Forum Discussion
Off_Pavement
Feb 25, 2016Explorer II
We've been down the West Side Road and Warm Springs Road (to warm springs and over Mengal Pass)twice this spring so far... Death Valley NP is our playground!
West Side Road - This is a well maintained gravel road. It has plenty of washboard the first couple miles on the north end, and can be dusty. IMO - some of the best views from the bottom of Death Valley are from this route. To us it's more scenic away from the valley walls. You could do a giant loop down the West Side Road 40+ miles to the asphalt near the Ashford Mill ruins, then back to Furnace Creek on the paved road. You can do this road in an RV if the road is dry, and you don't mind a LONG gravel road! When we go, it's in our Jeep with tires aired down to 15lbs.
We've seen rental RVs at Warm Springs, so yes it can be done. It is another of Death Valleys LONG gravel roads. The Warm Springs area is interesting to explore with an old house with swimming pool (the pool was full of water the last time we were there!), several other housed/building still open, and old mining equipment. You will see running water in Death Valley if go there. Again, we always go with our Jeep with low tire pressure for the rocks and comfort!
If we didn't tow our Jeep and was going in our Class C, I'd consider the West Side Road, skip the Warm Springs Road, and make sure not to miss Ubehebe Crater (Scotty's Castle too when it opens back up), otherwise I'd rent a Jeep and see both those roads in a day trip or two, three, four, or more. There are over 700 miles of back country roads to explore in the park. The roads will be a real "shaker" for your rig no matter what speed you try.
West Side Road - This is a well maintained gravel road. It has plenty of washboard the first couple miles on the north end, and can be dusty. IMO - some of the best views from the bottom of Death Valley are from this route. To us it's more scenic away from the valley walls. You could do a giant loop down the West Side Road 40+ miles to the asphalt near the Ashford Mill ruins, then back to Furnace Creek on the paved road. You can do this road in an RV if the road is dry, and you don't mind a LONG gravel road! When we go, it's in our Jeep with tires aired down to 15lbs.
We've seen rental RVs at Warm Springs, so yes it can be done. It is another of Death Valleys LONG gravel roads. The Warm Springs area is interesting to explore with an old house with swimming pool (the pool was full of water the last time we were there!), several other housed/building still open, and old mining equipment. You will see running water in Death Valley if go there. Again, we always go with our Jeep with low tire pressure for the rocks and comfort!
If we didn't tow our Jeep and was going in our Class C, I'd consider the West Side Road, skip the Warm Springs Road, and make sure not to miss Ubehebe Crater (Scotty's Castle too when it opens back up), otherwise I'd rent a Jeep and see both those roads in a day trip or two, three, four, or more. There are over 700 miles of back country roads to explore in the park. The roads will be a real "shaker" for your rig no matter what speed you try.
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