Racetrack, Death Valley Group Trip - October 4-6, 2013

[BajaSportsmobile]

Good - maybe there won't be anyone there to bother you.

[SteveInLA]

I have some good news from Amanda at Panamint Springs Resort:

Access to our Panamint Springs Resort will NOT be affected by the government shut down. We will still be open and accessible. I’m not sure what the affect on Death Valley National Park will be, although I think it will be minimal. This is not a gated park, so all parts of the park should still be accessible. The only possibilities I can think of would be less rangers patrolling and possibly the visitor center closing or having more limited hours. However the park service has not informed us of any changes.

That seems encouraging. Even if the sites inside the park are inaccessible, there are other things to see in the nearby areas outside the park boundaries.

Steve in L.A.

[charlie56]

“Tourists will find every one of America's national parks and monuments, from Yosemite to the Smithsonian to the Statue of Liberty, immediately closed,” he said. “And of course the communities and small business that rely on these national treasures for their livelihoods will be out of customers and out of luck.”



My guess is that they will just close the visitor center and improved campgrounds. I wonder if the concessions at Stovepipe and Furnace Creek will close. Better not rely on them for fuel. So do you have a plan B?

Truly not our governments finest hour.

[SteveInLA]

Some news from the Death Valley Road Conditions Facebook page:

Government Shutdown Update:
All roads other than Hwy 190 will be shutdown for an indefinite amount of time. Barricades will be in effect at the intersections of Hwy190 and the Badwater and Scotty's Castle roads. The gas pumps will not be working at Stovepipe Well, but all other facilities at SPW, FCR, and PSR will be open. The Death Valley Road Conditions and Death Valley National Park pages will also not be active. Sorry for the inconvenience.

No mention is made if the gas station at Panamint Springs will also be shut down so I'll send them another e-mail. My Plan B in the event that we do not choose to be "backcountry bandits" is to stay at Panamint Springs on Friday and see Cerro Gordo and camp nearby on Saturday. I am open to Plans C, D, etc.

Steve in L.A.

[Ford_6L_E350]

How do they close the park? The highways will be open. Will they put up barriers on the dirt roads? Or will the backcountry be open and all the facilities closed?

Mike

[Christopher Thwaites]

The only impact would be if a ranger encountered us in the park. If that happens we would be given 48 hrs to vacate our camp according to what I read in the paper this am regarding National Park camp grounds. The road into DV via Saline Valley Rd. to Hunter Mtn. rd. is only partially in the park and not likely to be barricaded. I've never seen a ranger in these remote areas.
Panamint Resort is private so it will be open. National Parks are closed in terms of services they provide but we won't be using any of those services.

[Tapatio]

Dirt roads in the middle of a vast desert. This is not Disneyland. I say push forward. Who's going to enforce the closure if they are all on furlough.....

[SteveInLA]

Originally Posted by Ford_6L_E350

How do they close the park? The highways will be open. Will they put up barriers on the dirt roads? Or will the backcountry be open and all the facilities closed?

I think Chris is correct. Since there is no longer anyone to call or a website to visit, all I can be sure of is what has been posted. The only road they indicate that is barricaded is Scotty's Castle Rd and Badwater Rd from Hwy 190. This only affects us in that the alternate route to Racetrack via Scotty's Castle Rd and Racetrack Valley Rd is no longer available.

This is from the Furnace Creek Resort webpage:

Last updated: 9:02 a.m. MDT, Oct. 1, 2013
Furnace Creek in Death Valley remains open including all restaurants, retail and golf. Xanterra is monitoring the U.S. government shutdown and is in contact with the National Park Service (NPS).

Based upon the current information posted here, the National Parks are closed. However, Furnace Creek Resort is private property surrounded by Death Valley National Park. This “in-holding” status goes back many years and long before the land was designated a national monument and later a national park. The famed Fred Harvey Company owned and operated Furnace Creek Resort and both became a part of Amfac (now Xanterra) Parks & Resorts in 1968.

Unlike most national park operations, Furnace Creek Resort will not close because the park closes. Remaining open will be the resort’s lodging, restaurants, pools, golf course, tennis courts, stables and retail operations.

The main road traversing Death Valley is a California state highway and cannot be closed down by the National Park Service (NPS).

All reservations will be honored.

As far as I am concerned, this trip is still on as planned.

Steve in L.A.

[Ford_6L_E350]

Originally Posted by Christopher Thwaites

The only impact would be if a ranger encountered us in the park. If that happens we would be given 48 hrs to vacate our camp according to what I read in the paper this am regarding National Park camp grounds. The road into DV via Saline Valley Rd. to Hunter Mtn. rd. is only partially in the park and not likely to be barricaded. I've never seen a ranger in these remote areas.
Panamint Resort is private so it will be open. National Parks are closed in terms of services they provide but we won't be using any of those services.

In normal times I've seen rangers out there. When we met at the geologist's cabin, a ranger went over Mengel Pass and out of the park. An earlier trip a ranger accosted us at Teakettle Junction and he was heading to Hunter Mt. They do travel all the park roads. But, the will probably be furloughed and not in the backcountry now. Maybe patrolling Furnace Creek and Stovepipe, but not the backcountry.

Mike

[daveb]

I thought I heard that critical Law Enforcement inside the parks were not to be interfered with???