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Follow up: The van got stuck on Wednesday, March 8 about a half mile off road just north of Badwater. With park permission, a tow company pulled it out Friday afternoon with a small track vehicle.
It is illegal to drive off designated roads within Death Valley National Park. This driver has not yet been charged, but maximum possible penalty for this violation are 6 months in jail, $5,000 fine, and/or restitution charges for the cost of restoration work.
Restoration usually involves rakes or shovels to smooth the surface, then thoroughly soaking the area to encourage the salt to regrow.
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Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer
I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.
Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member:http://reconn.org
Fines are not much use for this sort of thing. What I'd like to see is the rangers give the guy a nice stout come-along and an anchor point at the nearest road. then he has to pull it out by himself with just the come-along, and then go back with the rake and shovel and clean up the mess he made. Set up bleachers, $1 a head donation to watch the show.
man, this is the second or third asshat to mess up one of the playas in DV in the past year. Some stooge decided to do some laps out in the racetrack earlier this year. IIRC they caught they persons responsible in that one.