Mengel Pass

This is a fun trail that with some great scenery. This trail is a step up in difficulty from Golar Wash or Warm Springs. Something like a stock Tacoma or Gladiator might want sliders for some insurance against body damage due to a couple of bigger rocks to go over. Something like a Subaru would be better off avoiding this trail unless you're not concerned about damage. There is a waterfall to climb not too far from the Baker Ranch turnoff but there is a bypass.

Ran Mengel in our 2021 JL Wrangler 6 speed manual with 2” lift on 35’s and hauled our Cedar Ridge Vega XT camper on 33’s. We spent some time making a couple of 4 point turns and put the sliders on the camper to use a couple of times but didn’t have any real trouble. That said, I wouldn’t recommend pulling an off road camper unless you are experienced and have a good spotter. We took the bypass to the left when we got to the steep v-notch rock climb.

We ran this trail 1/1/2023. We last ran this trail 1/21/2022. The trail into Goler Canyon had many puddles. Once inside the canyon, we were hugged by narrow rock walls. Trailer not recommended. Barker Ranch deteriorated since we last visited Jan 2022. Mengel Pass have sections that is deeply rutted and eroded, possibly from recent rain. The hard line up the obstacle on the right side is no longer possible due to erosion. The only line to take is up the V-notch where the vehicle will be on all three tires with the front driver tire up in the air. It’s doable for most 4x4 rigs. Heading downhill past Carl Mengel monument are deeply rutted areas. Lifted 4x4 with AT is a must. Stock vehicles without sliders and lift have a higher chance of body damage. Subaru and RAV4 or similar are not recommended but encouraged if you don’t like or care about your rig.

A fun section of trail for those who want a little bit more rocks than Goler Wash has to offer. The trail shouldn't give any capable rig/wheeler issues; mostly a matter of picking your line through the rocks. The hardest spot (5) has been filled in with rocks recently, so it isn't as challenging as in the past. Views from the top and down to Butte Valley are fantastic.

Fun trail! We took it from Goler Wash to Geologist Cabin. The road down Warm Springs Canyon was closed so we went back down the same way.

We ran this trail in the spring of 2022 and it was amazing. Had a great time visiting Barker Ranch and going down Goler Canyon. Lots of history to see and visit. Highly recommend spending at least 3 days out there to take your time. Otherwise you will miss a lot. The cabins were great, but we decided to camp at the salt mines, which were beyond creepy :) Will go again.

We ran this trail on Saturday 1/22/2022. It’s open. We left Ballarat at 8am stopping by Barker Ranch and arriving at Geologist Cabin around 10:30am. We reviewed the trail and watched YouTube videos prior to the trip and was concern about some of the obstacles. After running it, it felt much easier than we thought. It was a blast! We arrived at West Side Road at noon and decided to run Steel Pass and Dedeckera Canyon the following day. It was a fun 36hr run, 650 miles round trip with 220+ miles off road. Both the Range Rover and Jeep did extremely well and had no problems.

Mengel Pass is a lot of fun for a properly-equipped 4WD. I went in a convoy that even included some AWD vehicles (several Subarus). For the AWD it was much more difficult, but we still made it through without too many problems. The #5 waypoint probably needs some more detail; it's got one very off-camber section that benefits from a spotter and sliders before you get to the drop-offs. After waypoint #5 there's also a few more rocky sections that we spotted on and where I scraped my sliders. Waypoint #2 itself wasn't much of an issue; yes there's a bypass, but what isn't mentioned is that between #2 and #3 you have to carefully navigate a wash full of boulders. I found that part to be just as difficult as the bypass (I didn't try the hard section, but others in my group seemed to get through without too much of a problem). Between #1 and #2 there's a gatekeeper obstacle that a few of our AWD vehicles had trouble with. It's a short climb up a steep rock that requires you straddle the rut to avoid tipping. One of our AWD vehicles fell into the rut and ended up doing a little damage. I think most 4WD will have no problem with this, but if you aren't experienced you might get into a bad situation. Lastly, while not technically part of Mengel Pass, if you exit north by way of Butte Valley trail be wary: our convoy drove 30-35mph over the trail which is nothing but 4-8" rocks and we ended up with 2 vehicles slicing sidewalls on 2 tires on each of them. Take it slowly and watch tire placement. Overall, I think the actual difficulty of 4-5 is correct, but I would say the trail itself is more difficult than the descriptions imply, so for that reason I am going to rate it as "harder." I would be satisfied if a little more detail was added about some of the difficult sections.

