Re: 49'ers Days
Posted by Last Chance Rand on September 27, 2001 at 14:34:24:
In Reply to: 49'ers Days posted by Art Berggreen on September 27, 2001 at 13:15:57:
The only inconvenience might be that the motels and formal campgrounds could be tough to book. The restaurants can be busy at mealtimes, too. Generally, the crowds are limited to the usual human gathering places: Furnace Creek and Stove Pipe Wells Village.
But other than that, you'll find out just how big the Park is, and that you'll have no trouble getting away. Most of the 49ers in the backcountry will be as part of an organized trail run rather than dispursed throughout. However, the big trail run led by Dave Heffner will attract several dozen vehicles -- once he had 65 trucks in his group! So as long as you're not behind HIS group, you should be OK.
OR, ever better yet, take advantage of this opportunity to join in on one of these trail runs, or take part in some of the educational and fun events that surround the festival.
Note that in Nov '99, when Death Valley visitation numbers were at very high levels, the 49ers event and Cal4Wheel's Panamint Valley Days were held during the same week. The So. Cal Rover club, nonetheless, decided to do Butte Valley that same weekend and never saw anyone else on that ordinarily popular trail, and had the whole valley to themselves on a Saturday night.