You fancy a ride that will get you out of your comfort zone and looks and feels incredibly breathtaking? We suggest you to go and try pedaling the Death Valley. We guarantee you an experience you will remember! Situated at the East of California, along the border with Nevada and at the West of Las Vegas, the Death Valley is part of the deserts of Mojave and Colorado biosphere.
To present a bit the context and copying the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, the Death Valley is the land of superlatifs : it is one of the hottest, driest, lowest place in the world. In July and August, the temperatures can reach up to 50°C (with a record at 57°C) and the ground temperature can be as hot as 93°C!! The water is almost inexistant or super salty, which make it unsuitable for the development of life. Finally, most of the valley is situated under sea level, the lowest point being at -86m.
Nonetheless, his land of extreme is full of extraordinary natural areas: the low and flat valleys covered with salty crust, steep mountains reaching 3366m high, deep colorful canyons, sandy golden dunes and beautiful oasis feed by precious springs.
There is no way you would take your bicycle in the Death Valley during summer time, it would definitely be irresponsible. As soon as May, the temperatures are already too hot. We got there in January. The days are cool and nice and the night very chilly (pack a good sleeping bag!) It rains sometimes in winter but the annual precipitation are as low as 300mm. The snow cap the summits of the mountains framing the valley and the delicate winter light seems to create the perfect atmosphere to ride this arid desert.
Because the conditions are extreme, it is necessary to plan in advance your trip and not just go without an idea about your itinerary. Among other things, it is for example required to know were to get water. Riding south after Furnace Creek, it become complicated to find water and a water pouch of at least 5L might be a good idea to carry, specially if, like us, you are not the kind to pedal 100km a day. Though it is still possible to stop a car to ask for a refill.
Crossing the desert the Death Valley and the areas after, also mean that cities become rare or are far from each other. Before the departure to the Death Valley, we stocked up at REI 5 dehydrated meals surprisingly delicious from Backpacker’s Pantry. You can find some groceries in Furnace Creek but not too much and bit pricey. This is why it is also good to plan on carrying enough food. After Death Valley, many of the former mining cities became kind of ghosts cities. We did some refilling at Baker, in a tiny grocery store who got the basics but again quite pricy.
About the traffic through Death Valley, the road are nice and paved, but without much shoulder and very used by tourists not very careful sometimes when it comes to overtake a cyclist. So be extremely prudent and maybe use a visibility vest and/or a little mirror (we can’t do without it anymore!)
Where to sleep? As bike-tourers, we enjoy the same rights as the hikers to pitch the tent almost wherever we want in the Death Valley or the Mojave Desert, except when explicitly forbidden in the day use area and at the condition to follow some rules like not settling in less than 100m of a water point or less than 1 mile (1.6 km) from the public space. Wild camping is, to our point of view, the most beautiful way to fully appreciate a night in the desert. Just imagine being able to observe with your own eyes the milky way and millions of shiny stars… and this massive, absolute silent, just broken every now and then by coyotes. Priceless!!
There is also different camping spots along the Death Valley, for 14$ per night. Some are even free, like The Emigrants (between Panamint Springs and Stovepipe Wells).
So prepare well your bike, and enjoy this amazing route!!
