BACKCOUNTRY & 4X4

Posted by Last Chance Rand on March 12, 2002 at 17:50:57:

Trail Report for: Echo Canyon

Spring seems to have come early, as our entourage of a dozen-and-a-half Land Rovers was greeted by daytime temperatures in the low 80's while evenings barely dipped into the 50's. Even the belly flowers were making their way to the surface.

The entrance to the lower narrows was rocky and a good spot to test your clearance; if you can navigate over this, you'll have sufficient clearance for the rest of the way to the Inyo Mine. This is also a good place to test your traction -- if the sand is too deep for you, you'll need 4x4 for sure.

The second narrows have a couple of great, well-protected campsites, but, as we discovered, still won't keep out the biggest wind gusts.

Past the famous Eye-of-the-Needle (look for other, smaller natural arches, too) the route up the right fork to the Inyo Mine was in fine shape, just the usual deep sand.

The Inyo Mine, we learned from the owner there, is actually a private, patented claim, and not Park property. The better, remaining artifacts have been removed and saved by the owner, but many of the structures still stand, giving visitors a good idea of how this gold mining camp may have looked in the early 1900's.

But the route to the left brings you to one of the last remaining truly challenging 4x4 obstacles in Death Valley National Park - the waterfall. In Roger Mitchell's new trail guide, "Death Valley SUV Trails" he reports that his companion's Land Rover Defender 90 needed its winch to ascend the falls, but there were no winches or straps needed for this group of Rovers.

Under careful spotting, everyone made it with nary a scrape -- Range Rovers, Discoveries, and even a four-door Defender 110. And on the way down, again with expert guidance, only one or two of the stock Land Rovers lightly touched the underneath of their rear plastic bumper corners.

However, unless your vehicle is modified for additional clearance and your driver is experienced in 4x4 rock climbing, I recommend that you not try this obstacle alone. It is a very long walk out.

We continued beyond the waterfall to the crest of the Funeral Mountains, but turned back before descending into the Amargosa Valley, therefore, I can't report on the routes condition across the Nevada border.

Thanks to Brian Marriott of the Southern California Land Rover club for the great photo.

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