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Death Valley Road Conditions - Unpaved Roads (Last Update: 01/12/2026)
January 14, 2026 4 min read
Paved roads are easy, but how about the unpaved ones? We spend a bunch of time in the desert, so we want to keep fellow desert rats in the loop.
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Current As Of: 12 January 2026*
Saline Valley - North Pass: There is some hard-packed and frozen snow around North Pass and in the canyon just south of the pass. Drive carefully and use your 4WD or AWD here for better traction. Also, wherever it melts out, it's still muddy for the next few days. It’s best to not drive in the same ruts that vehicles before you left behind, or the road conditions will deteriorate very fast. Some small washouts have appeared around the 3-mile grade and below: watch out! They're very sneaky.
Saline Valley - Lippincott Rd to Warm Springs Rd: Lots of small wash-outs and rocky sections! Slow-going, will take patience and a good suspension.
Big Pine Death Valley Road - Eureka Valley: still very smooth.
Big Pine Death Valley Road - Last Chance Range: good, nothing to complain about.
Big Pine Death Valley Road - Death Valley: some new washouts have appeared during the Christmas storms. It's still very passable, but you do need a little clearance and you can't drive usual speeds. Plan to take a few more minutes than you would have in the past. Some washouts are marked with cones, but not all of them.
Ubehebe Crater to Teakettle Junction: Bumpy and full of washboard, but nothing unusual.
Racetrack Valley: Bumpy and full of washboard, but nothing unusual. The Racetrack itself is currently a lake! You can't walk out there and see the moving rocks!!
Lippincott Pass: still in decent shape, thanks to the great repairs from 2 years ago. There are some sections where the shoulder is starting to fail, so keep your eyes open for those! The bottom of Saline Valley is slow-going due to lots of rough and rocky wash crossings.
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Current As Of: 15 October 2025*
Saline Valley - North Pass: it snowed all of Tuesday, so as of the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct 15, there was some snow cover near the turn-off from the pavement. No snow through Marble Canyon, but 4 inches on North Pass which turn into ice overnight! Drive carefully here.
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Current As Of: 10 October 2025*
Big Pine Death Valley Road - Eureka Valley: smoother than we have ever seen it. Incredible!
Big Pine Death Valley Road - Last Chance Range: good, nothing to complain about.
Big Pine Death Valley Road - Death Valley: a few small washouts within a few miles before and after Little Sand Spring Road (Oriental Wash and southern wash crossings). No challenge for vehicles, but you want to drive slower than you might be used to in order to see the washouts in time for slowing down.
Lee Flat: The road towards the mines in the Nelson Range is in great shape, a little washboard but nothing bad. The road towards South Pass has washboard, but is otherwise fine.
The road towards Nelson Cabin has a rocky spot that requires high clearance (low range 4wd is helpful but not mandatory), otherwise okay.
South Pass: Somewhat rough around the canyon leading up to the pass, but nothing unusual.
Hunter Mountain: dry, no mud pits at all! There is a small water flow on the switchback off the North side which doesn't create mud, but will freeze anytime the nighttime temps dip low enough.
Hidden Valley: Dry and rock solid! There are some grooves in the dried lake bed, which should be navigated carefully if your vehicle doesn't have enough clearance. Pick your line carefully!
Lost Burro Gap: some washouts from recent storms. High-clearance is fine, just drive slowly. Low-ish clearance should very carefully pick a line here or avoid the area altogether, you can high-center your vehicle here or get a wheel stuck in the washed out parts of the road.
Racetrack Valley: Bumpy and full of washboard, but nothing unusual.
Ubehebe Crater to Teakettle Junction: Bumpy and full of washboard, but nothing unusual.
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Be sure to visit Death Valley National Park's conditions website where they show closed paved roads and other alerts you need to know before your visit.
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Need Backcountry Gear? If you're in need of camping or hiking gear (backpacks, tents, etc.) for your adventures, you can rent or buy everything that you would need with us here at Eastside Sports.
Got a More Specific Conditions Question? As always, don't hesitate to call us at the store (760-873-7520) if ever in need of adventure ideas or conditions information!
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*All conditions reports are subject to change, increasingly so with each passing day since the observation(s) were made. They are provided as a tool to assist your adventuring, not to replace your own risk management and decision-making. No information in any trip or conditions report published by Eastside Sports should be considered definitive in its information or directive in its recommendation. Never go beyond your abilities and always train, plan and prepare properly. This report is not written with the novice offroad driver in mind.
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