Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

I'd call them quite similar difficulty wise. Mengel is a bit longer (because the technical part of Steel is super short), but I've never used lockers or any armor on either of them.

All of them are in my trip reports - worth checking out for photos, etc.

 

I can relate to that. I first tried Mengel pass shortly after getting my first Tacoma 20 years ago with very little off road experience other than forest roads. Went up Goler wash easily with fully stock extra cab but chickened out at the rough patch just before the Mengel pass and turned around. Came back a year later with 1-1/2” lift , a little more trail experience, went slow, picked a good line and had no difficulty getting through on 2nd attempt. Biggest difference was that in that year I did an outing with a local Tacoma club and followed the group (still stock) though some terrain I never would have thought possible and came away with confidence my truck had more capability than I first thought.

 

I went over Mengel a month ago or so. It was consistent with the way it's been the last few years. I have about 2 inch lift with 31's. I might have just tapped the drivers slider.

 

Just watched a couple of videos of Dedeckera Canyon , looks like a very easy trail with no challenges ?????

 

depends on your definition of challenge. but there is one short obstacle with 3 or 4 steep and narrow drops called the waterfall. would call it a class 3 or 4. aside from that it's class 2

 

In the distant past when it had less traffic than the 101 freeway the dry fall sections could get challenging after storms. These days enough people come through that the obstacles get improved pretty quickly to be relatively easy. Tricky with a wider vehicle and if you pick a poor line I'm sure you could smash a door without sliders.

 

My idea of off roading is trails that are double black diamond rating that needs lockers front /rear and will result in mechanical breakage and or body damage

Think of King of the Hammers style rock crawling climbing up / down very steep rocky ledges . My last jeep I had 21 yrs ago a 1968 M38A1 jeep with a Buick Odd fire V6 , GM SM465 4spd , aftermarket Dana 18 Atlas t/case with 3.50 low range , Dana 44 axles with the rear axle was a full floater and 5.38 gear ratios ,overall gear ratio of 123.1:1 low range , 33" tires and 4" lift the articulation was so good I easily scored over1200 on a RTI ramp

The last time I was at Death Valley I had fun on the Defense mine trail , Isham canyon and surprise Canyon

Just looking at Dedeckera canyon or Mengle pass it just looks like a dirt road to me !!!! .... sorry no offense taken or being mean , just my honest opinion

 

Most here are not in Tacomas set up for KOH. But as noted, trail difficulty is dependent on ones experiences. I like the scale Roger Mitchell uses in his books.

 

the trail descriptions and history in his books also arent half bad!

 

I agree with both! Great book. Coupled with Digonet's hiking books, you get a lot of good info to plan your Death Valley trip!

 

About two years ago, myself and a few others spent some time unstacking all of the rocks at Dedeckera. But of course when we were nearly done, a dude in his Sequoya came through and had difficulty getting through because of his open front/rear diffs. We helped him make it the first one without the use of stacking or winching, he just needed some coaching and a bit of spotting. No big deal right?, we were all having a good time about it. But he couldn't make it up the last little fall without the assistance of my winch..good times as always!!


And I believe this is the second little water fall when entering from the dunes side, I'm taking the optional line that's way left of the normal line..



Different trip, same line but going towards the dunes this time..

 

That is like saying if it's not a ghost pepper it isn't spicy.

I see it along the lines of the "it's more fun to drive a slow vehicle fast than a fast vehicle slow" argument. I'd rather push the limits of a mild build on a semi-technical trail that run it in a built vehicle and be bored.

Many of my favorite trails aren't really very technical but they take you to great places. Also, when you aren't running a vehicle built specifically for off roading, the sections that you could roll through with minimal pucker in your old jeep can present a bit more of a challenge.

 

Have you ever had a built rig? I'm never bored in mine. It's also nice to know that I can do any trail that anyone hear ever asks me to run. It can also drive at 80 MPH on the highway to get me there and usually home.

Each has their place and I totally agree that if it's your DD you want a milder build. You can still be mild and have F/R lockers though. Just depends on cash flow and personality really.

 

I liked the "and usually home" part.

 

You gotta keep it honest man. You play in big rocks and you will break shit. It's been on a flat bed twice in 3 years of wheeling. It's been field repaired more times then I can remember.

The first flat bed trip was after I broke my lower driver and passenger upper link on Claw Hammer. I temp repaired it enough to drive back to the lake bed but did't trust the repair to hold for 260 highway miles. Would you?




The second flatbed came after I stripped my lower diff nuts from scraping some rocks on either Rubi, Buck Lake, or Slick Rock. Probably a combo of all three. I limped it from Slick Rock back over Monitor Pass to 395. I stopped 3 times to add as much as I could. It probably would have been fine to drive home but I was done with filling the diff and I have AAA. lol

 

That old jeep of mine was my daily driver for 7 years and I have driven it from San Diego to the Dusy Irshim trail east of Fresno Calif or to Lake Tahoe to run the Rubicon

Also I was never bored taking that Jeep on trails , I had alot of fun

 

What do you mean by " unstacking" most people are trying to stack! LOL

 

I've had my share of trail repairs or carnage !!!!

Breaking spring perches off the frame

Breaking spring centering pins

Grenading a t/case

Shorting out an alternator

 

Stacking rocks over obstacles makes the trail to easy !!!!!!

 

For years trail etiquette has been to clean up your stacks if you had to use them. I got out of wheeling for about 15 years. When I came back that etiquette was gone. People where stacking to the point that my Jetta could make it. So, I'm with @MonkeyProof , clean up your stacks or people like us will have to clean them up for you. Today's PSA bought to you buy the old guard. lol