I was with the below reviewer Braden on this trip and 20 4WDs and 3 other AWDs. I actually organized and led this convoy and I can honestly say that I couldn't have done it without trailsoffroad.com. I find their trail info to be consistent and accurate! I voted that this trail is spot on, which is consistent with the difficulty ratings given by a trail like Fins N things. If this trail is rated a level 4, then Fins N Things is a 4.5 imo :P I would rate this trail Difficult/Extreme for AWD

After exploring Goler Wash, Lotus Mine, and Barker Ranch, we started up the trail to Mengel Pass at about 3 pm. It was a pretty quick ride to the top and over, and we were at the Geologists Cabin by 4:30 pm which was unoccupied so we set up camp. We were in a Tacoma, a 4Runner, an FJ80, and a Jeep Rubicon, all with small suspension lifts and larger tires. The rocky sections over the pass were fun to navigate, and you definitely had to be at full attention to keep from regretting your neglect later. I am quite sure all these vehicles at stock could handle the trail, but it could possibly be a little unnerving.

This trail had everything and was probably my favorite of all the trails we took on our DV overland trip. It has everything... technical terrain, great campsites, and beautiful vistas! There was so much on this trail I had to break it up into 2 videos. Oh and my buddy almost rolled his rare VW Doka!? Not for the faint of heart... we saw stock f150 4x4 left on the trail with a broken axle on the 2nd vid. 1st vid is below and here is the link for the 2nd vid: https://youtu.be/FdXhvWzr5PE

Started our day in Ballarat and after Pleasant Canyon and Goler Wash ended up in Butte Valley via Mengel Pass. A semi-technical trail with mild rock crawling that will keep you paying attention. Ran this as part of a longer trip through the backcountry of Death Valley with a GX470 and 5th gen 4Runner each with a small lift and 33s. Tagged the sliders a couple times but that was probably more to due with being impatient after a long day of bouncing around trails and seeing our destination so close. Doable with a stock Wrangler or 4Runner 4x4 type vehicle. Butte Valley provided a great place to camp for the night just watch out for all the wild burros.

Fun, challenging trail. With a good spotter I got through the rocks section on a 3" lifted 4Runner with 33s without scraping anything. There's a few other spots too that will get your attention, but very little shelf road "if you mess up you die" places, which was nice.

Did this trail as part of an overlanding trip. I came in with a Jeep Sahara Stock JL on 33s and a Stock Tacoma TRD PRO. Let me say the trail was intermediate but towards the end there is a bunch of ICE. My Tacoma was leading and got high centered on one of the final drops into Bute Valley. Had to pull out it out with the Jeep but other than that it is doable! Fun trail and super beautiful away from the populated Southern California drunk driving trails!

Started this trail from the Panamint side going up Goler wash. My buddies and I got to the Mengel grave site at sunset, being able to see the area in all her desert glory. Hands down one of the most beautiful views I've seen in quite some time. Continued on before night fell. We set up camp at one of the cabins right at dark. Being tight on time and having Jeep issues we decided to go back the way we came going up Mengel pass saving the full journey for another time. I did this trail in my 4th Gen Ram 2500 leveled 2" on 35s (aired down), and Carli torsion style swaybar . Being a full size pickup it was extremely tight in a few places, but with a good spotter, patients, and stacking rocks I got outta there with only a few minor scrapes on my frame. As for my buddies Jeep Comanche he made look like a breeze.

This was my first offroad experience. Fun trail, super scenic. Had a few sketchy sections but nothing that was too crazy for my stock 02 Tacoma TRD 4x4. We travelled from Ballarat down to Goler Wash and then east over Mengel Pass after stopping by Barker Ranch. Goler Wash did have a running waterfall step/obstacle very early on. The fact that it was wet with running water was the only thing that made it tricky. Some vehicles in our convoy had to try multiple times to get up and over. My TRD Tacoma walked up first try (with rear locker). On the way down (heading east) there is a steep twisty rocky section that requires a little concentration.

The trail is doable for a Ford Ranger 4x4 on 31" tires with no further lift. We went over the Thanksgiving Holiday and the trail was in good enough condition for us to make it over. Unfortunately this was my first time over so I cannot say whether the trail has improved or degraded. We were also lucky enough to capture a flyover by the Military during our visit.

Love this loop. I try and do it at least once every two years... Great times.

I visited in April 2017 and although the weather was nice and sunny, the wind was a force to be reckoned with. We pulled up to the Geologists' Cabin in the afternoon on Saturday and realized that the flag was not up. Therefore, we ran up the flag and scored a night in the lush cabin protected from the fierce winds that night. My buddy and I then drove up to the base of Striped Butte and hiked to the top.

Great trail, excellent condition, technical section on either side of the pass will require navigating over 12"-30" rocks or some serious time trail building. One of the most pleasant and enjoyable trails I have ever driven. We Started in Ballarat and drove East over Mengel Pass into Badwater.