Bennett’s Long Camp – Death Valley National Park
A historical marker acts as a reminder of the camp where a group of 49ers became stranded in the desert.
| Total Distance: N/A | Elevation Gain: 0ft. (-253ft.) |
| Difficulty: Easy | 0-5 Mile Difficulty: Easy |
| View Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars | Author’s Rating: 2.0 out of 5.0 stars |
| Visitor Rating: (Click to rate) [Total: 0 Average: 0] | Visitor Difficulty Rating: (Click to rate) [Total: 0 Average: 0] |
| Pets: Leashed | Horses: Yes (do not take horses out onto the salt flat) |
| Best Seasons: October-May | Special Permits: None |
| Water Availability: None | Overnight Options: None here; the closest dispersed camping is 1 mile up the Hanaupah Canyon Road (or 1 mile up Johnson Canyon Road) |
| Trailhead Amenities: None | Crowd Factor: Solitude |
| Trailhead Access: 1.5 | |
Uses:     | Trail Surface:  |
Features:  | Hazards:    |
Mile-by-Mile: Bennett’s Long Camp
0.0 Bennett-Arcan Long Camp marker (-253ft.). Near this monument, a group of miners became stranded while scouting out a shortcut to the California gold fields. After more than a month, two members of the party journeyed to Rancho San Francisco near Newhall to get supplies and water. They returned safely and led the party back to the ranch. The marker is right along the road, so no hiking is required. (36.163388°, -116.863393°)
History & More
During the 1949 gold rush, pioneers from the Midwest US took a “shortcut” over the mountains. Rather than following their guide, a certain Captain Jefferson Hunt, south around the Sierra Nevada on the Old Spanish Trail, a number of families with about 100 wagons followed the advice of a random stranger with a hand-drawn map who claimed to have found a quicker way to the gold fields. Most of the wagons turned back at the first obstacle, but more than a few families pressed on. After two months following the so-called “shortcut,” the party arrived at Tavertine Springs, the source of Furnace Creek, on Christmas Eve, 1849. They were the first known Ereo-Americans to see Death Valley.
Half of the group crossed the salt flats and tried to cross the Panamint Mountains. After failing to ascend Warm Canyon, the group made camp at this place. Two men (William Lewis Manly of Manly Beacon near Zabriskie Point and John Haney Rogers of Rogers Peak) went for supplies, returning nearly a month and 500 miles later with a mule to carry their food and other supplies. As the remaining families looked back while crossing the mountains via what is now the Harry Wade Road, one of the women reportedly said, “Goodbye, Death Valley!” William Lewis Manly, one of the men who survived the entire trek, detailed the experience in his autobiography, Death Valley in ‘49. The group came be to known as the “Death Valley 49ers.”
The Bennett-Arcan Camp is also sometimes called Bennett’s Long Camp. I’m guessing Bennett is the same man for whom Bennett Peak is named.
The marker commemorating the camp of the Death Valley 49ers was erected in 1949. However, the Arcan family name was misspelled as Arcane. Also, while the sign says that the rescue party went to San Francisquito Rancho, they actually went to the Rancho San Francisco near the current-day town of Valencia, part of Santa Clarita in Los Angeles County.
Driving Directions
Along the West Side Road, 15.9 miles from the north end of the road and 19.9 miles from the south end of the road.
Camping is not permitted within 100 feet of a flowing stream, spring, or other natural body of open water.
No camping is permitted on the floor of Death Valley, within one mile of Darwin Falls and Greenwater Canyon, on the active/shifting sand dunes, and certain other canyons and backcountry areas.
Camping is also prohibited within one mile of the Ubehebe Lead Mine, Leadfield Mines, Keane Wonder Mill, and Skidoo Mill.
Camping is limited to 30 days per calendar year within the park.
Fires are permitted in NPS-provided fire grates or grills ONLY.
Leave No Trace Principles are enforced
Drones and model aircrafts are prohibited
Camping is permitted only in designated sites or in areas open to dispersed backcountry camping
All park rules and regulations
12 Month Pass: $55/Death Valley Annual Pass (valid at Death Valley National Park). $80/America the Beautiful Annual Pass (valid at all national park and federal fee areas). $20/Annual Senior Pass (62 years or older US citizens; valid at all national park and federal fee areas). Free/4th Grade Pass (Valid Sept. 1-August 31 of the child’s 4th Grade school year). Free/Military Pass (valid for all active military personel and their dependents with a CAC Card or DD Form 1173).
Lifetime Pass: $80/Lifetime Senior Pass (62 years or older US citizens; valid at all national park and federal fee areas). Free/Access Pass (available to all US citizens with perminent disabilities). Free/Access for Veterans and Gold Star Families Pass (valid for all military and veterans with a CAC card, Veteran HJealth Identification Card, Veteran ID Card, or veteran’s designation on state-issued drivers license or identification card.)