Death Valley NP

[FlashSilver]

Originally Posted by MaxAB

Spent 7 wonderful days in Death Valley - Furnace Creek main campground. WX was super, although we actually got some rain one morning - sprinkled for about 15 minutes. Great dry camping at Sunset campground on the hill about Furnace Creek.

Suggest doing the drive to Rhyolite Ghost Town, fuel-up cheaply at Beatty, NV then take the Titus Canyon (one-way east-to-west) tour - incredible.

Another good one was the tour through Scotty's Castle. Stovepipe Wells is where you can buy beer at a reasonable price (don't buy it at the Furnace Creek store).

We played a round of golf at the "Lowest Course in the World" - watch out for the coyotes!

Be advised, gas is $5.15/gal in the National Park - plan accordingly.

We spent a couple days on the road and are now in Quartzite, AZ for a week or so.

Don't miss Death Valley!

Cheers!

Is it really the lowest golf course in the world? If so, I've got to come and play it as I've played the highest (Tuctu,Peru, approx. 14,000 ft.). I've been to DV several times on my motorcycle and driven by the golf course, but didn't know it was the lowest in the world. I highly recommend DV for boon docking in the winter. You can find full service campgrounds (Furnace Creek is the most centrally located), national forest dry camp grounds, and dispersed spots all by yourselves. Don't overpack, everything one might need is available nearby, although at National Park prices. But you will unhook and drive the TV around and can stock up outside the park if necessary.

[MaxAB]

Originally Posted by FlashSilver

Is it really the lowest golf course in the world? If so, I've got to come and play it as I've played the highest (Tuctu,Peru, approx. 14,000 ft.).

Yup, Flash - it sure is. Here's the description from the Death Valley website:

"Golf at Furnace Creek The 18-hole, par-70 Furnace Creek Golf Course is the world's lowest elevation golf course, at 214 feet below sea level. This is truly an oasis course, providing great California desert resort golf, a unique golf vacation and an ideal winter getaway.
Originally opened in 1931, the course underwent a major renovation in 1997 by world-renowned golf course architect Perry Dye. Due to the elevation of the course, slightly greater gravity and barometric pressure forces are present that add to the player's challenge. Frequent golfers have noticed a distinct difference in how the ball responds in relation to other courses at or above sea level.
Furnace Creek Golf Course was recently recognized by Golf Digest magazine in their list of "America's 50 Toughest Courses."


UPDATE on the Hook-Ups at Furnace Creek: Most of the campsites are dry sites - there are about 15 sites with water and sewer, and electric is wired but will not be connected until OCT-2013 timeframe. There are, however, 4 or 5 sites with electric, water, sewer there for handicapped campers only.



If you select Stovepipe Wells (30 miles north of Furnace Creek) as your campsite - there are a dozen or so sites there with full hook-ups.


We paid $32/night at Furnace Creek with water and sewer... The pix below were taken at FC, FYI.



Hope this helps!

[webspinner]

We boondocked at site 122 in Furnace Creek which gave us a view away from the campground. We were there in early April, 2011 and got a bit of rain in the valley and snow when we went up a 4WD side road to an old mine.

[Lumatic]

It didn't really surprise me too much but I was only able to find one open time block for reservations the last week in March. This was at Furnace Creek campground. The 3 private campgrounds are full.

This trip is kind of turning into a family reunion. I will have family joining me from CA and ID. This puts us over the overnight body count limit of 8. But, during the day up to 15 can hang out. I am assuming the overflow ( we are up to 11) can find a nearby tent site.

I am also assuming I can put up a tent on my campsite along with my stream. It is impossible to find a ranger on the phone, emails have not been answered and the fax number does not work. I was able to download the NP regs and there is nothing mentioned about a tent on a campsite in addtion to a TT.

