Death Val l ey Bicycl e Tou r
M ar ch 6 - 13, 2016
Fr om Lon e Pin e, Cal ifor n ia
| Summary |
Death Valley Bicycle Tour - March 6 - 13, 2016
How about a trip to the lowest part of the planet ? This will be a supported camping trip where we
carry your gear and introduce you to some of the wildest and most isolated country you have ever
seen. We'll start and finish in the little town of Lone Pine. Heading East, we will enter Death Valley
via the Panamint Valley and Wildrose Summit. Once in the valley, we will partake of the amenities of
Furnace Creek Ranch as well as checking out some of the local sights. We then head out of the park
temporarily to the remote town of Shoshone for a night. Our return to Death Valley will be by another
route tat takes us through Death Valley Junction and the famous Amargosa Opera House. After
another night at Furnace Creek, we start our journey back to Lone Pine. Consider this the perfect
start of your cycling year. Hotel/motel options are also available. So if you think you are interested go
to our Contact Page and place yourself on the update list or sign up for the trip.
| It inerary |
Mar. 6 (Sun.) Meet in Lone Pine. Lets plan on meeting at
the Diaz Lake Campground at 4:00 p.m. The campground is
located 2 miles south on Hwy. 395 from the center of Lone
Pine. You can get the site number when you check in. We?ll
plan on camping here for the night before starting the ride the
following morning. The campground will allow us to park our
cars in an unsecured area while we are on the tour. They
indicated ?no charge? , but will see when we get there if they
are really that generous. For those of you who might want
more secure parking we recommend staying at the
BEST-WESTERN-PLUS-Frontier-Motel/Hotel which last
year provided free parking as well a pretty decent breakfast.
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Mar. 7 (Mon.) to Panamint Valley - 50 to 60 Miles - 2,000 Gain
After breakfast at The Alabama Hills Cafe in town, we?ll hit the road
towards the Panamint Valley. On our way, if the wind gods are kind,
we?ll take some extra time for a side trip to the ghost mining town of
Darwin. Darwin?s claim to fame used to be the ?World?s Hottest Phone
Booth? which attracted tourists from all over the world. The phone booth
is now gone, but the eclectic homes and residents are worth checking
out. After a few more miles, you will make a wonderful sinuous descent
down to the Panamint Springs Resort and our campground. Store
and cafe across the street.
Mar. 8 (Tues.) to Furnace Crk. Camp 80 Miles - 4,000?Elev.
Actually, today is a pretty tough one, considering the amount of climbing
we do. An easy run south down the Panamint Valley is followed by a
long hard climb up through Wildrose Canyon to a high point at Nemo
Crest (5,547?) before undulating to Emigrant Pass before a very fast
descent towards Stovepipe Wells for an afternoon meal and
refreshments at Stovepipe Wells locate near sea level. From there it is
a quick 25 mile flat ride to Furnace Creek Campground where we will be
staying for two nights. Next door to our very basic campground is
Furnace Creek Ranch that provides showers, swimming pool, store,
cafe, gas stations, lodging, etc. You can check out the facilities on this
link: Furnace Creek Ranch
Mar. 9 (Wed.) Furnace Creek Rest Day. 0 Miles ?
After your long hard day yesterday from Panamint Springs, you really
deserve a rest. You can spend your time lounging around the pool or
checking out the Visitors Center . For those of you who simply cannot
spend a day without physical activity, you can consider doing a fairly
easy hike with Margy and me to Zabrinski Point, or doing some
additional cycling to Dante's View, Artists Palette, or a jaunt out to
Scotty?s Castle. The ride to Artists Palette is short but demanding. The
rides to Dante's View and Scotty?s Castle are long and demanding.
Furnace Creek Ranch
Mar. 10 (Thurs.) to Shoshone - 70 Miles - 4,000?Gain
Depending on the directions of the wind, this could possibly be a pretty
nice day or a relatively hard one as there is a substantial amount of
climbing to contend with as well as the wind if it is in our face. A stop off
at Bad Water, the lowest point in the park is pretty much mandatory.
From Bad Water, the climbing begins until we arrive at our campground
in Shoshone that features a heated swimming pool for the guests.
Another feature of Shoshone is a pretty nice restaurant across the
street. The campground and optional motel is located in Shoshone
Village.
