Trip/Event Location: Death Valley, CAUS
Trip Leader(s):
Max # People: 15
Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money
Difficulty Level: Moderate to Strenuous
Primitive car camping trip is at the Saline Valley hot springs Thursday, May 22 through Memorial Day, May 26th. This is primitive camping and you must bring EVERYTHING including drinking and cooking
Northern Route Into Saline Valley
(NOTE: A GPS device will be helpful to identify the turn from Saline Valley Road onto Steel Pass Road, described below.)
From ROUTE 395 in Big Pine, California, go east on ROUTE 168 about 2.5 miles to DEATH VALLEY ROAD.
0.0 RIGHT onto paved DEATH VALLEY ROAD. Proceed about 12.5 miles.
12.5 RIGHT onto gravel SALINE VALLEY ROAD. The sign will say "Waucoba Saline Rd." Shortly you will come to a fork. Both forks descend the hill and rejoin. The left fork is more gradual and a better choice if you are hauling a trailer.
19.1 enter Death Valley National Park and Marble Canyon. Mining remains are found in this area.
20.1 RIGHT to stay on SALINE VALLEY ROAD, which is the obvious main road to follow. Eventually you will see the white salt lake in the middle of Saline Valley.
39.2 LEFT to stay on SALINE VALLEY ROAD. The road to the right goes into Willow Creek Mining Camp. As you go along here you may be able to pick out your destination ahead and to your left across the valley. The area of the springs is covered in white travertine and dotted with a couple of oases. On a red hillside near the springs you may be able to make out a peace sign.
43.7 LEFT onto unmarked STEEL PASS ROAD. This is the turn that will take you across the valley to the springs. STEEL PASS ROAD is an obviously well-used road. There should be the standard, small National Park boundary signs on either side of it, but they may be missing.
If you find yourself bearing to the right to go around a brushy (mostly mesquite) area or if you begin to see residences on your left, then you missed the turn onto Steel Pass Road. Go back.
The GPS coordinates for this intersection are (choose your preferred notation, all four of these identify the same spot):
51.7 arrive at the Lower Springs. During your 8-mile drive across the valley you'll pass some art work on your left. As you near the Lower Springs the road may appear to fork a few times. All routes go to the same place (so long as you don't follow the fork to the landing strip). At the Lower Springs you will see a small sign pointing to "Palm Hot Springs" three-quarters of a mile away. Follow that sign, driving slowly and carefully along the route marked with rocks on the white travertine.
Page 1 of 2There are small turnoffs to the right and left, but continue forward. When the road levels off, there is a large area mostly clear of creosote. You will see two tubs with their respective growths of palm trees, one on your left, one on your right. There is a roundabout that circles around the source spring. That is not a tub. You do not go into the source spring at any time.
52.5 arrive at Palm Hot Springs. We will try to grab campsites to the left, near the tub there. But if that doesn't work out, we'll be to the right where there is a lot more space. Pick any spot where rocks have been cleared away.
If you overshoot Palm Hot Springs (maybe you're driving in after dark?) STEEL PASS ROAD continues off the travertine. The ground color changes from white to standard desert brown. You've gone too far! Come back!
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