Death Valley camping

[cyranodabum]

I took my boys to Death Valley last week on a scout camping trip. We saw a volcanic crater, gold mine, slot canyon, sand dunes, and a salt bed at the lowest point in North America. The temperatures were moderate, in the 40s-60s, but we did have 50+ mph wind gusts that were pretty rough on our tents.

Needless to say, it was a lot of driving, but the truck gave me plenty of comfort and power whenever needed. Lane tracing assist was made for this kind of caravan-on-open-roads kind of driving. One very underrated feature that I love is the seat cooling.

This is not really a fuel economy complaint, but my range anxiety was real. The Death Valley sights were often an hour apart, and there were very few fill up options inside the park. This was not the place that I wanted to be caught running low on gas. The most anxious day was leaving Ubehebe Crater with about 90 miles of listed range left, knowing I had 46 miles ahead of me to the gas station at Stovepipe Wells. I'm thinking a couple Rotopax might be a good idea for future trips. That would give me another 60-80 miles of peace of mind, probably closer to 350 miles of total range.

Scouts love their Nalgenes, but they just don't fit in any of my cupholders. I promised myself that I'd order this replacement Z Precision cup holder as soon as I got home. I'd even love it if they would make one for the two cupholders at the back of the center console.

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[Slappy]

that's what I need a road trip in my Taco !
looks like Fun

 

[CanyonFisherSummitSeeker]

Awesome to get those kids to somewhere so special. I’ve spent a decent amount of time in the park over a few different trips (probably close to three weeks total) but haven’t been back in quite a few years. Your descriptions and pictures make me want to take a trip there next spring.

 

[soupy1234]

Took my grandsons there again in Feb. (we go every couple of years) We did Ubehebe crater and finally made it to the big sand dune at Stovepipe Wells. Was going to take them to the racetrack but the thought of 2-3 hrs each way (27mile dirt road) with 2 ADHD boys changed my mind.
If you're out that way again check out The Devil's Hole and Ash Meadows NWR.

Here's Ubehebe crater

 

[RokeHi]

Camped there also with my wife. Very memorable trip. Glad you had fun on your trip.

 

[UPTooShort]

Great trip with your boys! Didn’t think about the limited range with my Taco, but will consider rotopax next time I’m out there. Gassing up in the desert is like voting in Chicago, do it early and often.

 

[brentbba]

Been to DV many times. I never go without my 2 5 gallon jerry cans for the reasons you mention. Did you go in to the Racetrack from Ubehebe?

 

[cyranodabum]

Been to DV many times. I never go without my 2 5 gallon jerry cans for the reasons you mention. Did you go in to the Racetrack from Ubehebe?

We did not. It would've been cool to see the moving rocks, and that road sounds like it would've been fun to drive. I saw a few people airing back up at the Ubehebe parking lot, so that must've been where they had gone.

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