[Gene]

March is when the federal budget authorization expires and there are threats to shut down the government. We were tent camping in a remote area of Canyonlands in the '90's when a ranger showed up to tell us the government and the NP's were shutting down in a few days. We planned to leave before then, so it didn't affect us. The same party that shut down the government then is threatening to do so again. I hope your plans are not thwarted.

Gene

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

March is when the federal budget authorization expires and there are threats to shut down the government.

Gene

That would be a bummer. Something else to blame on Congress.

Would they kick everyone out and barricade the roads or everyone gets in for free because the entrances are not manned? Probably kick everyone out.

[Gene]

When they close a park, it is closed. A few rangers stay on to watch out for people trying to get in. However, if a state or federal highway crosses a park, maybe that has to stay open, and I don't know about campgrounds run by concessionaires. Best to check about that eventuality now because if it comes, you'll find it harder to get info as everyone will be calling. I hate to raise this bummer of an issue, but you have to think about it and make alternate plans.

Nobody really thought it would happen years ago, but it did. The budget and sequestration fights come after the debt ceiling fight. It is going to be a time to go on vacation far away from everything.

Gene

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Best to check about that eventuality now because if it comes, you'll find it harder to get info as everyone will be calling.
Gene

The DVNP website does not provide any phone numbers. The phone numbers I have gotten go to voice mail that is not returned. The website gives fax number which is always busy. So checking it out is pretty impossible anyway.

[webspinner]

We were at Death Valley last year during the budget showdown. We were told that we'd be allowed to keep our trailer in the park for a day or so but all of the side canyons and support systems would be closed. So we did two days of hiking and sightseeing in one day.

We were sitting, exhausted and achy, drinking beer and eating lots of medium rare protein and our waiter kept us apprised of the latest budget developments.

The next day, even though we could have, we were too tired to hike. So we hung out at Furnace Creek and I got to watch a road runner try to attract females with a dead lizard. He seemed annoyed that all he could attract were human photographers.

[Gene]

Lumatic, try the concessionaire's number to get info if the Furnace Creek CG is run by a concessionaire. Or, maybe the reservation people can tell you. Or, finally, the park service must have a phone number somewhere.

Gene

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Lumatic, try the concessionaire's number to get info if the Furnace Creek CG is run by a concessionaire. Or, maybe the reservation people can tell you. Or, finally, the park service must have a phone number somewhere.

Gene

I have not found the secret CG number. The CG number sends you to the reservation line. The reservation people are absolutely no help. I'm sure the park service has a number somewhere, but you must need a security clearance to get it. It all seems pretty intentional to avoid phone calls. I would like to think they don't have the staff, rather than they don't want to be bothered.

[MaxAB]

Originally Posted by Lumatic

I have not found the secret CG number. The CG number sends you to the reservation line. The reservation people are absolutely no help. I'm sure the park service has a number somewhere, but you must need a security clearance to get it. It all seems pretty intentional to avoid phone calls. I would like to think they don't have the staff, rather than they don't want to be bothered.

After having just stayed at Furnace Creek CG for a week (2-9JAN); we found the "Secret Number" as I was executing the planning process.

There is a temporary entry portal manned with a US NP Ranger at FC and the number there is:

706-786-2441

The Ranger there will be able to give the caller the most accurate stats for the conditions and reservations at the camp ground.

Good luck!

Art

[Gene]

Lumatic, it may well be a security thing. I have run into that with e-mails to gov't systems where it goes to a guy in a sub-basement office somewhere who reads all the e-mails to anyone in the government, then he deletes every other one just because he can. Glad to see Art got you a number. I was beginning to wish I hadn't even mentioned this, but I'd want to know what to expect if I were going to Death Valley.

We've been there a couple of times. It was some time ago and we didn't have a trailer then. It is a fascinating place and just about everything is worth seeing. If you're lucky, it'll rain a week before and the flowers will appear by the time you are there. We've talked about going back with the Safari, but haven't gotten back so I'll be interested to see how you like the campground.

