Consider going in the winter. At least, don't go in the summer. Although we did get snowed on in March one year. I took a motorcycle trip with a friend once, a

Consider going in the winter. At least, don't go in the summer. Although we did get snowed on in March one year. I took a motorcycle trip with a friend once, and daytime temps were in the low 70s around sea level in January. Of course, it got very very cold at night, so if you get stuck/lost, that's a whole other set of problems to deal with. We didn't take any risks on our trip, but after seeing how badly my skidplate and oil filter got damaged on some 4wd trails, I'm glad I didn't have to get it hauled out by a specialty towing business to the tune of.. thousands? of dollars. I suppose it depends on what you're looking to do, but from a "general tourist" standpoint, the few major roads are paved and in excellent condition (or, at least, before the flooding). Across the valley from the Mono Lake area where you enter the area from the west, through Panamint, into the park proper, and all the way out to Nevada.. And from Ubehebe Crater in the north, way down to Zabriske point and out to Las Vegas to the south. The large tourist attractions are on these paved roads, and even a lot of the hiking is just a short 2 mile drive down a well-graded gravel road. Though I understand the road to Scotty's Castle, if it's open yet, is somewhat rougher. On the flip side, the remote areas are truly remote. Racetrack Playa is 20 miles down a horrible washboard road from Ubehebe Crater (which itself is about as remote as you can get on a paved road in the park) and I only recommend you drive it in a vehicle owned by someone you truly hate, as it won't be the same again. You won't get stuck or lost, though. Unless you try the "shortcut" across Lippincott pass that looks so much easier on a map than driving back the way you came.