Mar. 11 (Fri.) to Furnace Creek 50 Miles - 3,000?Gain
Today, we return to Furnace Creek for another night of camping, only by
a different route on State Highways 127 & 190. On the way, we will stop
off at Death Valley Junction for lunch and possibly a visit to the
Amargosa Opera House, one of the more eclectic places in the Nevada
desert. After that, we?ll have a delightful descent down to Furnace
Creek. If you are so inclined and have the energy, you might consider a
demanding side trip up to 5,500?Dante's View for a panoramic view of
most of Death Valley. Lodging available at Furnace Creek Ranch
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Mar. 12 (Sat.) to Panamint Valley & Darwin Falls. 62 Miles-5,500? Gain.
Time to start our journey back to Lone Pine. We?ll ride a quick 25 miles to
Stovepipe Wells for a bit of a break, then start the 5,000?climb up to
Townsend Pass, probably the toughest climb of the trip. A terrifyingly fast
descent brings us back to our camp at Panamint Springs. For those of you
with the inclination, you might consider joining us for a hike to beautiful
Darwin Falls which is located close by. It is a pretty amazing thing to see
when all you have seen is desert and more desert. The hike takes about
two hours round trip. Otherwise, hang around the cafe and bar and recover
from your hard day of riding. Panamint Springs Resort
Mar. 13 (Sun.) to Lone Pine 50 Miles - 3,000?Elev. Gain.
Last day of the tour begins with a climb up that beautiful grade that you
descended just a few days ago. On your way back to Lone Pine take a
look at the remnants of Owens Lake and envision that this once was a
large body of water with a large barge operation of minerals across the
lake. The lake has lost most of it?s water due to the need of Los Angeles
for a source of fresh water. Hopefully, our cars are intact as we pull into
Diaz Lake or the more secure parking at Best Western Hotel. If any of you
are heading North and need a place to stay, feel free to stay at our place in
Bishop.
| Det ail s |
Food: We are providing a breakfasts of granola, milk, and raisins along with hot water
for the coffee you bring. Your lunches and dinner are your responsibility, either by
cooking in camp or eating at the restaurants adjacent to the camps. You know, there
had to be a reason that this tour is so cheap! You have two options for sustenance:
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Restaurants: Available at or near all our campsites, so you really don?t have to
bring anything in the way of food or cooking gear except for possibly some
nonperishable food while you are riding. You can buy your lunches for each
days ride at the stores located at or near the campgrounds. Prices at the
restaurants in Death Valley are a bit more than in the outside world. We
encourage you to use these restaurants as we have limited space for everyone
to carry their own groceries in our truck.
Cook Your Own: If you want to save money or if you have special dietary needs
, then prepare your own meals. We will provide cook stoves, dish washing bins,
and hot water for coffee, soups, meals, etc. We will also provide individual stack
able food bins for each of you. You need to provide your own eating utensils and
cookware, unless all you need is hot water, in which case that is available from a
large pot. Again, you can buy your food along the route at or near the
campgrounds. We don?t supply a refrigerator.
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Camping / Motel Options: The campgrounds we have booked have quite a range
of facilities ranging from semi luxury resorts complete with swimming pools to basic
facilities. Showers are available at each site or nearby for a small fee. For those of
you interested in having a bed, all sites have nearby hotel/motel units . I?ll provide
contact information on the ?Itinerary? above for the motels. Campgrounds will be
located in Lone Pine, Panamint Springs, Stovepipe Wells, Furnace Creek, and
Shoshone. Anyone staying at a motel/hotel will have tote your own gear to it from
the campground.
Money ? : We are not charging for this trip, however we are are implementing a
reservation fee of $240 which will be given back to you when you show up for the
trip. The National Park Service feels that anyone charging money for a group coming
into Death Valley is a commercial operation and therefore must pay for a permit with
them as well as well as to the California Highway Dept. In addition, they require an
insurance policy for $2,000,000. We are not a business so we don?t want to go that
route, so have decided it is easier to not charge anything. We will still provide you
with campsites and a sag vehicle to carry your camping gear. You still have to take
care of your food at the nearby restaurants or provide and cook your own food in
camp. Pretty strange, I know, but that is the way it is. If you want to make the
suggested donation of $240 at the end of the trip for us to recover our expenses, that
would be nice, but you are not obligated to do so.
Physical & Skill Level Requirements: (Moderate) As with almost all our bicycle
tours, riders are expected to be experienced and in relatively good physical
condition. This tour varies each day from 25 to 80 miles with elevation gains of
2,000 to 5,000?. In particular, possible high winds can be most trying. The ride is
definitely not for a beginning rider. The support vehicle is primarily to carry your gear
to the next campsite, however, in a pinch we can always rescue a stranded rider. If
you have any questions about your ability to do this ride, feel free to write or call us,
and we can talk it over.
