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About

Where else can you be below sea level and then several thousand feet above on the same day? Death Valley is packed full of history, incredible views, and awesome places to ride. We’ve broken this ride into 4 days across 4 different riding sections. For our ride, we used Furnace Creek as our base camp and split the rides into several loops. You can do as we did or use our maps to help plan your own Death Valley adventure.

Preparation

In preparation for any adventure ride, it is critical you take time to carefully plan. Not only do you need to plan routes, food and time, but you need to make sure that your bike is ready and that you have the right tools, riding gear, camping gear and emergency equipment.

• Tool Essentials for Adventure Motorcycle Riding.

• The Packing Guide for Adventure Motorcycle Riding.

This ride is very weather and fuel dependent. Late fall through early spring is the ideal time to embark on this ride. Fuel range is also a very important factor throughout this course, with at least a 200-mile range recommended for each bike attempting the ride. Carrying fuel, even if you are sure of your range, is recommended in case of a re-route or an unexpected situation. Having off-road capable tires, luggage, a skid plate, hand guards, crash bars, proper air pressure, and good riding and camping gear are a must. It’s also essential to carry the proper tools and know how to use them in these remote areas. We recommend packing spare tubes for both tube and tubeless setups. Cell service is limited, so be sure you let people know where you are going and have a PLB (Personal Locater Beacon) in case of emergencies. Make sure you also have a good GPS system or program such as OnX with you and have all the necessary maps downloaded beforehand.

GPS File Name: Manson Loop
GPS File Name: Wildrose Charcoal Kiln’s (Optional)
GPS File Name: Artist DR Scenic Loop (Optional)

Furnace Creek, Panamint Springs, and Stovepipe Wells

The Manson loop is one of our shortest loops in Death Valley. After leaving our base camp in Furnace Creek and fueling up with gas, we hit the lowest place in the continental US: Badwater. After checking out Badwater for a bit, we hit the highway and soon after our first dirt section. Down in the basins is where a lot of the finer material ends up, so expect them to be full of loose sand and gravel.

Eventually we rose from below sea level to several thousand feet and arrived at the Warm Springs Camp. We explored the camp ruins and checked out some of the nearby mines. After some snacks and exploration, we continued up the wash.

The next stop was Geologists and Stella’s cabin. Geologists Cabin is the most recently built and has some amazing views of Striped Butte. These are free-use cabins, and you are welcome to spend the night in them; just be sure to leave them cleaner than you found them.

Our most difficult section of the day was Mengel Pass, and it didn’t help that we ran into a broken-down Jeep on the trail. It is easier to do Mengel Pass from the west to the east, but for the challenge, we decided to go east to west.
Once over the pass, we had to stop and check out where the infamous Charles Manson was arrested at Barker Ranch. We also had a short trail lunch after some exploration.

On the way out through Goler Wash, keep an eye out for a few more mines as well as lines for the tram that were used for the mines. After making our way out into the valley, our next stop was Ballarat. The Trading Post is a good spot to take a break and grab some water or drinks and learn about the history of the town. We headed back out to the slab and then to our gas stop in Panamint Springs. After a quick fill-up on fuel, water, and snacks, we headed back over Towne Pass back to camp.

We rode clockwise over Towne Pass for a challenge, but going clockwise would definitely be the easier way to go. There are also a few easy optional offshoots that we didn’t see due to time, but if you have some spare time and want to explore more of Death Valley, be sure to hit them!

Furnace Creek

Furnace Creek is a great central hub to base your Death Valley adventures. We camped in our tents at the Furnace Creek Campground behind the visitor center. Right next door is the Ranch at Death Valley, and for a small fee, you can purchase a pool/shower card, which is a nice way to wrap up a long day of riding before crawling into your sleeping bag. They also have a small general store and a fascinating Borax Museum that you can walk through. The area has a few other alternatives for lodging if the campground and Ranch are full. We recommend booking your accommodations well in advance. When staying outdoors, be sure to keep food put away in containers since coyotes in the area love to scrounge around for a midnight snack.

