Visiting Barker Ranch in Death Valley National Park
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What is Barker Ranch and Why Would Anyone Want To Travel There?
Barker Ranch is located inside Death Valley National Park in eastern California. Once a mining and recreational property from the 1940s to the 1960s, it is perhaps most famous due to its association with Charles Manson and the "Manson family". It was the family's de facto headquarters and the location of their eventual arrest.
Morbid? Yes. Creepy? Sure. But it’s a popular destination within Death Valley National Park for those looking to do some off-roading. The trip there and back is incredibly beautiful and gives you a rare perspective into this stunning national park. Be forewarned though, it’s not a place that can be reached easily and is not a trip that should be taken alone or as a first-timer going off-roading. I say this as someone who went with a group of four first-time off-roaders and was almost stranded in the desert several times due to our inability to read a map.
The road to Barker Ranch is incredibly uneven and covered with rocks, some of which need to be moved from the “road” so your car may pass. There’s also poor/ no cell reception, so it is recommended you carry some kind of beacon device if you attempt the drive.
An excursion to a known murderer’s hideout where nobody can hear you scream. Am I selling you on this trip yet?
The drive to Barker Ranch
Barker Ranch is located in a rock and boulder-filled valley within the Panamint Range. It is accessible only by a sandy, primitive, and rugged road. You will need to rent a proper 4-wheel drive vehicle with high clearance to attempt the drive if you do not own one. You will also need a good old-fashioned map as there is no cell reception in parts and your GPS will be worthless.
Once you arrive at the ranch you’ll see the remnants of the main house. There’s a small one-room guest house to the side of the main house. There is also a five-thousand-gallon "swimming pool" (a reservoir to store water from the spring) made from cement and rock boulders towards the back of the property. In addition, there’s a small bench-style outhouse in the back of the property.
Remnants of Barker Ranch
Bluch and Helen Thomason began construction of Barker Ranch around 1940. It was originally used as a storage and shop facility to support their mining activity in the area. The Thomasons constructed a small cabin and outbuilding on their property, with electricity provided by a windmill and generator. Drinking water was sourced from a nearby spring. In 1950, Bluch Thomason died and the ranch became a seasonal vacation property.
What Barker Ranch looked like prior to the 2009 fire.
The ranch was later sold to miners James and Arlene Barker of Oklahoma in 1955. The Barkers enlarged the house and constructed more outbuildings to accommodate their growing family.
Then things took a dark turn…
During the late 1960s, Charles Manson learned about the Myers Ranch from Catherine Gillies, the granddaughter of Barbara Myers. Beginning in November of 1968, Manson and his “family” began staying at the ranch. But finding the buildings at Barker Ranch to be in better condition, the family relocated there, obtaining Arlene Barker's permission to temporarily use the property. They somehow drove a school bus there from Los Angeles, a fact that still boggles my mind given the incredibly rough terrain.
The Inyo County Sheriff's Department, California Highway Patrol, and National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers later captured the “family” in raids on October 10 and 12, 1969. Manson was apprehended while hiding under the kitchen sink.
Remains of the ranch house where Manson was arrested
At the time of his arrest, law enforcement was unaware of the magnitude of their find. They were simply looking to prosecute the people responsible for some vandalism within Death Valley National Monument and were actually unaware that they had stumbled upon a group of mass murderers.
In 1976, the ranch became part of the California Desert Conservation Area. In 1994, it was later incorporated into Death Valley National Park. Today the remnants of the ranch belong to National Park Service.
Due to a fire in May 2009, most of the main structure was destroyed with only the concrete and rock portion of the cabin still standing.
Me in Death Valley
Best Time To Visit Death Valley, National Park
The best time to visit Death Valley National Park is between Mid-October and Mid-April when temperatures will likely be more moderate and you can see more of the park.
There’s plenty more to see in Death Valley National Park, which I’ll cover in another post. Like many national parks, it’s a popular spot for camping and hiking. If you plan to camp in the park, be advised it does get below freezing in the winter. I visited in early February and it was incredibly cold at night. In summer, the heat reaches well above 100 degrees so it is also inadvisable to camp.
This way to Barker Ranch
Get Your National Parks Interagency Pass
Did you know, if you’re permanently disabled you can get free access to all National Parks? This is helpful if you’re disabled and looking for free things to do in Joshua Tree and beyond. The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass series is available free of charge for US citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities.
The Interagency Access Pass can be issued to persons of any age who have been medically determined to have a permanent disability that severely limits one or more major life activities.
Along with a valid photo ID such as a US passport, driver’s license, or state-issued ID, applicants must provide documentation of permanent disability with one of the following:
A statement by a licensed physician (Statement must include that the individual has a PERMANENT disability, that it limits one or more aspects of their daily life and the nature of those limitations.)
A document issued by a federal agency such as the Veteran's Administration, Social Security Disability Income, or, Supplemental Security Income
A document issued by a state agency such as a vocational rehabilitation agency.
Pro tip: Never go in caves
Get a Pass in Person
The National Park Service allows you to get an Interagency Access Pass in person at a federal recreation site. Please be aware that passes are not available at all national park sites. Review the Places to Get Interagency Passes to find a location.
Get a Pass Online
You can also get an Interagency Access Pass online through the USGS Online Store or, through the mail using an application form (Note: While the pass itself is free, there is a shipping and processing cost to get a pass online or through the mail).
