Wagon Train & Out Riders

ROUTE CHANGE DUE TO WEST SIDE ROAD CLOSURE

Please see new information below

 

Wagon's Ho!

UPDATED ROUTE AND TRIP DATES

It is with disappointment that we share that the wagons will not be starting at Desolation Canyon this year.  We had hoped that the Westside Road would have had repairs from the flooding but the park service and road crews have not been able to even access the road as it is still too wet.

  • There will NOT be a parade at the entrance to The Ranch at Furnace Creek or along Hwy 190. 

 

 

The wagon train will begin at Ashford Junction

Monday, November 11th

and work their way down to Wades Monument  ending

on Saturday, November 16th on Hwy 127.  

Ashford Junction is located on Badwater Road.  Traveling from Furnace Creek Visitors Center it is 46 miles south on Badwater Road.

From Longstreet Inn it is 59 miles south.  Hwy 127 to Jubilee Pass Road.  As you head down to the valley floor the camp will be at the junction of Harry Wade Road and Badwater Road at the right curve.  

The only time to see the wagons would be Sunday November 10th or Wednesday November 13th at Ashford Junction.  All other trails they will be on would require 4 x 4 and there is deep sand and areas that are unsafe in a regular vehicle.

Saturday Nov 9th:  Arrive at Ashford Junction. We will unload our wagons and park our trailers out on the road. Support truck will arrive around 2:00 PM.

Sunday Nov 10th: A 8:30 AM we will take the trucks and trailers to Shoshone Maintenance Yard.

Monday Nov 11th:  We will leave camp 8:30 AM.  There will be pavement for about 4 miles till we get to the West Side Road. (14 mile day). We head towards Salt Tanks.   Each day we stop every hour for 5 minutes for a wagon and animal check.  We stop for 1 hour to have lunch each day where there is a wide spot in the road.

Tuesday Nov 12th: We leave at 8:30 AM and head to Ashford Junction.

Wednesday Nov 13th: This is a lay over day for fun and games. There is a waffle contest at 9:00 am.  We will pick 3 judges.  The winner is based on: 1) The best story, 2) The best presentation, and 3) The best texture and flavor.  We have the day to play games, socialize, and have an auction. We have an auction at 1 PM (you may donate something for the auction if you like). It is also shower day! Whoo hoo! I think it would be fun to have a dutch over cook off.! (More details to come)

Thursday Nov 14th: We leave at 8:30 AM and head to River Crossing (15 miles)

Friday Nov 15th:  We leave at 8:30 AM and head to Saratoga Springs (13 miles).

Saturday Nov 16th: We will visit the springs after breakfast (2 hours), hitch and leave at 11 AM and head to Wades Monument (6 miles).  We will get there early enough so we can shuttle drivers to get our trailers in Shoshone.  You can leave for home or spend the night and leave Sunday Nov 17th. 

We have added more drives to our schedule in recent years. We do a spring and fall weekend drive. 

The current President is Jeanette Hayhurst.

If any further information is needed please feel free to contact

Sue Martzloff, Trail Boss sue.a.mart14@gmail.com or visit our Corral 14 website.

 

E.T.I. Corral 14 Western Wagons

Our Death Valley Wagon Train commemorates the first wagon train that passed through Death Valley in 1849 on their way to the gold fields. There is much history to be learned in reading of the troubles these hardy pioneers endured.

Corral 14 was founded in 1967 by a group of older folks that wanted to stay active with horses. They decided that since they were getting a little past the age they should be riding horses they would turn to wagons and Shetland ponies. They built scaled down wagons and set their sights on doing a wagon drive through Death Valley. The original group was five women, five men and two children. Vern Gentert was the Wagonmaster. They hitched up their ponies and headed for theDeath Valley 49er Encampment that is held every November. They were such a hit with the crowd upon arriving, after 60 miles of untried wagon trails, that the 49er’s made them promise to do it again. It has happened every year since.

The Shetlands and small wagons are not as common on the drive today as many teamsters have replaced them with full size wagons with mule or draft teams. There is still no size limit with our wagon trains and they have everything from mini-mules, donkeys and draft breeds. The style of wagons also vary from traditional wooden wheels to rubber tires. Chuck wagons, camp wagons and buckboards can be seen on one of our wagon trains, in addition to every style of wagon imaginable.

The drive length varies from year to year. Some years we gather at Wade monument and have 11 days on the trail. Other years we gather at Ashford junction and experience rugged outdoor living for 8 days.

We schedule a layover day at Tule Springs to give man and livestock a rest. It’s filled with fun starting out with a waffle contest in the morning and Olympic style games like “how many spiders in the bottle”. Evening hours are filled with fixing your favorite dish, Dutch oven is very popular. These culinary delights are then shared with the entire camp and the adventurous 49ers that drive out to join us around the campfire for music after dinner.

The Corral membership is scattered all over the western U.S. and members comes together to meet up with old friends and make new ones around the campfire.