Be aware that groups of 7 or more vehicles and/or groups of 15 persons or more require a permit to travel the road.
If I can make it I'd like to do it again.
There were a few spots that required four wheel drive. You always want to pick up a rock off the Colorado River and drop it off at the travelers monument. You might also want to drop a penny in the penny can for luck, haul in a (weather proof) frog for the frog monument, and sign the log book at the mail box. The dry soda lake area was soft when I was there but not wet and I don't know if I'd want to run it if it was. Maybe somebody more familiar with the trail could comment on that. I did find the sand after Shaw Pass to be the most confusing section of the road and almost felt lost as we ran it at night. We finally ended up parking on a dune for the evening. Depends on following markers but many were covered up with sand. I was glad to have GPS. There are some premium spots spaced out to camp at especially Caruthers Canyon and Afton Canyon. Another nice camp that can hold a large group is just after the Kelso wash before Marl Springs against the mountain. I also like the lava bed area which is a good spot to veer off the trail & head 20 miles into Baker for supplies if you need it. In total, me and my buddy spent 5 nights on the trail and could have taken longer considering how much we partied
Still to date one of my favorite trips I've written about on my web site. Like I said earlier I don't like rushing through a trail like that but admit I'm a picture junkie and that eats up a lot of time.
I highly suggest this road, great history and although you're not really out in the middle of nowhere with all the intersecting roads, it does supply a different feel than most trails in Death Valley due to it's 140 mile length.
Sportsmobile (AKA Money Pit)
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