This news story about illegal off-roading in Death Valley National Park is based on a December 30, 2023, National Park Service press release. You can read the original release here.
Three vehicles illegally drove off road and got stuck in Death Valley National Park recently. The vehicles needed to be towed and the drivers were cited with mandatory court appearances.
Illegal Off-Roading in Death Valley National Park
“Vehicles driving off roads can damage fragile ecosystems and damage archeological sites” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds. “They also impact the experience of other park visitors. People want to take photographs of the park’s beautiful landscapes without car tracks in the picture, which can last for many years.”
On December 22, two men drove a rented Porsche SUV off a road toward the salt flat about two miles south of Badwater Basin. The vehicle got stuck in mud about 200 yards away from the road.
Retrieving stuck vehicles can cause significant additional damage. Park rangers instructed that National Park Service staff would need to monitor the extraction.
However, the men hired a man with a pickup truck to attempt to remove the Porsche when the NPS was not present. The pickup truck also got stuck in mud.
A tow truck winched the pickup truck out of the mud a couple days later. The Porsche drove out of the mud after digging holes and laying down traction.
On December 27, a man drove a BMW SUV over a parking lot curb and for about a half mile through Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes before getting stuck in sand. The vehicle was towed out the following night.
Park rangers are concerned that copycat behavior can be inspired when people see vehicle tracks leading out into the desert. While rangers were at the sand dunes parking lot waiting for the tow truck to arrive, more than one visitor came up to them and asked how they can drive out into the sand dunes as well.
