Saline Valley Hotsprings, Death Valley NP

There's fresh snow in the mountains, the Kern River is running again, and the mountain bike trails are drying out.  What should we do for a three day weekend in January?  How about something completely different.

Some friends of ours were headed to Saline Valley hotsprings to celebrate their birthdays. Their group included a Jeep and another 4x4 Sprinter.  After a couple of days at the springs, they planned to drive over Steel Pass to the Eureka Dunes and then on to Mammoth.  I have not yet visited the Eureka Dunes, and have been curious about driving Steel Pass for a few years, so when they invited us to join them we decided it would be a grand adventure.

Not having any kids in school, they left a day ahead of us.  We loaded up the van and left town as soon as Weston got home from school on Friday.  As luck would have it, he passed his first driving lesson earlier in the week, and was ready to begin sharing the driving.

Weston behind the wheel on Hwy 46.

We drove to Fossil Falls, a small BLM site just off Hwy 395.  I have passed the sign for this spot dozens of times over the years, but never pulled in to check it out.  It was totally deserted and quiet, but very windy.  We all crawled into bed and let the chilly winds rock us to sleep.

The Falls is an old channel of the Owens River.  The water has polished the lava to a smooth finish, and the now dry falls drops a couple of hundred feet. 

Donette and Weston explore the falls

The mountains were dusted with snow even this far south

After exploring the falls area for a while, we continued on to Saline Valley via the South Pass.  As we wound our way up the dirt road we began to encounter snow near the top.  The trees were frosted in white, and the sage still encased in ice at noon.

The new AT tires worked great in the snow, mud, and ice

The view from the top of South Pass down into Panamint Valley and the Panamint Dunes (click to enlarge)

The road was in decent shape, with just a few rockfalls

After enjoying the view we climbed back in the van and began the descent into Saline Valley.  As the road wound around onto the shaded north side of the mountains it became packed snow and ice, and very slippery.  At this point we were very stoked to have new BF Goodrich AT tires and low range 4wd!  Donette did a great job of keeping it from sliding too much, weaving between the rockfalls, and making all the corners.  We later found out that when our friends encountered this spot, all their passengers got out and walked, as they did not want to be in the vehicle if it skidded off the road.  I just held on tightly and tried to remember to breathe; I don't think Weston really new what was happening.

As the road mellowed and entered the sunshine the ice and snow disappeared, replaced by miles of washboard.  Weston took over the driving here, and Donette rode the rest of the downhill section on her mountian bike.  We had reduced our tire pressure substantially, but the washboard road still created a cacophony of rattles amongst all the cabinets and other things in the van.

Just when you think you can't take any more, this sign comes into sight and you know you are almost there.

There are two hotsprings, and upper and a lower, and both are beautiful oases in the stark desert.  The water is warm, crystal clear, and odorless.  Everyone does a great job of keeping the area clean and beautiful.  Although there were lots of campers at the springs, people came and went at different times, so you could always find a place to soak. I didn't take any pictures of the springs themselves, as they were usually full of naked people who understandably don't necessarily want their pictures posted on the internet.

Donette making breakfast

The early morning view from the van, looking east at the snow capped Inyo-Kern Mountains.

Our time at the springs was spent soaking, visiting with our friends, and meeting new people from around the country.  We also rode our bikes around to get some exercise.

Riding up the road towards Steel Pass from the hotsprings

Death Valley is home to many stunning landscapes

When we arrived at the springs, we discovered that our friend's friends had decided not to bring their Sprinter, so it looked like we were going to be the only Sprinter guinea pig on our drive over Steel Pass. However, on Sunday morning the plans abruptly changed, and our friends decided not to tackle the pass but take the easier, faster way out so they could get to Mammoth sooner.  On the one hand, we were disappointed, as we were looking forward to the adventure, and to their expertise on the route.  Not to mention climbing and sliding down the Eureka Dunes, the largest dunes in North America as we exited on the other end.  On the other hand, at least half of the people at the springs who got word of our plan assured us that we would never make it, would incur thousdand of dollars of damage to our rig at best, and at worst could expect to pay $10,000 for someone to come rescue us.  So that pressure went away :-).  We certainly weren't going to tackle it alone.

We regrouped and decided to drive out of the park Sunday, and do some mountain biking near Tehachapi on the way home.  Weston was all over this idea, as he was eager to ride some new singletrack.  We made it as far as Jawbone Canyon, pulled over into the OHV area there, and found a good spot for the night.  The next morning Donette and I got up at our usual time, and shuttled Weston to the trailhead in Tehachapi while he stayed in bed.  What service!

After breakfast at the trailhead, we rode a few miles.  This was Donette and my second time there, and the trail system continues to expand and improve.  They now have some great signage which helped us plan our route much more easily.

A variety of terrain in this area, from trees...

... to open slopes, all with snow covered hills behind

After a couple of hours of riding, we packed up the muddy bikes and gear, rinsed off, and hit the road for home.  It was a great way to break up the long drive, and we got Weston home in plenty of time to do his homework.