north end.
6) The Racetrack
Vehicle needed: high-clearance
Distance: 28 miles to The Racetrack
Start: Ubehebe Crater Road
Camping: yes, after first 2 miles, but no
camping between Teakettle Junction
and Homestake Dry Camp.
Description: This road leads to The
Racetrack, a dry lakebed famous for its
“moving rocks." Two miles beyond the
playa is the ruins of the Lippincott
Mine and an informal camping area
known as Homestake Dry Camp.
Do not drive onto the dry lakebed!
7) Hunter Mountain and
Hidden Valley
Vehicle needed: high-clearance to
Hidden Valley; 4x4 recommended over
Hunter Mountain
Distance: 40 miles from Teakettle
Junction to Hwy 190
Start: Teakettle Junction, Racetrack Road
Camping: yes
Description: From Teakettle Junction the
road becomes rougher. At the junction
3.2 miles in, the left fork (NE) continues
10 miles to White Top Mountain (4x4)
while the right fork leads one mile up
to the Lost Burro Mine. The main road
continues through Hidden Valley and
Ulida Flat, passing several abandoned
mining areas. The road climbs steeply
up onto the wooded plateau that is
Hunter Mountain. Snow and icy
conditions may make this section
impassable in winter. The road
improves after it joins the southern end
of Saline Valley Road to Hwy 190.
8) Saline Valley
Vehicle needed: high-clearance, but
may require 4x4 in winter. Subject to
winter closures.
Distance: 78 miles from Hwy 190 to
Big Pine Road
Start: 13.7 miles west of Panamint
Springs on Hwy 190
Camping: yes
Description: One of the most remote
locations in California, this desert
basin is surrounded by rugged
mountains on all sides. Finest Joshua
tree forest in the park located 8 miles
in at Lee Flat. Also salt marsh, sand
dunes, warm springs, and stunning
views of Inyo Mountains.
