Lone Pine, CA to Stovepipe Wells, CA 136 / 190

We just moved to Satellite Beach, Florida from Clifton Forge, VA. Lived there ten years after I retired from CHP. Love Williamsburg.

If you get down here give a shout.

Where are you headed now? Best way out of Lone Pine is down to Kramer Junction then 58 to Barstow if headed back east. The grade going north toward Vegas out of Baker is long but nothing compared to the climbs in DVNP. Evening is best but still turn off a/c when climbing the long desert grades. I worked Barstow for a while too.

Excellent decision.

Ron

Great advice. Will not be going that way. Thank you so much.

A little background here, so take it for what it's worth. I was the California Highway Patrol sergeant for the Lone Pine/Death Valley resident post for two years so I know the roads, weather, conditions VERY WELL.

What shape is your tow vehicle in, especially drive train, brakes and tranny?

Are you comfortable driving in mountains in EXTREME heat?

The grade down to Panamint Valley is long, remote with some pretty good drop offs.

The grade from Panamint Valley up to the summit is VERY STEEP, LONG and known for destroying vehicles not in TOP CONDITION.

From the summit down to Stovepipe Wells is pretty straight once you get out of the few easy curves near the summit. The descent is VERY DECEIVING. You will build up SIGNIFICANT speed going down because it looks almost flat. IT IS NOT FLAT AND ABOUT 11 MILES TO STOVEPIPE.

There is ZERO shade at Stovepipe Wells. It is a big open gravel lot.

The temperature will be over 100 degrees 24 hours a day and probably over 115 during the day.

Should you break down, STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE. WANDER 50' FROM IT IN THAT HEAT AND YOU WILL DIE! Sit tight, stay in the shade, drink lots of water and be patient. It is patrolled by NPS, CHP and sheriff. Not hourly, but somebody will eventually come by and stop.

Count on zero cell service except around Furnace Creek. DVNP is huge. The largest national park in lower 48 and bigger than a Rhode Island.

Sorry you asked now?

Not the place to go from about late May to October.

If you decide to try it, turn off your dash air or you WILL overheat pulling out of Panamint Valley. A tow from Lone Pine was $600 and am sure it has gone up. Fuel in the park is probably $6.00 a gallon for gasoline at either station, Stovepipe or Furnace Creek.

Lone Pine to Stovepipe about 85 miles and 106 to Furnace Creek.

Fill your water tank too in Lone Pine.

The Cowboy movie western Museum in Lone Pine and the Manzanar interment camp. Boulder creek RV park in Lone Pine is nice.

It's doable but like othertonka wrote, I wouldn't do it in July.

We were there in June one year and at 11PM it was still 98 degrees.

You know that it gets up to 120 degrees in July in DV and does not cool off at night don't you? Hwy 190 has some 11 percent grades climbing towards Towne pass, Could be overheating problems at those temps. I would not do that trip in July but it' up to you