Artists Palette (Optional Offshoot)

From the turnoff onto Badwater Rd, drive 8.6 miles to the entrance of Artists Drive. This is a one-way scenic 9.2-mile partial loop from one end of Artists Drive on Badwater Rd to the other end of Artists Drive on Badwater Rd. To view Artists Palette, a short but moderate hike is required. This scenic loop will end up backtracking a few miles along the route on Badwater Rd, so be mindful of your fuel if you choose this scenic detour.

Badwater Basin

The first stop along the Manson loop is Badwater Basin. Sitting at 282 feet below sea level, Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America and is located atop the remains of what once was an ancient lake, Lake Manly. A sign can be seen up on the mountainside when you pull into the parking area for Badwater Basin that marks where sea level falls, which is a cool indicator to show you just how much further below Badwater Basin sits. Salt flats cover the area as well and are even more visible with an easy 1.5-2-mile walk. If you scan the horizon to your west, you should be able to see the highest peak in the Panamint Range, Telescope Peak, standing out in the distance at 11,049 ft tall – a stark contrast to the low depths of Badwater Basin.

Warm Springs Camp

What is now known as Warm Springs Camp was most recently occupied as a mining camp for talc, a soft white mineral used in many products such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and even food. The first mining camp was built at Warm Springs in the 1930s, and even a gold mine was assisted in operating with the water from the springs in the late 1930s. The last mine owner, Pfizer Inc., ceased mining operations in the early 1980s and turned the mine over to the National Park Service in 1984. Several buildings, structures, and abandoned machinery are still in relatively good shape and stand as a testament of past mining days, though posted signs do warn of potential dangers such as Hantavirus and Asbestos.

However, long before it was a mine, Warm Springs has likely been the home or winter quarters of many Native Americans, such as the Panamint Shoshone, who used the natural warm waters to grow crops and assist their way of life. Petroglyphs in the area suggest even earlier habitation of the Warm Springs Camp.

Geologist’s Cabin & Stella’s Cabin

Geologist’s Cabin is a cool little treasure on the outskirts of the Butte Valley. It boasts a beautiful view of Striped Butte and is open for public use. Built in the 1930s by Asa Panamint Russ Russell, the cabin was used while he mined in the nearby peaks. Eventually given to the National Park, the cabin can now be used by passersby and boasts some nice amenities for a stop in the middle of nowhere: a pipe for a natural spring, a nice outhouse, a fireplace, shelter from the elements, books, occasionally food, and more. Journals and logbooks are also present so you can read about past visitors and add your adventure story. Wild animals, especially burros, are present in numbers around the cabin as well.

Less than ¾ of a mile from Geologist’s Cabin is another structure named Stella’s Cabin. Though not in as good of shape as the former, Stella’s Cabin also boasts some interesting history, including newspaper clips about the last owner, Stella Anderson. A prospector herself, Stella, stayed on living in the little remote cabin for several years after her husband, Clinton Anderson (also a prospector in the area) had passed away. She was well into her 70s before she had to eventually move.

Mengel Pass

Mengel Pass is a challenging section of road in the Death Valley area. Large boulders and loose rocks in the trail contribute to the difficulty, and a steep incline with off-camber sections can make it difficult to navigate. Be aware that the desert landscape is always changing, and it could worsen over time.

Barker Ranch

Barker Ranch, once a peaceful recreational and mining ranch, was first built by Butch and Helen Thomason in the 1930s to support their mining aspirations. In 1955, James and Arlene Barker, an Oklahoma couple, purchased the ranch to live remotely in the desert and engage in mining as well. They expanded the house and built more outbuildings to accommodate family and friends.

However, in 1969, the ranch was occupied by a group of hippie vandals that had been terrorizing equipment and sites around Death Valley National Park. An alliance of park rangers, sheriff’s deputies, and patrolmen started investigating into the crimes and eventually narrowed the culprits down to the Barker Ranch and surrounding area. When they had enough evidence to make an arrest, they discovered the group was a cult with a leader named Charles Manson, and they called themselves the Manson Family. Manson was found hiding in a bathroom cabinet under the sink.

At first, the law enforcement officers only suspected the group of the crimes around the park, but while in jail, one of the members bragged to her cellmate that she had participated in some unsolved Los Angeles murders earlier that year. Her cellmate told the guards, and upon investigation, it was discovered that Manson and the family were responsible for committing at least 9 murders in the Los Angeles area.