Gene

[Len n Jeanne]

Max, thanks for that DV phone number. We are planning a southwestern trip in February-March, and can vouch that nobody at the NPS Lake Mead office answers any email. The parks' concession revs. people are really nice but who knows where their call centre is.

But the good news is that Congress is working on a wee budget extention that hopefully will at least get us through DV, Lake Mead/Mojave, and Zion NP. Our fall-back appears to be a few state parks, a visit with some snowbird friends near Yuma, AZ, and hopefully unregulated BLM camping.

[SteSpot]

It is worth the effort to visit in the winter. We went in our Subaru the year of the 100 year wild flower event (maybe 2004 April-May). There is a huge overflow type parking lot campground that has flush toilets and no hookups (I think it is called Sunset) and we slept in our stationwagon....fast forward a few years....maybe 2007, we had a rally there over the New Year. We had full hookups behind the Furnace Creek Lodge....not fancy and it housed a lot of the staff. That said, we were in our cars/trucks every day going to some wonderfully beautiful place--Titus Canyon, Badwater, Scotty's Castle, etc. And we took in a lot of the Ranger talks and hikes....the Rangers in this park truly have a love affair going with the place and the are so excited to share it. Your first stop should be the visitor's center to get the schedule.

That said, be careful about parking just anyplace. Flash flooding can and does happen. One year the road from Las Vegas that goes close to the Furnace Creek Inn washed out and several people were killed....a concrete bathroom was washed away. That road was closed for months. Titus Canyon is another one way road that you don't want to take if it is raining. Parts of that road have very steep narrow slot canyon walls.

Enjoy the park...it is truly unforgettable. paula
PS: This is a Five Spot Flower with tiny critters on it we saw in DV

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Len n Jeanne

But the good news is that Congress is working on a wee budget extention that hopefully will at least get us through DV, Lake Mead/Mojave, and Zion NP.

The extension is for the debt limit. If the debt limit isn't increased, things would shut down gradually or maybe fast. That is extended to April 15. The budget is different and is only authorized until the end of March. That would cause a shut down. There is also the sequester at the beginning of March, but that just defunds many things you have come to expect from the government. If that one isn't solved, I expect eventually many parks and monuments would be closed permanently. You might have problems getting weather reports too.

The budget seems to be the place the House of Representatives wants to take a stand and many of the representatives seem to want to shut the government down to show how powerful they are. I think in the '90's they shut it down for three weeks at one point and for brief periods other times.

Gene

[Out of Air]

Originally Posted by MaxAB

After having just stayed at Furnace Creek CG for a week (2-9JAN); we found the "Secret Number" as I was executing the planning process.

There is a temporary entry portal manned with a US NP Ranger at FC and the number there is:

706-786-2441

The Ranger there will be able to give the caller the most accurate stats for the conditions and reservations at the camp ground.

Good luck!

Art

Hi Art, Any chance that area code is wrong ? I am heading west next week, I tried to use the number you listed, it's a Georgia area code and its disconnected. Thanks

[SteSpot]

Try 760 area code. paula

[Out of Air]

Originally Posted by SteSpot

Try 760 area code. paula

Thanks for the help

[Len n Jeanne]

Thanks for the explanation, Gene! I was thinking of that year when the parks did close down for a short while. We were planning to camp and hike in Zion NP but we couldn't get in. The locals in Springdale were truly annoyed to the point of having a symbolic protest march because they count on park visitors for their income. Way to go, Congress.

Stespot, that is good advice about flash flooding. We were backpacking in a slot canyon in the north San Rafael Swell in Utah in 2006 and got stranded by a flash flood. Fortunately we knew enough to camp above the high water mark (though just barely, as it turned out) but we never would have survived had it come down earlier when we were hiking in the canyon. It started at dusk and most of it came down at night when we couldn't see it, and roared like a jet engine for hours before it subsided. There was a log cattle gate near the canyon mouth, and the flood took it out completely. We developed a healthy respect for flash floods!