Lippencott Update

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Posted by ronner on December 30, 2002 at 22:52:50:

Just back from 4 days in DV. Did Lippencott and Racetrack road. The road thru Lee Flats had about an inch of snow on it and at the top of the road, near the Hunter Mtn turnoff, there was about 2 to 3 inches of snow. No problems with slipping, it seemed pretty dry - little ice. Temps there were about 38 degrees at about 11:00 am. Lippencott was fairly tame (except for the pucker factor). Lower washes were mild (maybe 1 foot max ledges, some 8-10" rocks. The climb had a few places with minor washouts, but nothing too dramatic. If you can negotiate the wash, then as long as your vehicle is not too long or wide, the climb (or descent) should be OK. I would really hate to drive the NPS Hummer up or down it. Saw only one vehicle between the Hunter Mtn road and the Lippencott turnoff. A motorcycle was descending Lippencott when we were coming up. That accounts for the only two vehicles seen between the 190 and the top of Lippencott.

The racetrack was crazy. The parking lot at the south end was FULL! Mostly sedans, vans and few SUV's. Saw a fair number of sedans fixing flats there. Temps at the Racetrack were in the mid 40's. The washboard was pretty normal - no worse or better than the other DV dirt roads. They all seem to need blading. No washouts or other difficulties on the Racetrack road.
Happy exploring,
Ron


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