The Barker family let the house go and it started to fall into disrepair in the early 1970s. It was soon after donated to the national park. The main house on the Barker Ranch unfortunately caught fire in 2009, so ruins now mostly cover the once thriving ranch.

Goler Wash

Goler Wash is a beautiful but narrow wash that leads out to the Panamint Mountain Range. The area was discovered in 1860 by a German prospector. The discovery led it to become a hotbed of mining activity. While riding through the wash, keep an eye on the canyon walls for mines; the largest in the area is the Keystone mine camp, with several structures and neat places to explore. After Keystone, the wash narrows and has several springs that cover the trail with water, making the trail slick.

Ballarat

The name Ballarat came from an Australian miner who named the town after a successful ghost town from the land down under, Australia. The town was used as a mining supply station starting in 1896. Ballarat housed around 500 people at its peak population. As a stop along the Wells Fargo route, it featured three hotels, a school, and seven saloons, which made it a pretty decent-sized town. Today the Trading Post is all that remains, but it offers plenty of details about the town's history for those who are curious to learn.

GPS File Name: Ubehebe & Bonnie Clair Loop
GPS File Name: Eurekea Dunes (Optional)
GPS File Name: Bonnie Clair Expert Section

Furnace Creek & Beatty

Starting the day off again at Furnace Creek, we fueled up the bikes and headed north on the highway. This section is long and doesn’t have a lot of gas stops, so we highly recommend carrying spare fuel! After a long stretch of pavement, we came to our first point of interest, Ubehebe Crater. After exploring the crater, we headed back down the hill and turned onto our first dirt section of the day.

The roads were fast-paced dirt highways with some surface sand that had blown over. There were also some deep cross ruts from a recent storm that were marked with cones, which is a good reminder that if you see a random cone in the desert, it’s probably best to slow down! Continuing to make our way up in elevation, we came upon an abandoned sulfur mine.

After exploring the mine, we headed down into the Eureka Valley. We ran into a couple from Belgium who were bikepacking all the way to Las Vegas from San Francisco (and we thought we were tough!). After chatting for a bit, we headed down to the valley floor.

Once into the valley, you can make an optional detour to check out the Eureka Dunes that will add a total of 19.2 miles to the route. If you choose to check out the dunes, keep in mind that the next gas stop is in Beatty and quite a long distance away!

Riding through the twists and turns of the high desert and smelling the juniper trees is always enjoyable. The roads were excellent, and our pace was easy. We almost rode onto a sheet of ice around a blind corner, but we were able to see it and stop in time. A combination of flowing spring water, shade on the trail, and night temps in the low 20s kept this section frozen throughout the day. It was a good reminder to always be alert.

After heading out of the Sylvania Mountains, we hit some more highspeed dirt to our next stop, Goldpoint. This town has been through several name changes but has been taken care of by some awesome people. We got a nice cold Pepsi at the saloon before heading off to our next point of interest.

After riding on some more fun dirt, we hit the highway and turned southwest to our next POI, Bonnie Claire. Not much is left of the town, with only a few structures remaining. Chase from our crew made sure to write see you on the trails while at the house of quotes. We then headed south and rode the expert section of today’s loop.

After Bonnie Claire, there is a neat dry lakebed on the trail, and we had a little too much fun playing there, which led to some of the bikes running out of fuel. The expert section we took earlier was a deep sandy trail, and the higher RPMs on the bikes didn’t help us already being low on gas. If you aren’t a fan of sand, take the normal route on the highway.

The next town we came to was Beatty. While we didn’t stop in town to eat, there’s an excellent BBQ place, Smoking J’s, that we marked on the map. After fueling up the bikes, we headed towards Rhyolite, one of the biggest towns in the area. It has some awesome ruins to explore. With the sun setting, we hit the highway back into Death Valley to camp.

Ubehebe Crater

This massive 600-foot-deep and half-a-mile-wide crater in the ground was created by a maar volcano. Superheated steam and pressure rose to the surface before erupting. The surrounding material is cinders, which are about 150 feet deep near the rim of the crater and gradually decrease in depth. It is an impressive geological formation in Death Valley.

