Looking for input from those who have been to the racetrack recently ie in 2025. How has the healing progressed from the low life's that decided to drive a car out there a few years back? Planning a trip in late March to DV and would like to take a side trip out to the racetrack if improvements have created the opportunity to capture some interesting stills. Last time I was there prior to this destruction was back in 2011 and it was well worth the effort. Made an attempt on 2023 but the rainfall was so intense you could not venture out on the playa without damaging it.
There are always signs of bad behavior there, but still plenty of areas not affected that are good for image making. Right now you can only get there from the north. With the upcoming rains, who knows if access will be maintained.
Can’t give any current info about The Race Track, but I’m in DEVA this week and was pleasantly surprised to find that a lot of routes that were listed as closed as recently as a week ago have now opened up.
The weather is an interesting question, with the current forecast including the potential for more flooding rains in the next few days.
Also, you might ask the admins if they can move your post to the locations and meet-ups forum.
I’ll add one more quick note. I’m currently in Death Valley. While I have not (as mentioned above) been to the Race Track on this trip, I’ve been to enough other locations here to see that there’s a lot of water and muddy conditions in places that are affected by the big storm in November and the storm that is supposed to arrive overnight.
The Race Track, being a playa, is very much subject to shallow flooding and very muddy conditions. I’ve been out there when that was he case, and it is better to wait for things to dry out.
One MORE follow-up. A big storm came through on December 24 (and beyond?) that had big effects on the park. As of Christmas Day a whole bunch of areas that had been open were closed again, and additional areas closed as well.
(Our drive back to the SF Bay Area from DEVA on Christmas Eve Day was mildly harrowing.)
I was thinking of a casual trip up after the holiday period. We're still involved with some family members with health concerns so "get aways" are kind of off the table for now. My daughter and son-in-law are heading up today for a couple of days, thy have reservations at Oasis at Furnace Creek. (updated)
Heavy rains for most of CA for the next few days. I expect access to DEVA to be limited to none through the end of the long weekend, and perhaps beyond. I just drove to Vegas (wife loves it, ugh) and the playa at the CA-NV border was flooded.
GroovyGeek wrote:
Heavy rains for most of CA for the next few days. I expect access to DEVA to be limited to none through the end of the long weekend, and perhaps beyond. I just drove to Vegas (wife loves it, ugh) and the playa at the CA-NV border was flooded.
Several areas that had just barely opened were almost immediately recessed after that rain, though I don't know for how long. For example, Marble/Cottonwood Canyon road was open when we arrived and then recessed after Christmas Eve. The same happened with Immigrant/Wildrose road.
This is turning out to be a pretty big rainy season there!
Guess we'll have to cross our fingers and hope any road damage ends up being minimal. Made our flight and lodging res yesterday for a week late in March. 🤞
Follow up: made it out there Friday 3/27/26. Looks like someone has found another way onto the playa from the far end. You can see obvious one set of 4 wheel tracks running from the far east to the west at about the last third of the playa. They were not new however but from what I gather these are different than from those originally discovered a few years ago. I would so love to come across the sub-human that did these. Causing them serious pain would not be an issue for me. All the larger rocks are gone. Movement trails basically absent for the most part. Beautiful area just no longer the same. Very sad...
schlotz wrote:
Follow up: made it out there Friday 3/27/26. Looks like someone has found another way onto the playa from the far end. You can see obvious one set of 4 wheel tracks running from the far east to the west at about the last third of the playa. They were not new however but from what I gather these are different than from those originally discovered a few years ago. I would so love to come across the sub-human that did these. Causing them serious pain would not be an issue for me. All the larger rocks are gone. Movement trails basically absent for the most part. Beautiful area just no longer the same. Very sad......Show more →
I hear you.
Coming across Panamint Valley on 190 in late February I watched some A-hole start to drive out onto the playa there. I laid on my horn, I think they felt caught and turned around and came back.
