Testimonials
Video Links to Previous Expeditions
Death Valley – Spring
Death Valley – Badwater
Death Valley – Trona Pinnacles
Death Valley – Mengel Pass
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1.208.369.9153
contact@blackrhinoexpeditions.com
We’ve been introducing people to Death Valley for almost 20 years. Our expeditions are run during the cooler parts of the year and are a combination of driving, hiking, exploring mining camps, and photographic opportunities. Even a 4×4 truck can only get you so far. So much of the great stuff to see is only accessible by foot though none of our hikes are too strenuous, or too long.
For this expedition, we’ll be staying at Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel for our night halt on Friday night.
For our night halt for Saturday night, we’ll spend the night at The Oasis at Death Valley (The Ranch). The Ranch offers nearby gasoline (though very expensive), restaurants, a General Store, and a delightful spring-fed pool that is consistently 87 degrees.
During the expedition, we’ll be using SPOT (a satellite tracking device) which will allow those folks who couldn’t make the trip to follow on their computer our daily travels. We’ll supply the link for the arm-chair expeditioners.
After this expedition, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to visit Death Valley.
Health notice/restrictions: Off-road tours are rough, bumpy rides often through rough terrain. Our off-road Expeditions are not suitable for guests with back problems, neck problems, motion sickness, pregnancy, major medical conditions, or any other health condition(s) that could be aggravated by a bumpy ride through rough terrain.
** NOTE: What if a specific Expedition is canceled? While incredibly rare, from time to time, an Expedition may have to be canceled. For almost all of our events, you will be given the choice to either receive a full refund, or transfer your registration to another event that has openings. For some Expeditions, we may deduct up to a 15% fee from your refund to offset unrecoverable expenses. Due to unforeseen circumstances all Black Rhino Expeditions trips and trails are subject to change or cancellation without advance notice.
Death Valley in known around the world for its spectacular geology – the sight-seeing and discovery is incredible!
We will expertly guide you through this magnificent wilderness and introduce you to life-changing experiences.
Our expedition group is small with a limit of 12 vehicles. Come be a part of the adventure!
May 2, 2025 – Arrive at Alabama Hills Cafe in Lone Pine by 10 am.
Address: 111 W Post St, Lone Pine, CA 93545
(GPS – N 36.604, W -118.063)
Be sure to arrive fueled up. We’ll have a driver’s meeting describing the plans for the next three days and then get started.
From Lone Pine, we’ll head north on 395 for about 10 miles where we’ll turn east and head up to Reward Mine. Reward Mine is unique in that you can drive your car/truck into it. We’ll do a little exploring of the mine, and I plan to do some photography with a truck in the mine.
After we’re done with Reward Mine, we’ll head back through Lone Pine and make our way to Swansea Grade where we’ll air down. Swansea Grade has a few technical/challenging parts and takes us up to the ridge of the Inyo Mountains, to the Salt Tram, and drops us from the north into the “ghost town” of Cerro Gordo.
We’ll check out the town and especially the almost-completed Hotel. Perhaps we’ll even take a guided tour. Brent Underwood, the owner of Cerro Gordo, (YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GhostTownLiving) has been rebuilding the hotel since it burnt down a few years ago. After our town exploration we’ll head east toward Death Valley, through the Santa Rosa Hills to Saline Valley Road and eventually to Highway 190 to Father Crowley Vista Point and check out Stars Wars Canyon. From there, we’ll continue on to Panamint Springs. Depending on timing, we may stop there for a bite, or at least to fuel up and make a bathroom break.
From Panamint Springs, we’ll continue east making a stop to explore and take photos at Big Four Mine. Miners extracted smithsonite, lead, zinc, copper and gold from this mine.
After Big Four Mine, we’ll make our way east, up over Towne Pass for our night halt and dinner stop at Stovepipe Wells Village. You may make reservations here: https://www.stovepipedeathvalley.com/
If there are no rooms available there, you may also try The Oasis at Death Valley (The Ranch). The Ranch will be our night halt and dinner stop for Saturday night. Make reservations here: https://www.oasisatdeathvalley.com/
We’ll meet up for dinner and maybe later, a dip in the pool. We’ll meet Saturday morning in the parking lot and get ready for the next day of exploration.
May 3, 2025 – We’ll set out shortly after our 9 am driver’s meeting from Stovepipe Wells Village parking lot and make our way northwest into Cottonwood Canyon with our first stop at the mouth of Marble Canyon. We’ll park at the trailhead and take a short hike into the striking canyon.
After returning to the trailhead, we’ll hop back into our vehicles and make our way to the Charcoal Kilns at Wildrose. They are a sight to behold and we’ll spend some time there exploring and taking photos.
From the Kilns we’ll make our way to Aguereberry Point where we’ll get a chance to view the entire Death Valley from the western side of the valley from the Panamint Mountains. We’ll stop along the way at the Eureka Mine, an abandoned gold mine from the 1930s for some exploration.
From Aguereberry Point, we’ll continue back to Emigrant Pass Road and make our way to another “ghost town” called Skidoo. Bob Montgomery’s mile-high Skidoo was one of the most productive gold mines in California that continued production until September of 1917. It’ll be a great place to take some photos while exploring.
From Skidoo, we’ll make out way back into Death Valley and head to The Ranch at the Oasis at Death Valley for our dinner and night halt. You may book your rooms on their website: https://www.oasisatdeathvalley.com/
If time permits, we’ll run over to The Inn and have our traditional cocktail on the terrace and relive the experiences of the day.
May 4, 2025 – Today, we’ll set out shortly after our 9 am driver’s meeting from Furnace Creek and 
head east on Hwy 190 this time and make a stop at one of Death Valley’s most famous landmarks/viewpoints – Zabriskie Point. (If I’m feeling spunky, I may get up a little before sunrise and head to Zabriskie Point to take some sunrise photos.)
Leaving Zabriskie Point, our next stop is a short drive to Twenty Mule Team Canyon. (Twenty Mule Team Canyon has been used for filming locations for Star Wars movies. Six other areas where they filmed include: 1. Artists Palette, 2. Desolation Canyon, 3. Golden Canyon, 4. 20 Mule Team Canyon, 5. Dante’s View, and 6. Mesquite Sand Dunes.)
After Twenty Mule Team Canyon, we’ll backtrack just a little bit to the turn-off for Echo Canyon and 
head to the Eye of the Needle and then continue up-canyon to Inyo Mine. We’ll do some exploring of the remains of the townsite and shoot some photos in the mine.
After Inyo Mine, we’ll make our way back to Highway 190 and continue east to Death Valley Junction and a short stop at the famous Amargosa Opera House & Hotel.
We’ll turn southward onto Highway 127 and make our way to Shoshone. Once through Shoshone, we’re going to make a short detour to China Ranch Date Farm to do a little sight-seeing, learn a little of their history, and of course, partake of their fabulous Date Shake.
After China Ranch, our final stop for this expedition will be one of the few areas where we can drive in the dunes – Dumont Dunes. Dumont Dunes will give us 
an opportunity to practice our sand driving skills and to play in the dunes. Competition Dune is the tallest dune at 450 feet tall! It’ll be a great way to cap off another fantastic weekend. They do charge a $30 fee for a weekly pass to drive on the dunes. I’d also recommend that you bring a whip antenna and mount for increased visibility of your vehicle while we’re driving in the dunes. I plan to shoot some drone footage while we’re there as well.
After we’ve had our fill of Dumont Dunes, it’ll be time to say good-bye… until the next trip.
See you soon.