Remains of Barker Ranch post the 2009 fire.
Where Is Barker Ranch?
You can see The Barker Ranch location on the map below. The drive takes about 3 hours from the entrance of Death Valley National Park at Hell’s Gate. On our trip, we spent the night in Vegas before driving to Death Valley, renting our Jeep in Furnace Creek, and then driving to Barker Ranch. We left at 9 am and were able to arrive and set up camp just before sunset. Timing is everything, as you do not want to be out on these remote roads in the dark.
To get here I recommend renting a Jeep in Furnace Creek from Farabee’s Jeep Rentals and Tours. They were also very helpful with maps and super knowledgeable about the area. They can share any known road closures and bad conditions before you head out on your excursion.
Renting our Jeep in Furnace Creek
Getting to Barker Ranch
I cannot overstate how difficult the road to Barker Ranch is to traverse. You’ll be bumping around for a few hours and you may have to get out and move rocks that have fallen into the road after rain storms. It’s also difficult to ascertain what a road is. Parts of our journey were very well traveled and you could easily see tire marks. Other parts were questionable at best. Several times we had to get out of the car and walk to see if the path ahead was clear for Jeep travel, or just a path worn down by ATVs an not suitable for a car.
The following two videos illustrate how rough the road to Barker Ranch is. Please note, we took the “easy” way to Barker Ranch.
Driving through Death Valley National Park to Barker Ranch.
You’ll start your journey on Warm Springs Canyon Road, an intense, unpaved 16-mile backcountry road in San Bernardino County that runs east to west from West Side Road to Butte Valley. Lined with creepy, abandoned homes, the main road takes you through Warm Springs Canyon, past talc mines, and into the valley.
Driving through Death Valley National Park to Barker Ranch.
As you head out the other side of the valley on Goler Canyon Road, you'll see why you need to drive a high-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle to get through these challenging road conditions. As you drive over Mengel Pass into Panamint Valley, west of Goler Wash, you'll find Barker Ranch.
The ranch is marked with a wooden sign and a National Parks placard. Both of which can be hard to see from the “road” so you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled and follow the map and odometer closely.
Luckily, we were alone on our camping trip, but there were plenty of signs of human activity like spent shell casings scattered around the ranch grounds. Some campers have reported hearing screams in the night. Others have insisted they felt like they were being watched or smelled the scent of decomposing bodies. I felt none of this, but I did get so cold at night I had to ditch the tent and curl up in the Jeep.
There’s a rumor that the Manson family buried bodies out on Barker Ranch, but that has never been substantiated. There’s a lot of lore surrounding this remote location, but other than the bevy of spent shell casings, we didn’t discover anything ominous.
We had a great time cooking hotdogs on an open fire and scaring the hell out of each other by telling stories. But there were no ghosts, smells, or noises. In fact, it was eerily quiet. It felt like we might as well have been on the face of another planet.
Keeping warm in the Death Valley winter
Camping At Barker Ranch
Our night spent camping was thankfully uneventful. There’s a nice picnic table set up at the ranch and a fire ring. For everything you need to camp, check out my must-have camping gear post. Spirit hoodie not included.
There’s a picnic table by the remains of Barker Ranch
Warning For Travelers With Disabilities
If you’re a regular reader of my blog you know I do my best to provide accessible travel information and locations that are ideal for disabled travelers. Barker Ranch is not a readily accessible location, nor is it an ideal spot for many disabled travelers. But I wanted to write about it because it was a massive triumph for me to reach it.
As someone who has had 3 spinal fusion surgeries and suffers from chronic back pain, off-roading was not something that was high on my list of recreational activities. The hours spent bumping around that Jeep were far from comfortable and I was basically useless when it came to removing rocks from the road. But this was done two weeks prior to my first spinal fusion surgery, so I figured whatever damage I might do bumping around the car was about to be fixed by a highly skilled neurosurgeon. I just had to grit my teeth, slap on a back brace, and bear the pain to triumph over nature.
Getting out of Barker Ranch
As I already mentioned cell service is non-existent for much of the ride. Carrying a Satellite GPS messenger is essential, especially if you have medical conditions that might need attention. Off-roading in Death Valley puts you far off the grid. Even if you don’t have medical conditions that might flare up, you don’t want to become stuck in the sand or fall and break an ankle and wait weeks for someone to find you. The little satellite GPS messenger I shared at the start of this post can be a real lifesaver. If a medical emergency occurs you can signal 911 with your exact coordinates and help is on the way. I recommend anyone traveling within Death Valley or other remote areas invest in one.
Outside Ballarat
Who Was Charles Manson?
I’m sure most people know by now who Charles Manson was and what his “family” was involved with. But in case you haven’t heard about him before, Charles Manson was a notorious criminal and cult leader who led members of the Manson Family in committing the Los Angeles Tate-LaBianca murders back in 1969. Their murder spree consisted of the deaths of nine people, including actress Sharon Tate and her unborn child, followed by Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. The LaBianca murders were initially made to look like they were committed by the Black Panthers, in efforts to fuel a race war.
I recommend reading the book Helter Skelter for more details about his crime spree, those who sadly lost their lives, and the history of the Manson Family and subsequent trials.
I’m a lot of fun to travel with.
Would You Visit Barker Ranch?
Now that you’ve read all about this eerie, secluded place, would you visit Barker Ranch in Death Valley, California? Let me know in the comments below.
Abandoned home in Ballarat, Death Valley, CA