Death Valley National Park & Quartzite

[Jack L]

Well, midnight is a little over six hours away and I've made my first new years resolution I'm about 99.99% sure I'll be in Quartzite for the February rally and I'm looking for information on other possible destinations on the way down from Washington State. Death Valley is a major destination and I have some knowledge of places (Titus Canyon, Stovepipe Wells, Leadfield ghost town and Scotty's Castle) but I sure could use any other suggestions for places inside or outside the park. Both full service and boondocking places would be helpful.

On the way down, I'll probably stop at Joshua Tree and maybe Slab City. Any suggestions on other places in the area would also be helpful. On the way down I'll be traveling solo and that is why I'm considering Slab City. I'm thinking if my DW was with me a stop at Slab City would be our last camping adventure ever. Hey, if I don't like Slab City, I can just go someplace else.



My wife will be flying into Phoenix so she will be at Quartzite for the rally and Death Valley would be on the return trip from Quartzite.

Thanks in advance for any help. Hope to see some of you in Quartzite.
Jack

[Bob Miller]

I've been to Slab City and I'll give you the only good reason I know of to stop at Slab City and that's to be able to tell others to not go there..... Two years ago it resembled the very place where one would take the rect@l temperature of the earth (sorry) There is/was a huge thermometer at Baker, CA that could find a home in Slab City. The quaintness of years ago had long gone when I visited. We stayed two nights and, being unarmed, we felt it best to leave. Unless you want to stay and join the clan, that isn't the Droid you are looking for....

On your way back on I-10 from Quartzsite you will be driving right by the south entrance to Joshua Tree and can enter there, drive to Giant Rocks Campground, then out to 29 Palms, thence to Amboy, Kelso (Incredible Train Station/Museum), Baker and then to Death Valley. Then all the way up 395 to where ever you need to go. BTW: Have lots of water on board before entering Joshua Tree, there is NO water at the campgrounds, none-nada-zilch and I don't think that there is water at the south entrance either, check first.

[Jack L]

Thanks Bob. I haven't decided one way or the other about Slab City. Sometimes I do stuff that doesn't make any sense at all, like the time in Alaska when I drove up the haul road to get north of the Artic Circle. Lots of driving time and fuel to see something that really didn't look much different than the territory south of the Arctic Circle, but then again, I get to tell people that I've been north of the Arctic Circle. Well, it did seem like a good idea at the time.

Back to a more serious subject, you mentioned leaving Death Valley and going north on 395. My time schedule would have me doing this the last week of February. Do you know what the road conditions are likely to be then ? Home through Reno or I'm also thinking of leaving Death Valley into Nevada 95to Las Vegas then 15 west to Barstow, then over to Bakersfield. Any suggestions ? Thanks

[Bob Miller]

Doubling back to Vegas is really the Loooog way around. I'd check on local road conditions before you set out to see what's forecast. I have driven from Riverside to Reno several times in the winter and the road conditions varied from dry and clear to a blizzard. But 395 is an all weather highway.