Death Valley’s Best Scenic Four-Wheel Drives
Hundreds of miles of unmaintained 4WD roads in the park provide access to remote destinations. Farabee’s Jeep Rentals in Furnace Creek rents 4WD vehicles and has up-to-date backcountry road information. Check the visitors centers and ranger stations to confirm current road conditions, which can change from one day to the next.
- Cottonwood Canyon Road: This 19-mile primitive road travels deep into the Cottonwood Mountains. The road starts off spitting through semi-deep sand, eventually becoming more solid (washboard and gravel) then much rougher as it enters Cottonwood Canyon wash.
- Echo Canyon to Inyo Mine: The 19-mile (round-trip) drive is popular for its scenic, winding canyon and ghost camp ruins. Access starts from Highway 190, east of Badwater Road, and requires a high-clearance vehicle for the 3 miles to the canyon mouth and 4WD beyond to the mining camp.
- Pleasant Canyon to Rogers Pass: This rugged road requires a 4WD vehicle through Pleasant Canyon. You will be driving directly in the creek en route to backcountry cabins and historic mining camps in the Western Panamint Mountains.
- Racetrack Valley Road: High-clearance vehicles can make the long, white-knuckle drive 26 rocky miles into the Racetrack Valley, but 4WD may be necessary at times.
- Saline Valley Road: This rough yet graded dirt road travels 78 lonely miles from Highway 190 to Big Pine Death Valley Road. Although a high-clearance vehicle is suitable during good weather, 4WD may be necessary at times to access the remote Saline Valley.
- Warm Spring Canyon to Butte Valley: The lower canyon is easily accessible, following a good graded road the first 11 miles to Warm Springs Camp. The upper canyon is harder to reach and requires 4WD into Butte Valley.
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