  Death Valley National Park
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 awayhome's Death Valley National Park Travelogues | | | |
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| Page Views: 597 Last Visit to Death Valley National Park: April, 2004 | A Unique Route from Los Angeles to Death Valley by awayhome - last update: Apr 15, 2004 |
A Springtime drive to Death Valley | On the road to Death Valley |
We departed northern Los Angeles by 6:30 am heading north on the 405 freeway and eventually merging onto the 14 freeway north passing Palmdale, Lancaster, & Mojave. |
| Jet planes in the Mojave desert |
Highway 14 through Mojave In Mojave you'll notice hundreds of idle jumbo jets sitting silently on a lonesome desert tarmac. Airlines from all around the world store their surplus airplanes here in the Mojave desert since the dry desert air helps preserve their expensive equipment. It's an impressive sight to see as you drive thru the desert. |
| The old town of Randsburg |
Detour to Randsburg, CA Just south of Red Rock Canyon you should take the Randsburg Red Riock Rd. past Kohen Dry Lake to the small mining town of Randsburg. This is a good place to glimpse what a small California mining town looks like. There is even a small town "Soda Fountain" where you can load up on root beer floats and talk to dusty old men just down from the mountains. The population here is only a few hundred but it was a very interesting stop. |
Trona Pinnacles aka "Planet of the Apes" From Randsburg head north (turn left) onto Trona Rd. towards the Searless Valley. Trona Rd. will eventually meet up with Highway 178 (turn right heading north east). Along this route you'll come across the Trona Pinnacles which is about 7 miles off of the highway and can be reached by regular passenger vehicle. Trona Pinnacles is a unique geological area formed tens of thousands of years ago under an ancient lakebed. This place looks so out of this world that Hollywood filmed "Planet of the Apes" here in the 1990's. |
| Our first view at lonesome Panamint Valley |
Into the Panamint Valley Continue north on Highway 178 (Trona Rd.) thru the dreary Borax mining town of Trona. Keep your nose plugged going thru here because the stench can be overpowering. Trona is alos your last chance to get a full tank of gas before heading over one more mountain range and down into the empty Panamint Valley. This is where you'll get your first glimpse of the Panamint mountains and its just beyond those mountains where Death Valley lays. Continue north on Trona-Wildrose Rd. until you see the dirt road trun off to the ghost town of Ballarat. Ballarat is a good place to stage before heading into the Panamint Mountains and start your search for the final hideout of cult killer Charles Manson & his gank of hippies. |
| Heading up Goler Canyon past the rock falls |
Goler Wash: On our way to an infamous hideout From Ballarat take the dirt road called Wingate Rd. for about 15 miles heading south past a huge mining operation and continue until the road curves to the east at the base of the Panamint mountains. You'll enter the mouth of Goler Canyon or Goler Wash. It' s up this canyon where you'll find Barker Ranch, the final hideout for the Manson Gang who were captured here in 1969. |
| Inside Charles Mansons last hideout |
Charles Manson & his gang of hippy killers You'll need a high clearence 4x4 vehicle to get up the canyon and be sure you check out weather conditions before heading up. You don't want to get stuck up there during a flash flood. The road up can be a bit difficult but we made it up despite being novice 4x4'ers...and we made it up in a stock Jeep Cherokee with stock suspension. The most difficult part of the drive up is just past themouth of Goler Canyon where you'll encounter a few sets of rock falls that will require you to procede up slowly in 4x4 and a low gear. Once you clear this initial set of rock falls its pretty much smooth sailing all the way up to Barker Ranch. You can even camp up at the ranch if you don't get freaked out about hanging out where killers once lived. |
| the heart of the Panamint mountains & on to DV |
Into Death Valley We eventually headed back down Goler Canyon and headed back to Ballarat Head east out of Ballarat on Wildrose Rd. to Emigrant Canyon Rd where you'll be greeted with spectacular views of the Panamint mountains and 11,000+ ft Telescope Peak. You'll eventually make it out of the mountains meetingup with Highway 190 (turn right) and head into Death Valley & Stove Pipe Wells where the towering sand dunes spread out across Mesquite Flat. From here Death Valley is all yours to explore. |
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 Comments for awayhome about Death Valley National Park | | | | |
Redang Sun Jul 10, 2005 16:13 UTC
For me, DV is one of the most impressive places I have ever visited in my life! (I even went in Aug) | craic Fri Jun 10, 2005 20:11 UTC
Gee intersting pics of barker ranch. And Irises. How Vincent. Very odd and strange. Helter Skelter. | Elena_007 Wed Jan 19, 2005 16:46 UTC
Excellent pages on Death Valley and very interesting tips. I love the travelogues. That pic of you in mid-air is a great shot! The sand dunes are amazing. ~Elaine~ | Jim_Eliason Sat Dec 25, 2004 20:25 UTC
Nice page! |
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