Sulphur Mine

Crater Sulfur Mine was used to mine sulfur from 1917 to the late 1960s. It was a large sulfur deposit that was mined until a sulfur dust explosion blew up the mill. Slowly the mine died after that.

Gold Point

First founded as a silver mining camp called Lime Point in the early 1860s, Gold Butte soon became a bustling boom town that consisted of 125 buildings. It was a full-on town with a post office, bakery, hotels, cafes, stores, and of course, 13 saloons. The next name it was known by was Hornsilver, and then in 1932, it finally became known as Gold Point. The town finally slowed down when the US government ordered gold mines to shut down during WW2, and most of the residents either moved on or joined in the war effort. Walt Kremin has done an amazing job of keeping the town preserved and runs the saloon in town. Be sure to stop and check it out, grab a cold drink, and look at the amazing collection he has throughout the building. Gold Point also offers several cabins for rent if you want to spend the night and truly experience what it was like to live in the old west.

Bonnie Clair

Where there is water and mining, there is likely to be a stamp mill, and that is what led to the formation of Bonnie Claire. Thorpes Well provided a plentiful water supply to open a 30-stamp mill, and eventually the railroad ran a spur down to the area. From 1881, ore was processed, and eventually, when the railroad folded in 1928, the town slowly died. Not much is left of the old town besides a few structures. The House of Quotes is one such remaining structure that has been turned into an art exhibit. Many quotes are written on every surface of the inside of the old building. To the west lie the ruins of the old mill, and traces of the old rail line can be found and ridden on. To the south lies the original mill of Thorpes Well and dry lakebed which, if dry, is an amazing riding experience.

Beatty

The Town of Beatty was founded by Montillus Old Man Beatty in 1900. He served as the first postmaster as the town quickly became an important supply center for the mining districts that surrounded it. The railroad came in 1906, introducing more growth. Once the gold boom ended, workers from the Nevada Test Site, along with the designation of Death Valley as a national park, helped keep the town alive. The town offers fuel, lodging, and a feeling of being in the old west.

Rhyolite

In 1904, prospectors Shorty Harris and E. L. Cross discovered a quartz-covered hill rich with gold, the original bullfrog rock for which the mining district was named. The most promising of the 2000 mining claims in the area was the Montgomery Shoshone Mine, which made Rhyolite the boom town to move to. There were once hotels, stores, an opera house, a school for 250 children, an ice plant, two electric plants, foundries, machine shops, and even a miners union hospital. Also, can’t forget the 50 saloons. Just like any other boom town, it was short lived. In 1910, production slowed, and by 1911, the board decided to shut down the Montgomery Shoshone Mine and Mill. 1916 was the last time electricity lit up the town. While a ghost of its former self, there’s lots of interesting ruins to explore and some neat art exhibits around as well.

GPS File Name: RM Death Valley Section 3A

Panamint Springs, Lone Pine, and Big Pine

Day 3 began with us packing up our tents and gear as we planned to camp at the Saline Valley Warm Springs. After fueling up, we headed off on the highway to the west.

Along the way, we passed by several interesting formations. The Devil’s Cornfield is an interesting natural creation where arrow weed plants dug their roots deep in the sand, and over time the weather excavated the sand beneath them, leaving a rooted tower with a bush on top. The Mesquite Dunes are also right after Devil’s Cornfield and are a collection of large sand dunes.

We rolled into our first fuel stop, Panamint Springs, and quickly gassed up the bikes before riding the fun, twisty highway up to Father Crowley’s Overlook to admire the valley below. After some epic photos, we got back on the highway and made our way further west, leaving the park.

Rolling into Keeler, we pulled off the highway and hit our first dirt section of the day. The climb to the ghost town Cerro Gordo was beautiful, but steep. Eventually we made it to the ghost town where Brent Underwood (Ghost Town Living) has done an amazing job restoring it to turn it into an authentic Western experience. After exploring the town, we headed further up the mountain to check out the historic Salt Tram Summit Station. The trail got rough with some insane exposure, and with our large group, we decided it was best to head back down.

