I’m planning to do a hub-and-spoke flavor of ride on these dates, based out of Panamint Springs Resort, just outside of the west side of Death Valley National Park.
The riding would be Friday, Saturday, Sunday from the resort, with you getting yourself and bike to Panamint by COB Thursday. I would likely drive out on Wednesday and get in an extra day of riding on Thursday. Drive back Monday, or get a head start Sunday night.
Lodging:
Review their website. They have a range of lodging options, from a few small hotel rooms, to camping cabins, to yurts to RV / van / truck / tent camping. You’d make your own lodging arrangements.
The resort has a decent restaurant that offers a big breakfast buffet, at least 10yrs ago, when I was there last. Also has a gas station but be prepared to pay for the most expensive gas in CA, which is saying a lot $$$$$$.
Riding
- Routes: I’ll put together 3x all day loops that will feature some of Death Valley’s Greatest Hits, both inside and outside of the park. Probably 160-200mi days.
- This ride is best done on a big bike with proper tires, or a DS bike with lots of gas…and a comfortable saddle
The distances in DV are big and we could find yourself burning 50-60mi of pavement over 2-3x passes to make it back to camp before dark.
Skills Required
Death Valley is not “true” desert riding. That is, not miles and miles of desert singletrack or wide open sand washes. Depending on the routes, there will be gravely canyons, a couple sorta-rock gardens, maybe some silt beds, etc. I would say endurance and competence in a variety of terrain is more important than true hard-enduro level of riding skill.
When I ride in DV I’m riding at maybe 50-60% speed, keeping a wide safety margin in reserve.
Weather
I’ve ridden DV in Jan, Feb, and Mar. By late Feb the high passes in / outside of the park should be mostly good, but those conditions will dictate route choices. But you can expect cold / cool mornings, multiple layer changes across they day, etc. Last time, mid Feb 2015, we rolled back into Panamint just before dark all layered up after having seen some low 30s and flurries.
Group Size
I’d like to keep the group size to 8, riding as 2x teams of 4 riders rather than one big 8 person squad. Maybe 10 if everyone is very solid. I likely already have 2 others on board with me, from side conversations.
Death Valley is extremely remote so I’ll have a list of mandatory comms, recovery, and survival gear. Last time my crew and I rented a satphone, but not sure how those sorts of comms have evolved since then.
Questions?
Ask below
Disclaimer
I will soon be launching an ADV coaching, training, and touring company. I will likely collect a nominal fee for this ride, as I did on my COBDR ride this year. I see this first iteration as a pilot ride, then turning this into a more comprehensive tour in 2027.
$ TBD, but it won’t be much.
PFA
Striped Butte and Geologist Cabin
Teakettle Junction
The Racetrack
- Yes
- Maybe
