Over Christmas, my family and I headed to Las Vegas and then Death Valley. Afterwards, I stayed for an extra two days to camp and hit some trails with my friends, who were joining me as my family was leaving.
Our plan had been to meet up in Baker and take Harry Wade Exit Route into Death Valley (back into Death Valley for me), where we would then stay for a night at a developed campground before visiting the Racetrack and camping on top of Hunter Mountain the next day.
I had stayed at Stovepipe Wells with family the night before I met up with my friends and had inquired to the hotel clerk about the condition of Hunter Mountain. The clerk shot me a quizzical glance and asked what I was driving.
"A Subaru Forester," I naively said.
"Oh I wouldn't go up there with that," he said. "There's a lot of rocks and ruts. It's probably torn up and hard to go through. If you get stuck it's $5,000 to get towed out. The snow level is 3,000 feet and Hunter Mountains is at 6,000 feet so it's very cold. It's probably muddy and snowy."
It was pretty obvious he was trying to convince me not to go. Okay then.
The next day, I met up with my friends and we were soon at the trailhead for Harry Wade Exit Route. The exit route would be our entry route into Death Valley.
Our group consisted of three vehicles. My Forester, my friend's FJ Cruiser (yes, if you've kept up with my thread, you've seen it before), and my other friend's brand new Crosstrek. In short, a lifted FJ Cruiser and two stock Subarus on stock tires.
Harry Wade Exit Route was honestly very easy. It was really nothing more than a smooth dirt road that would be passable by passenger vehicles. The views were okay and there was only one spot that, from a driving perspective, was a bit interesting.
Yup, a water splash.
Harry Wade Exit Route crosses the Amargosa River. Due to some recent rains, the river did actually have some water, despite California's severe drought. Nothing that even a normal car couldn't do, but still fun nonetheless. Past the river, we continued on the trail into Death Valley for some touristy spots.
The lowest point in North America.
And the weirdness that is Devil's Golf Course. We stayed at Devil's Golf Course until the sky was dark and then headed towards our campsite at Stovepipe Wells. If that location sounds familiar, it's because I had stayed there the night before. Stovepipe Wells also includes a developed campground across the street from the lodge.
It was a slightly chilly night at a little above freezing, but it would be nothing compared to the next night on Hunter Mountain. We were dressed for the temperature and made some hot food to warm us up.
A highlight of the night was the moon rising. Yes that's the moon in the picture, not the sun. When it first came up over the hills, it was just amazing. I had never seen anything like it before.
We ate and chatted for quite a long time around the campfire. I even got some work done, though the presence of a laptop at a campsite solicited some not so approving comments from the people next to us. We ended the night trying to roast marshmallows on coffee stirrer sticks. Spoiler alert: that's not a great idea.
At around 10, we turned in to get some sleep. The next day, the Racetrack and Hunter Mountain awaited us.
Our plan had been to meet up in Baker and take Harry Wade Exit Route into Death Valley (back into Death Valley for me), where we would then stay for a night at a developed campground before visiting the Racetrack and camping on top of Hunter Mountain the next day.
I had stayed at Stovepipe Wells with family the night before I met up with my friends and had inquired to the hotel clerk about the condition of Hunter Mountain. The clerk shot me a quizzical glance and asked what I was driving.
"A Subaru Forester," I naively said.
"Oh I wouldn't go up there with that," he said. "There's a lot of rocks and ruts. It's probably torn up and hard to go through. If you get stuck it's $5,000 to get towed out. The snow level is 3,000 feet and Hunter Mountains is at 6,000 feet so it's very cold. It's probably muddy and snowy."
It was pretty obvious he was trying to convince me not to go. Okay then.
The next day, I met up with my friends and we were soon at the trailhead for Harry Wade Exit Route. The exit route would be our entry route into Death Valley.
Our group consisted of three vehicles. My Forester, my friend's FJ Cruiser (yes, if you've kept up with my thread, you've seen it before), and my other friend's brand new Crosstrek. In short, a lifted FJ Cruiser and two stock Subarus on stock tires.
Harry Wade Exit Route was honestly very easy. It was really nothing more than a smooth dirt road that would be passable by passenger vehicles. The views were okay and there was only one spot that, from a driving perspective, was a bit interesting.
Yup, a water splash.
Harry Wade Exit Route crosses the Amargosa River. Due to some recent rains, the river did actually have some water, despite California's severe drought. Nothing that even a normal car couldn't do, but still fun nonetheless. Past the river, we continued on the trail into Death Valley for some touristy spots.
The lowest point in North America.
And the weirdness that is Devil's Golf Course. We stayed at Devil's Golf Course until the sky was dark and then headed towards our campsite at Stovepipe Wells. If that location sounds familiar, it's because I had stayed there the night before. Stovepipe Wells also includes a developed campground across the street from the lodge.
It was a slightly chilly night at a little above freezing, but it would be nothing compared to the next night on Hunter Mountain. We were dressed for the temperature and made some hot food to warm us up.
A highlight of the night was the moon rising. Yes that's the moon in the picture, not the sun. When it first came up over the hills, it was just amazing. I had never seen anything like it before.
We ate and chatted for quite a long time around the campfire. I even got some work done, though the presence of a laptop at a campsite solicited some not so approving comments from the people next to us. We ended the night trying to roast marshmallows on coffee stirrer sticks. Spoiler alert: that's not a great idea.
At around 10, we turned in to get some sleep. The next day, the Racetrack and Hunter Mountain awaited us.