Can anyone who has actually been to Barker Ranch give me, or direct me to a link with some clear driving directions (from LA)? I have searched online and found very vague ones that I'm sure will get me totally lost. I think remember back in the old forum someone had very clearly written them...but I never wrote them down. I've been in LA for a little over a year now and Barker is one of the only notable locations I have yet to visit.
Also, has anyone been there lately? Will there be a problem trying to visit with the recent digging/police activity there?
Thanks!

Go to Ballerat and ask anybody.

They're going to close it during the dig so you might want to avoid going at that time.

If you go, keep in mind that Myers Ranch is very close to Barker. I've heard from somebody that didn't realize it. They went all the way to Barker and didn't see Myers.

Thanks guys. I did find some slightly readable directions online, but it sounded pretty vague and I didn't want to get lost in the middle of the desert hours from home. I guess I'll wait for the digging to finish before I check it out.

There are two ways to Barker. From the LA side is the rough way. I think all the campers and buses came from the Eastern side which means you go around the Panamints and head West to get there. The route from the LA side has large rocks in the road which aint really a road but rather a storm creek bed. I think all the copsand news crewsare coming from the side opposite LA. Does anybody know how CNN got up there? They took their big truck. I doubt it could make it up Golar Wash.

You might want to check Barker and Myers using this link and then back-track to LA. If you keep the 'labels' switched on, it will give you a trustworthy indication of where the backcountry roads are. Though in my opinion the 'street names' aren't fully correct.

It will even become better when you switch to 3D (you may need to install some additional software). It will then give a very accurate indication of what the terrain is like.

When you click the link, Barker Ranch will be in the center of the picture. Scroll East ro find a small green area (a spring) and about as far more East, there'll be an even bigger green area (another spring). This is where Myers Ranch is. While Barker Camp is on Federal land, Myers Ranch is private property. It’s still in the same hands as forty years ago.

Please note: we're talking about desert terrain, make certain you come prepared. Various people have died in this area after their car broke down.

Thanks for the link!

Interesting....Well, Barker was once in private hands....when did it become
federal property anyone?

I'm not certain, but it may have been in 1994 when Death Valley National Monument was redesignated a national park. Before '94 Barker Ranch was situated just outside of the original monument boundaries on Bureau of Land Management territory.

In 1994 the boundaries of Death Valley were extended and owners of patented mining claims within the newly aquired areas were given a choice of holding on to their belongings or not (probably they would receive some acres elsewhere in exchange).

Thanks Bert...then that would make it the year that the Tate house was torn down...

Yeah right, Charlie would have liked that synchronicity. Just like this one: while being locked away in jail, he was taught guitar by Alvin Karpis, notorious member of the Barker gang.

After his release, using his newly learned skill, Charlie tried very hard to become a star.

But he received his ticket to stardom only after being caught at the Barker Ranch. Which by the way was built by a retired L.A. Police Detective (where he was trying to hide form).

Sorry for the typos, poor English etc. I've fixed up the original post. Does it make sense now?

"Doing whatever hippies do"

Mach2 replies:

LOL! These hippies murder people. That would have been some jeep trip back in 69 wouldn't it? The author of that article apparently had no idea that he witnessed the most infamous band of killers in US history.