Mud-on-the-tires Full-time RV Adventure: CA -- Mesquite Springs, Death Valley, 10-14 February 2014

Just four days in Mesquite Springs, Death Valley National Park…

Why we came…

Though we recently saw the southern part of Death Valley National Park, the park is huge and there was plenty more to see. We wanted to explore the northern part which features Scotty’s Castle, Ubehebe Crater, The Racetrack, and some incredible slot canyons. Additionally, winter weather is often pleasant, but few people camp in the remote area so we expected it to be peaceful.

The campground…

Mesquite Springs campground is just 5 miles from Scotty’s Castle in the northern part of Death Valley National Park. There are 40 sites with no hook-ups, though each site has a picnic table and fire pit. There are two buildings with well maintained bathrooms and water jug filling stations. There is an RV fresh water filling station and a wastewater dump station near the campground entrance. There is not gas or services within about 45 miles…it’s remote! Generators are allowed 7am-7pm, but we never heard a single one during our stay…excellent! Tent campers outnumbered RV’ers about 2 to 1. The campground was less than half full each night, but we heard it can get busy during winter weekends and holidays. All sites are first-come, first-served. We relished the tranquility, and if it wasn’t for a full moon, we would have enjoyed more stars than we had ever seen anywhere.

Mesquite Springs Campground in Death Valley National Park

I thought the notes on the campground bulletin board were interesting

About Death Valley…

- From the brochure

“Great extremes characterize this hottest, driest, lowest national park. Extremes in temperature and elevation create scenic vistas and ecological niches that host startling biological diversity. This desert supports nearly 1,000 native plant species and harbors fish, snails, and other aquatic animals found nowhere else. To the uninitiated, Death Valley National Park appears to be a vast, empty wasteland, but to the aficionado it is a place of wonder and endless stories. The colorful and rugged terrain shouts tales of cataclysmic forces that thrust rock layers upward and of opposing erosional forces battling to tear them down. Desert winds whisper romances of the past—of the 49ers lured by the glitter of gold and Chinese laborers scraping borax-rich crystals from the valley floor. They spin dust devil yarns of partnership between a teller of tall tales and his castle builders. And, throughout time and into the future, the Timbisha Shoshone people live sustained by their “valley of life”.”

- The Racetrack…

The Racetrack is known for its mysterious moving rocks. The “sailing stones” leave lengthy tracks in the dry mud of the level lake bed. Nobody has seen the rocks move so it remains a geologic mystery with multiple theories. For more info and a few pictures, check out these three web links:

Death Valley National Park-Racetrack

Wikipedia-Racetrack

PBS-Death Valley National Park-Racetrack

We really wanted to see the moving rocks. However, we learned that the 27 mile, four-wheel drive route is known for shredding tires. Additionally, the area was still a muddy mess from heavy, late summer monsoon rains. So we chose to skip The Racetrack this visit. Hopefully we’ll get another opportunity in the future.

mysterious moving rocks Racetrack-damage

The moving rocks on the Racetrack / Recent scars that may take years to heal (pics from NPS web page)

Adventures…

- Scotty’s Castle…

Scotty’s Castle, its history, and the people involved make for a very interesting story. Park Rangers dress in period garb and lead outstanding tours. We did both the “House Tour” and “Underground Tour” and learned a bunch. Scotty’s Castle should not be missed when visiting Death Valley!

Check out these links for more info:

Death Valley National Park-Scotty’s Castle

Wikipedia-Scotty’s Castle

The Park Ranger leading the “House Tour” / The sink in the main kitchen

The Park Ranger leading the “Underground Tour” / The impressive power room

Ubehebe Crater is young by geologic standards, about 2,000 years old. Evidence suggests its last eruption may have only been 300 years ago! The multicolored, crazily eroded east wall is particularly striking, especially in the late afternoon sun.

The trail around the main crater is about a mile and a half long, has a few ups and downs, and provides great views of the impressive crater and rugged surrounding scenery. The detour route to the floor of the crater is TOUGH! It only drops about 500 feet, but that’s in a quarter mile, and the footing is in deep, soft sand and gravel. We are in decent shape and it kicked our butts! It was worth it though. Being walled-in 360 degrees by the steep crater was both incredible and eerie. Though the climb out sapped our strength and energy, we detoured around Little Hebe Crater. It lacked the colors and erosion of its big brother, but its smaller size made it fun to explore.

Near the floor of Ubehebe Crater…note the colors and erosion of the east wall

Tiny little Arleen in Ubehebe Crater / On the rim of Ubehebe Crater and northern Death Valley NP

Little Hebe Crater

This was a cool hiking route into Titus Canyon and Fall Canyon. We parked at the west mouth of Titus Canyon and walked about a mile and a half into the narrowing chasm with thousand foot high walls. Vehicles can actually drive one way, east to west, through the narrow canyon. We started before 10am and only had to avoid one car. Otherwise, it was very peaceful and the canyon was incredible.

After we exited Titus Canyon, we traversed a mile north to Fall Canyon. Vehicles can’t make it and they aren’t allowed…excellent. We ran into a few other hikers, but had the pretty slot mostly to ourselves. We hit a dry waterfall about 3 miles in that prevented us from going farther. Fall Canyon is similar to Titus Canyon, but the lack of vehicles in Fall Canyon, make it much more enjoyable to hike.

Dramatic Titus Canyon

Arleen being dwarfed by an undercut wall in Titus Canyon

Blocked by a 20 foot high dry waterfall! / About 3 miles into Fall Canyon

Posing in Fall Canyon

Red Wall Canyon was recommended to us by a Park Ranger when we asked about little-known, off-the-beaten-path hikes in Death Valley. We read about it in our extensive Death Valley National Park book and it sounded interesting. We weren’t sure it was worth the effort, but decided to give it a shot.

We parked near mile 19 on Scotty’s Castle Road to begin the 2 mile slog up an alluvial fan. The fans are tough to walk. There are no trails. You do your best to follow one of the countless washes, but often have to cross washes to keep the proper heading. The footing is nearly always loose rocks that make rolling an ankle or twisting a knee possible with every step. Because you keep your head down with eyes on the ground carefully watching each step, it’s difficult to enjoy the scenery. It was also a steady 1,000 foot climb to the mouth of the canyon. It took us about 1 hour to travel the 2 miles and it wasn’t much fun so we were glad to get to the mouth of the canyon and take a needed break in the shade.

We knew we’d only be able to go a mile and a half into the canyon before being blocked, but that mile and a half was incredible! The namesake red walls were unlike others we had seen in Death Valley. The slot narrowed, we rounded a tight bend, and saw a 20 foot dry waterfall capped by an impressive choke stone. It would be fairly easy to navigate with ropes and proper equipment, but when things get “technical”, we call it quits and turn around. We never saw a single other person. And once in the narrow canyon, we didn’t even hear any vehicles or aircraft. It was very peaceful.

The 2 mile, 1 hour slog down the alluvial fan was comparable to the hike up…no fun! So, was 4 miles and 2 hours hiking the tough fan worth the one and a half miles of the incredible Red Wall Canyon? Yes, one time is, but unless I could get farther into the canyon, I wouldn’t do it again.