Let’s see, where did we leave off? We’re on our way to Ballarat to explore an old mining ghost town outside of the park. We estimated about 2 hours to get to Ballarat by sun down and then we’d make our way back into the park to camp. We continue to drive along Coyote Canyon road (high clearance 4×4 vehicle recommended) taking in the views and see A LOT of donkeys along the way. According to the park guide, donkeys are considered invasive species within in the park. Not sure how they ended up in Death Valley in the first place but they were EVERYWHERE.
We broke up the drive by stopping at Geologist’s Cabin along the way. The road was still manageable, a little rocky at some points but nothing that really needed 4 wheel drive. The sun was starting to set as we got there. There were 2 guys already set up to camp at the cabin that night. We mentioned that we were planning to go through Mengel Pass that night and one of the guys gave us a shocked look saying “You’re doing the pass tonight?” We answered “Yes” casually not thinking anything of his reaction. We took some pictures of the sunset, said our goodbyes and continued on our way.
Here’s where things got a bit more interesting and we should’ve heeded the guys reaction. The road went from dirt and little rocks to large boulders that did require 4 wheel drive. When we got to Mengel Pass we realized that we maybe should’ve picked a spot to camp for the night. But there was no turning back now, literally there was no space to turn around. I helped guide Enoch through some spots that had huge boulders on both sides. He chose what he felt like would be the best path through the boulders. I jumped back into the car and we hoped for the best.
That’s when the boulders got the best of us. We went over the boulders, knocked into the sides and ended up at a clearing on top of a hill after that one section. We got out of the car to access the damage. The boulders had knocked the side steps loose. They were still hanging onto the car with no other physical damage (phew). We also realized the bouncing had sent our gas can flying off our cargo carrier. So Enoch had to go back down into the boulders to find it.
The sun had just about set at this point. I noticed there was a pile of stacked rocks on top of this hill which I later learned is the grave of Carl Mengel, which the pass is named after. He was a miner that lost his leg, and continued to mine. Little did we know we would have a similar story at the end of the day.
After retrieving the gas can, making sure there were no other issues, we continued on our way hoping that was the worst we would have to go through. Boy we’re we wrong. We encountered the next obstacle a few miles away. Similar situation, large boulders to both sides of the car but this time it was already dark so things were a bit more difficult to see. We again picked our route and hoped for the best. We went over one boulder but then got stuck into between. We essentially had to rock back and forth into the boulders to free ourselves. Thus our second casualty of the day: our side steps had been knocked off. But had the side steps not been where they were, we would’ve had worse physical damage on Yogi. And now we have an excuse to get rock sliders.
We survived Mengel Pass! The rest of the way to Ballarat was easy considering what we had just gone through. When we arrived to the ghost town we were greeted by a guy that frequents the area often. When we mentioned that we had just gone through Mengel Pass to arrive at Ballarat, his first question was “did you air down your tires?” We had not because we were not expecting to do intense off-roading. He was shocked that we successfully went through the pass at night with full tires and sustained minor damages. He told us that we should tell everyone this story as it’s a major accomplishment. We were feeling pretty good about ourselves after that interaction. It was already late, so we said our goodbyes and headed back into the park to conclude our day.
The next morning we slept in as we were tired from yesterday’s “excitement.” I looked at the map to find some easy activities to do and noticed in red letters next to Mengel Pass: “Road conditions require experienced four-wheel drivers.” I guess we overlooked that yesterday when we decided to do that drive. But this also confirms that Enoch is indeed an experienced four-wheel driver.
We decided to do an easy hike to Darwin Falls, check out the Charcoal Kilns, and the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.
We stayed in one of the free campsites within the park that night. And for our last day in the park, we visited the Ubehebe Crater and Keane Wonder Mill and Mine.
Death Valley has been our most our most eventful park so far. We spent 4 days with zero cell service fully immersed in our natural surroundings. Our next few stops will be points of interest along our way to Grand Canyon National Park.
MoLeisureXventures 