Gear like MaxTrax maybe cheaper in the long run than this alternative

AbleGuy

Officious Intermeddler
This Overlander responsible for the unnecessary damage ⬇️ to this historic structure must have really been stuck in the muck as the tower and its concrete base were pulled over when the unknown driver tried to winch out using the tram tower as an anchor. The NPS doesn’t seem to think it’s a case of vandalism, but rather a result of a desperately stuck traveler.

The moral of the story is…Don’t Do Stuff Like This, even though it might seem like a good idea at the time. So yeah, learning from others’ mistakes is alway useful…

And by the way, tips are actively being sought as to the identity of the perp so restitution can be recovered! (One might have wonder what the weather was that day, how big/heavy the stuck rig was and how high up on the tower the recovery point was 🤔)

Historic tram tower toppled at Death Valley National Park​

Saline Valley Salt Tram


“A historic aerial tramway tower at Death Valley National Park was toppled in April when someone attached a line to it to pull a vehicle out of the mud, the National Park Service said.

The incident happened between April 1 and 24, officials said.

The defunct, 113-year-old Saline Valley Salt Tram is located in the northern Mohave Desert of California, about a six hour drive from Las Vegas.

The park service said it was looking for the responsible party.

The tram is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered significant because of its age, length, steepness, preservation and scenic setting, officials said.

Park rangers spotted tire tracks indicating a vehicle drove off the road and got stuck in mud, officials said. Someone used the tower as an anchor to pull the vehicle out of the mud, causing the tower to topple over and pulling its concrete footings out of the ground, officials said.”

Article is from the LV Sun:
 

ntsqd

Heretic Car Camper
I sincerely hope that they catch the person who did this, and fine them for the full amount that it takes to restore their damage - if that can be done.

I also hope that the media does not label them an "Overlanders". We should not, either. That association would have rippling bad repercussions for a very long while. Look at how Drag Racing is forever dragged down by illegal street racers. The media persists in calling what street racers do "drag racing." Overlanding doesn't need that kind of bad press.
 

Ozarker

Well-known member
How tall was it, it looks like it's only about 6' high by the foot print in the mud to the lower left of it.

Looks like it could be put back fairly easy......
 

beef tits

Well-known member
Historic Litter is more like it.

Am I the only one that wishes all signs of human existence were removed from national parks?

I’d be on board with National Parks being 100% walk in access only.

To hell with that tram. To hell with buses full of tourists. To hell with vehicles in there. Then it would truly be a special place.
 
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DirtWhiskey

Western Dirt Rat
Historic Litter is more like it.

Am I the only one that wishes all signs of human existence were removed from national parks?

I’d be on board with National Parks being 100% walk in access only.

To hell with that tram. To hell with buses full of tourists. To hell with vehicles in there. Then it would truly be a special place.

Sent from your steam-powered iPhone in your cave I assume?
 

JaSAn

Grumpy Old Man
. . . I’d be on board with National Parks being 100% walk in access only . . .
We already have places like that. They are called 'Wilderness Areas'. And most of them don't get many visitors.

Walk in would limit National Park access to only to those willing and fit to make a multiple day backpacking trip. Few children, no disabled, no elderly; average American keep out.

I wish the National Parks were managed better but at least ALL people have access.
 

LRNAD90

Adventurer
Historic Litter is more like it.

Am I the only one that wishes all signs of human existence were removed from national parks?

I’d be on board with National Parks being 100% walk in access only.

To hell with that tram. To hell with buses full of tourists. To hell with vehicles in there. Then it would truly be a special place.

You sound like a Sierra Club Member, makes me wonder why you are hanging out here..
 

Mickey Bitsko

Adventurer
it's time for a new chapter in the history of death valley .
It could be something like, travelers stranded in the muck used abandoned xxx to rescue his family from certain death.
Seems it's fairly easy today to twist our panties and set our hair on fire over something that nobody knows anything about.., also,
What's wrong with the Sierra 'club '?
 

beef tits

Well-known member
There is a time and place for off highway vehicle travel and it’s not within National Park boundaries, which take up a lot less acreage than you seem to think. These are mostly protected from our big dumb vehicles for a reason.

National Forest, BLM, etc… that’s where the rules are loose and you can go tear things up more freely.

If it weren’t for the Sierra Club, National Parks likely wouldn’t exist, and neither would public lands. The whole country would be like Texas. They basically have no public land because ‘freedom’.
 
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Mickey Bitsko

Adventurer
:confused: Uh, if you enjoy vehicle based, off highway travel and don't know the answer to that, not sure what to say..
Hmm.... okay, I'll play, what stopped the knucklehead from using the historic tram tower ? Was there a sign that read "protected or no trespassing? Idk.
Did it matter, obviously not.
Just for the record, knuckleheads are breeding everyday.
 

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