After coming back down the mountain and arriving in Lone Pine, we fueled up the bikes and then headed into the Alabama Hills. It’s a surreal place right under the shadow of Mt. Whitney and is a popular place to film movies for Hollywood filmmakers. From old westerns to modern-day blockbusters, you can learn more about it at the Museum of Western Film History in town at Lone Pine.

After taking in the awesome views, we headed north to our next destination, Reward Mine. This offshoot of dirt leads to a mine with a portal so large that you can drive a full-size jeep into it. Riding a motorcycle underground is an experience to mark off the bucket list. Emerging from the depths, we headed across the highway to the Japanese internment camp of Manzanar. A sobering experience, but one worth learning about.

We hit the highway again onto our next fuel stop in Big Pine, fueled up on gas and snacks, and strapped some firewood onto the back of the bikes for the night’s camp. We then made our way back east towards the park.

We originally had planned to visit Mesquite Dunes and then head up Steele Pass Road to drop down into the Saline Warm Springs Valley. After navigating in the dark through a super soft silt bed, we arrived at the mouth of the canyon and were greeted by some large steps and soft gravel. A quick hike up the canyon led to some other gnarly sections, so we decided it was best to turn around and make camp for the night.

Mesquite Dunes

The Mesquite Dunes are right off the highway and quite an interesting spot to check out. While sand is almost everywhere in the park, this is one of the places that it likes to gather. High wind helps carve and shape the dunes, making them an ever-changing geological formation.

Father Crowley’s Overlook

Father Crowley Vista Point is named after Father John J. Crowley, a catholic priest who ministered to the people of Inyo County in 1930. He would often stop at the point and admire the view. The color in the canyon comes from ancient volcanic activity, and occasionally you can see a US fighter jet roaring up the canyon for training.

Cerro Gordo Mine

Cerro Gordo Fat Hill has been an area of mining since the 1860s. Pablo Flores discovered a rich vein of silver and began mining and smelting operations near the Buena Vista in 1865. The town grew slowly, unlike other boom towns in the area, but in 1868, Mortimer Belshaw gathered funding from San Francisco to begin really building out Cerro Gordo. The first wagon road to the town was constructed in 1868 and the silver shipments started flowing. The dwindling supplies in the mid-1870s slowly pushed the town to end major mining operations in 1879. In 1906 the town was revived, and a smelter in Keeler serviced the mine, with a steam tractor used to haul ore. To speed up the process, an aerial tramway was built in 1908. In 1910 the attention from silver faded, and zinc began to be the go-to mineral to mine for. In 1916 the town finally got electricity, and a few more rich vein discoveries kept the town alive until 1933. Most recently Brent Underwood, owner of the YouTube channel Ghost Town Living, has taken ownership of the area and of preserving the town for people to come enjoy.

Lone Pine and Alabama Hills

Lone Pine was an important mining supply town for some of the surrounding mining communities. The town was founded in 1861, and the post office opened in 1870. In 1872 an earthquake hit, destroying 60 of the 80 buildings, forming Diaz Lake, and killing 26 people. The town changed when the first silent film, The Round-Up, was filmed in 1920 in the neighboring Alabama Hills. Over 400 films, 100 TV episodes, and many commercials have used Lone Pine to film. Tributes to those films and the area can be seen in the Museum of Western Film History in town. Alabama Hills also features some distinct and interesting geological features and has some impressive views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Mt. Whitney.

Reward Mine

Reward Mine is a series of multiple mining claims that eventually merged. It was discovered in 1870 and produced gold, silver, copper, and lead. The mine lasted until the 1970s before it was abandoned. The main network of tunnels is 8 levels, and the central tunnel is large enough to drive a jeep into. You can drive a quarter mile into the mine, and with tunnels off the main path, you could spend a lot of time exploring. This is an abandoned mine, so take proper safety precautions while riding inside.

