Dawn patrol
Leave the neon at the hotel
Death Valley has a reputation: hottest, driest, lowest. All true. But on a cool Saturday morning the Nevada side of the valley is a different place: rocks, sand, loose climbs and wide-open Mojave country, a long way from the slot machines.
That's the playground for Death Valley Roundup, our supported small dual sport riding business, based just outside Pahrump, Nevada. Death Valley Junction is about 30 miles down the road. Tecopa is about 39. Beatty is about 73. This is the quiet side of Death Valley country, and it's where the day begins.
We ride every Saturday from September until it gets too hot. September through April are the regular months, May depends on the heat, and June through August belong to the lizards.
The setup
You ride. The truck hauls.
Here's the deal: you bring the riding, we bring the rest. No hauling a motorcycle across the country, no gas-station lunch, no carrying your whole life in a backpack over the rocks.
What the day comes with
- A high performance KTM or Husqvarna dual sport with fuel, or bring your own small dual sport.
- A helmet, plus some riding gear if you ask ahead.
- A chase truck that carries your gear all day.
- Chef Ruth's homemade trailside lunch, with drinks and snacks along the way.
- A cold beer when the kickstands go down for good.
Meet Chef Ruth
Chef Ruth deserves her own box. She's an accomplished Baja rider turned chase driver and chef, and she knows exactly how to feed a hungry riding crew. Lunch might be the best chicken salad sandwich you've ever had, the best burritos north of Sonora, or Thai food that gives Bangkok a run for its money. Whatever's on the menu, it's worth getting hungry for.
Know your terrain
Bring the skills, leave the big bike
The Roundup is built for intermediate and advanced desert riders. Rocks, sand, loose gravel, big climbs, big descents and side hills, all day long. If that sounds like a great Saturday, you're our people. Bring your motorcycle license, too: you need one whether you rent or ride your own.
It's small dual sports only. A big adventure bike and a light dual sport are two different trips, and this one is for the light bikes. Got a big bike itching for a desert? Adventure Baja runs a three-day Baja loop built for exactly that.
Bringing your own? It needs to be street legal, mechanically sound and running mousse tire inserts, because it's rough out there and flats are no fun. Our mousse insert guide has the details. Get the maintenance and repairs done before the trip, not the night before, and when you buy used parts, match the part number and read the condition notes.
Dusty boots, a cold beer and somewhere good to sleep
Lights out
Sleep in a 1969 NASA trailer
After a day like that you want a bed with some character, not a beige box off the highway. RuthVille is our vintage trailer lodging near Pahrump, at the gateway to Death Valley. Four restored aluminum trailers, each sleeping two, with real beds, fresh linens, heat and AC, morning coffee, a fire pit and a BYOB tiki bar under Bortle Class 2 skies.
Pick your trailer
- The Rocket Box: 1969, a former NASA astronaut trailer. Space-age aluminum.
- The Artan: a Spartan Executive Mansion that spent its second life as an art studio.
- Dead Man's Party: an homage to Oingo Boingo. Dark, weird, perfect.
- The Imperial: a 1955 Spartan Imperial Mansion, frozen in time.
Make it a weekend
Ride one day, wander the next
Saturday is for dirt. Sunday is for the park: the viewpoints, the salt flats at Badwater, or a slow drive home by way of the Tecopa hot springs. Give the sightseeing day its own room, and leave space for a quiet evening by the fire. Before you head into the park, take a quick look at the current park conditions.
Riding the Nevada BDR? The route runs right through Pahrump, and RuthVille sits about six miles off it. Here's how to make Pahrump your BDR overnight.
Flying in? Land in Las Vegas, drive about an hour, and your trailer is waiting. No RV, no towing, no beige.
