It was a brisk winter morning when we packed our last items for our adventure to Death Valley National Park (DVNP). It was our first official overlanding trip with the new rooftop tent & upgraded suspension and we were ecstatic. The plan was to camp in DVNP for a few nights and then head up to Mammoth Lakes to meet my family for some snowboarding.

Death Valley National Park is approximately 188 miles away from us in Los Angeles. It is a fairly simple drive but I would strongly encourage you to plan out your trip to DVNP beforehand via a paper map or downloaded maps on your phone. The park has little to no cell reception (which is amazing) so knowing where you are going is key. I love a detailed National Geographic or AAA paper map so I went ahead and highlighted some rural locations on our map that we planned on visiting. Depending on where you go it is an extremely isolated national park with little to no amenities. Plan accordingly when it comes to essentials- food, water, gas, etc. That being said, it was pretty incredible being able to travel solely on dirt roads with little to no people for 3+ nights, especially so close to Los Angeles.

Here is what we did:

Day #1 Cerro Gordo Ghost Town & Mine

We left LA early in the AM on 1/8/2022. My fiance is big into abandoned mines so we make it a point to frequent as many of them as possible. We hopped off the 395 onto the 190 and then left onto the 136 taking a right on Cerro Gordo Road. The road to the mine was very easy, we have a 4×4 vehicle but I believe any vehicle with clearance would be able to access this mine. It was a large tunnel (you could almost fit a smaller car in it) with some old mine equipment scattered throughout. It was definitely a neat stop before traversing more into the mountains closer to the park. From the mine, we took some more backroads and ended up passing an eerie ghost town called Cerro Gordo Ghost Town, which was literally in the middle of nowhere. It was being lived in by a group of people but we did not want to stop as it was getting dark. After passing through the ghost town we traversed higher up the mountains finding an epic campsite in the hills overlooking the eastern sierras & the salt flats below. We enjoyed some red wine & steak by the fire and prepped for the next day of adventure.

Day #2 The Racetrack & Saline Valley Warm Springs

We woke up and it was brisk. Remember we are camping in January! We made our way through this gnarly road that was inside of a canyon going downhill, I believe it was called San Lucas Canyon. It was not a very used road & felt like we were the only vehicle that had driven on it in months. It had lots of fallen branches, patches of snow, & overgrown bushes. The road in the canyon led us to the valley floor where we decided to go refuel. We made our way to furnace creek where we ended up having a small breakfast at the local diner & then we were on our way to the Racetrack. Once we hit Hunter Mountain Road the road began to be more challenging. The road had silty, soft sand that regular smaller cars were getting stuck in! These cars did not have clearance or 4×4. The tires on our car were aired down & ready to take on the terrain. Once you get to teakettle junction you are pretty much there, just take a left and you have 6 or so more miles. The racetrack was epic, a must-see. The way the rocks form the lines along the valley floor is insane & just jaw-dropping. I hope to come back during a full moon & really take it all in.

From the racetrack, we made our way to my personal favorite Saline Valley Warm Springs aka the coolest place ever. We took RaceTrack Road to Lippincott Mine Road which takes you through & down the mountain. THIS ROAD IS VERY INTENSE. Do not take this road if you do not have clearance, 4-wheel drive, or if you are afraid of heights. We did switchbacks down this road that hugged the side of a cliff for about 45 minutes to an hour. This was probably the gnarliest road I have experienced, again do not try this in a regular car. From Lippincott Mine Rd we made a right onto Saline Valley Road. We took this rocky road for ~ 2.5 hours taking in the scenery. It was stunning to be smack dab in the middle of this canyon with mountain ranges on both sides with absolutely no one around. We saw wild donkeys & fighter jets on our drive to the springs. These springs are absolutely incredible, the people who live here & maintain them are angels.

You are able to camp a close walk to the springs & enjoy access to multiple tubs. We met some lovely jazz musicians who enjoyed some vino with us that evening. It was a great time. Hot springs are about socializing & respecting nature. If that is something you are not into, please don’t go.

Day #3 Nude Soak & Eureka Dunes

We enjoyed our morning at the springs & soaked with our coffee. We laughed with our new friends we met that evening about last night’s silliness. I personally cannot sit still so after relaxing for a few hours I wanted to keep moving. We should have stayed and had a 0 day at the springs but I know we will be back. From the hot springs, we headed North East towards the Marble Bath which we were unable to find. The Marble Bath is located near Steele Pass. This road requires 4×4 & clearance.

We had difficulting traversing through Dedeckera Canyon because our suspension was not high enough for some of the rock waterfalls we came across. Fortunately, we were able to move around some of the larger rocks so we could pass. This road was incredible. Pretty much driving through a slot canyon, it was amazing.

Once we exited the canyon we had eyes on our next campsite at Eureka Dunes. This place was magical, sand dunes for miles & no one around, just us. We explored the dunes, set up camp, & cooked dinner. As the sun was setting another car came down through the canyon & it was actually another Land Cruiser! We were stoked to meet a new friend who ended up being a professional photographer. (See the sand dune photo he took below).

Day #4 Mammoth Bound Baby

We woke up around 4:30 AM because it was literally FREEZING. It was about ~12ºF in our rooftop tent with frost everywhere & we were shivering. We were shocked because the night before near the springs it was about 40ºF. Since we were so freaking cold I made us pack up early, we watched the sunrise over the dunes as we drove past them. We made a left on Big Pine Death Valley Road and started heading back to the 396 North. The drive through this mountain range was spectacular in the early morning. Once we hit Big Pine area we needed to refuel for gas & headed straight to Mammoth Lakes.

We will definitely be back to Death Valley National Park in the near future. We still have so much we want to see & explore! If anyone reading this wants to join us who has a capable vehicle we would love to plan a trip! Now, get out there & let’s go do something!