Manzanar National Historic Site

After the attack at Pearl Harbor and the United States entering the Second World War, President FDR issued Executive Order 9066. Japanese Americans were initially requested, then forced, to move into internment camps in fear of a national security risk. The Manzanar Camp was one of these camps that nearly 120,000 Japanese American Civilians were sent to. The camp's housing block was 500 acres, surrounded by barbed wire, had eight guard towers with searchlights, and was patrolled by the military. Nearly 10,000 Japanese Americans were crowded into 504 barracks, which were organized into 36 blocks. Any combination of eight individuals were allotted to a 20’x25’ room with an oil stove, single lightbulb, cots, blankets, and straw-filled mattresses. Slowly with the winding down of the war, the last few hundred internees left the camp by November 1945. No Japanese Americans were ever charged with espionage. The camp offers a drive-through tour as well as a visitor center to learn more about the history of the area.

Eureka Dunes

Covering an area 3 miles long by one mile wide, they are the tallest sand dunes in California and potentially in North America. They rise 680 feet from their base on the lakebed. Sometimes the sand sings when it avalanches down the face of a dune.

GPS File Name: RM Death Valley Section 3B

Panamint & Furnace Creek

Day 4 began with us waking up and breaking camp, unfortunately not having been able to enjoy the warm springs the night prior. After having another go on the silt road and passing under the shadow of Eureka Dunes, we backtracked to the turnoff we passed the night prior and then headed south towards the warm springs.

The road passed through some beautiful pines and then opened into the Saline Valley. It was long and straight and constantly descended in elevation. It was quite a surreal experience. Hanging a left, we had some fun on the high-speed sections towards the warm springs and took our first break of the day.

After refreshing ourselves at the springs, the group trekked back out to the main road and continued south. Some of the smaller fuel capacity bikes and those heavy on the throttle were running low on fuel when we hit the turnoff for the Racetrack. The group split up, and some headed to the next POI, the Racetrack.

To get to the Racetrack, we had to travel up and over Lippincott Pass and drop into Racetrack Valley. The trail can get rough depending on weather conditions, and we were lucky it was in decent shape. There is quite a bit of exposure once you get higher up, so be sure to pick good lines.

Once we passed over Lippincott, we headed over to the Racetrack. This is one of our favorite parts of Death Valley. It is a unique place and is almost always windy. It’s fun to take some time here and find some of the racing rocks and walk out onto the massive playa. Once done exploring, the group headed back and over Lippincott Pass to meet up with the guys who had been low on fuel.

After pulling into Panamint Springs for fuel and grouping up, we all headed back towards camp. We were treated to one more beautiful sunset over Death Valley and got back to the van right as the wind was picking up. It was a perfect end to an awesome ride.

Saline Valley Warm Springs

Originally used by the Timbisha Shoshone and then later miners and explorers, these hot springs form a unique oasis compared to the stark contrast of the barren valley. The springs were developed in the 1960s, and several pools were built for soaking. Showers, palm trees, and restrooms were also put in and took advantage of the springs’ water. The springs truly feel like a resort and are quite popular. Nudity is quite common at them, so don’t be surprised. Several campgrounds surround the area, and it’s a great place to relax and freshen up.

Saline Valley Salt Company Tram

The Saline Valley Salt Company Tram tram transported salt from Saline Valley over the Inyo Mountains to a processing station north of Swansea. It was then sent by rail to be sold in the markets. The 13-and-a-half-mile long tram began in 1911 and ran until 1930. It rose 7000 ft out of the Saline Valley and crossed at 8720 ft before descending 5000 ft to Owens Lake. Many of the towers are still standing, both from the valley to the summit, and the summit station is quite well preserved. It’s truly a testament of what engineering can accomplish to solve a problem.

The Racetrack

The Racetrack is a massive playa with wandering or racing stones. In winter, the moisture, freezing cycles, and high winds all work together to push these rocks around. They leave trails that make the rocks look like they are "wandering". The playa is massive, and while it can’t be ridden or driven on, it’s worth a walk out to experience the scale of it. There is also an island called the grandstand that can be climbed to get an impressive 360-degree view of the valley.

Conclusion

This ride challenged us with its rugged terrain and extreme conditions, but it also rewarded us with breathtaking vistas, oases, and a sense of solitude that is hard to find elsewhere. Each twist and turn of the trail revealed new wonders, from the vibrant colors of the Artist’s Palette to the expansive salt flats of Badwater Basin. This ride was not just a test of our bikes and skills, but also a testament to the enduring allure of the natural world. We hope you have an amazing time exploring Death Valley.