Camping & Hiking Gear: You will need a tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad.
Make sure you have stakes to pin your tent to the ground in case of high winds. And
even though you might be eating at the restaurants, it still would be a good idea to
have a cup for coffee, tea, or booze. If you are cooking your own food, don?t get
carried away, but bring what you need. If we have room, we can throw folding camp
chairs into the truck. Bring a folding chair with you for camp ? .. And we?ll throw it in
the truck if we have room.
Clothing: Hey, even though it is supposed to be warm/hot in Death Valley, Spring in
this part of the country is a pretty iffy affair ....so be prepared with clothing for both
hot and cold, particularly for the ride to and from Lone Pine. A swim suit for Furnace
Creek and Shoshone swimming pools could be handy. We will have a bucket to
wash clothes in ...so no need to bring too many changes.
Bicycle ? We don?t provide bicycles, so make sure you have one. In addition, it
should be a road bike and you are equipped with at least 2 water bottles, spare inner
tubes, and new tires on the bike itself. You might consider having a lock and
rudimentary tool kit, although, we will have a pretty good tool box in the truck.
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First Aid Kit: ? Bring your own personal kit to cover minor cuts, blisters, and muscle/joint
aches.
Roads & Weather Conditions:
- Roads: The good news is that 95% of the roads are paved and in good condition.
The other 5% consists of either good dirt or broken up pavement that is totally ride
able with a skinny tired road bike. The bad news is that there is a fair amount of
climbing on the tour; but given the relatively short miles of those days, it should not
be much of a problem if you are reasonably fit. Traffic is pretty light due to the
isolation of Death Valley National Park. Altitude will vary between below sea level
and 6,000 feet.
- Weather: Ah..... Here is the kicker. The weather in March can be anywhere from
cold in Lone Pine to quite hot in Death Valley. Chances are the temperatures will
be mild in the valley. The one thing we might be a little apprehensive about is the
unpredictable winds of March. If we are lucky ....and the Wind Gods are smiling,
we?ll get off with a really good time. If, they are pissed off, well then, brace yourself
for a workout. Rain shouldn?t be much of a problem, but one never knows.
Medical Insurance: Medical Insurance is required for this trip. Bicycle riders routinely
have accidents, and although riding in Death Valley is relatively safe, a serious accident
can occur; and due to the isolation of this trip, an ambulance or helicopter rescue could be
very expensive. Decent medical facilities are at least a 100 miles away. The NPS can be
of some help, but anything serious must be taken care of out of the park.
Sign Up Maximum : The maximum number of riders we can have for this trip is 19
including Margy and myself. If we are full, I?ll put you on a standby list and notify you if
and when there is a cancellation. If we have riders with their own support vehicle, then
we can exceed the limit.
Roster: We?ll send out a roster by email as soon as we have a pretty firm idea of who is
going. Sometimes, knowing who is on the roster lets you share equipment,
transportation, etc. The roster is usually sent out 2 to 4 weeks before the trip. We
generally include each person?s name, town, email, and telephone number.
Cancellation Policy: If you need to cancel, please do so before Feb. 1, 2016. If you
cancel after that, we will refund your $240 reservation fee only if we can find a
replacement for you on the roster. We do this to avoid people signing up and then
canceling on us in the last month before the ride, thus making it difficult for us to find a
replacement.
Maps : This is probably one of the easiest tours in the country to find your way from one
days destination to the next. There are so few paved roads on our route, that one can
pretty much ride for an entire day with only a handful of junctions. But as is the nature of
cyclists, there will always be someone who succeeds in somehow getting lost ? .. So we
will stop off at the visitors center outside of Lone Pine on our first day of riding to pick up
maps for anyone that does not already have one.
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Videos of Death Valley: Before considering signing up for this tour, you should take a
look at a couple of videos showing the contions tht might be enountered.
- Video 1: Tour of Death Valley by John Bauer
- Video 2: Typical dust and wind storm in Death Valley.
Sign Up Procedure: To officially sign up for this trip, just follow these steps:
- Sign Up: Go to the Contact Page and sign up for the trip. You can also just call or
write if you have any questions. [email protected] or call us at
760-872-7630.
- Our Reply: We will then reply, either to accept you on the trip or put you on the
stand by list. We might possibly have a question or two for you if you haven't been
on one of our trips before. We?ll also ask that you send us a release form and
reservation fee.
Wayne Mar tin & Mar gy Mar shall
Bishop, CA 93514
760-872-7630 (Home)
760-920-4043 (Mobile)
[email protected]
www.nomints.org
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