Announcing a new Meetup for SF Bay Area Geology & Natural Science Hiking Group!

What: Death Valley "Road Trip" and hikes (4-5 days)

When: Tuesday, December 28,[masked]:00 AM

Price: $5.00 per person

Where: Death Valley, National Park
Park Headquarters
Death Valley, CA 92328

Ten of us did this last year and it was a blast, so here we go again (you can see reviews of last year here):

Here's the tentative plan:

• Leave the Bay Area early on Tuesday, Dec 28, arriving at Death Valley late afternoon. People can either camp or stay in a hotel (get your reservations now.
  
• Dec 29 and 30 we'll explore the Park, hiking through canyons, over dunes, etc.
  
• Dec 31: Some people may leave early to return home on the 4th day. Others will stay another day to celebrate New Years (the moon is nearly gone, so stargazing will be good), or may drive to another nearby park--Mojave?--if agreed on in advance.
  
• Jan 1: The rest of us will drive home. This group may decide to travel to hot springs on the way home, or other trip-lengthening detours, but that's up to those in each car/carpool.
  

We'll be staying in the Furnace Creek area, which has both camping (it will be cold at night) and motel rooms at the Furnace Creek Ranch (Furnace Creek Inn is just down the street for those who want more luxury). Each morning we'll carpool to our hikes--we'll aim for a moderate pace, but leave no one behind--this is a hiking group, so I'll assume everyone understands that this is not just car-touring :-)

I'll be posting some files (camping, park map, etc.) in the "Files" section of our Meetup site for people to look at, or you can visit the Death Valley National Park web site.

Hikes:
Once we know who's going, we can make decisions about best destinations (Racetrack Playa is always high on my list, and Mosaic Canyon is not to be missed). We may decide on longer hikes, or multiple shorter hikes, driving between them (there are many 1-2 hour hikes in the park).
If we have cars with "high clearance," we can get down a few roads that are a bit too bumpy for most cars (I just bought a 4WD that fits four comfortably); but we'll probably not go down 4-wheel drive roads (unless everyone has 4WD, and even then we'll likely avoid the really rough ones).

Camping:
Camp sites hold up to 8 people and 2 cars--some are "pull through" others are "walk-in, tent only". Lat year we stayed in Texas Springs, which I think is a little nicer than Furnace Creek--but right near it).

Motel:
If you want to stay in the Furnace Creek Motel or the FC Inn, make your own reservations now. If you want to share a room, leave a comment below stating your desires/preferences. Stovepipe Wells Village is a bit less expensive, and only about 30 miles from Furnace Creek area.

Food:
We'll work out the details on food in early December, but plan on having at least your own lunches that you can take with you on hikes (we may coordinate breakfasts and dinners, for those who are interested-, but everyone is welcome to just bring their own). There is a restaurant at Furnace Creek for those inclined to dine in.

Weather
Cold at nights; may have some rain but not likely too much. http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/weather.htm Regardless, be ready for cold, and be ready for rain.

Cost:
Each participant will be responsible for:

• helping with gas if they carpool
  
• camping ($18/site/night) or motel (2 queen=$169/night)
  
• entrance fee ($20/car)
  
• their own food (some may be shared).
  
• I'm asking a $5 donation from each person for this trip.
  

RSVP to this Meetup:
http://www.meetup.com/SF-Bay-Area-Geology-Hiking/calendar/14854782/