Zero Bar Expeditions
Overland expedition truck cresting a desert ridge at sunset in Death Valley

California & Nevada · Expert-guided · Fully private

Remote treks through grueling terrain

Fully custom off-road expeditions across Death Valley, the Mojave National Preserve and the Black Rock Desert — run by guides who live out there, with a crew that builds a five-star camp where the maps go blank.

Where the map runs out and the crew doesn't.

lat 36.5054 N lon 117.0794 W elev −282 ft signal0 / 5
14 yrsGuiding the desert Southwest
1 groupPer departure, always private
0 barsSatellite comms on every rig
3 tiersFrom $4,800 to the full buyout

The routes

Three deserts that do not forgive improvisation

Each route is drawn from scratch around your group. These are the ranges we hold permits for and know by season, surface and water.

Death Valley

Below-sea-level salt flats, Titus Canyon narrows, and the high remote passes of the Panamint Range.

Duration
3 – 6 days
Low point
−282 ft
Surface
Salt, shelf rock

Mojave National Preserve

Cinder cones, Mojave Road ruts, dry lake crossings and Joshua tree forests with no one else for miles.

Duration
2 – 5 days
High point
7,929 ft
Surface
Cinder, deep sand

Black Rock Desert

Open playa running, alkali flats, and remote geothermal springs on the far edge of northern Nevada.

Duration
3 – 7 days
Playa
200 sq mi
Surface
Hardpan, silt

All three routes in detail

Hour six, day two

The last mile anyone else drives

Past the last maintained road the surface stops being a road at all. That is where the trip actually starts, and where having a crew ahead of you stops being a luxury.

Traverse 0% · scroll to advance

Technical instruction

Trained, not chauffeured

You drive. We teach you how to read a line, air down for sand, pick a rock crawl, and recover your own vehicle with a winch and a shovel. By the last day our guides are riding behind you, not in front.

  • Convoy protocol, spotting and radio discipline
  • Winching, kinetic recovery and anchor rigging
  • Tire repair, air management and field triage
  • Navigation and route-finding without signal

Camp, training and table

Guide rigging a winch line and traction board during off-road recovery training

Three tiers

Pick how much of the desert you want carried in for you

Every tier is private — there are no shared departures at any price. What changes is the length, the vehicle count, and how much of camp the crew builds for you.

Traverse

2 – 3 days · one desert

$4,800 per group

The short form. One guide, one support vehicle, a real route and a proper camp.

  • Private departure
  • Lead guide and one support rig
  • Core recovery training
  • Standard canvas camp
  • No chase crew
  • No chef service
What's included
Most requested

Expedition

4 – 5 days · one or two deserts

$7,400 per group

The full training arc and a chase crew that builds camp ahead of you.

  • Everything in Traverse
  • Dedicated chase and camp crew
  • Full technical instruction arc
  • Backcountry chef, dinner service
  • Hot spring routing
  • No massage service
What's included
Maximum tier

The Buyout

5 – 7 days · any route

$10,000 per group

Everything, carried in. One price, one group, nothing stripped back.

  • Everything in Expedition
  • Expanded 4x4 fleet
  • Premium glamping suites
  • Multi-course menu with pairings
  • Licensed massage therapists
  • Fully bespoke route design
What's included

How a trek is built

Your route, drawn from scratch

  1. Day 00

    Route design

    We build the trek around your group: difficulty, mileage per day, camp locations, dietary and comfort requirements.

  2. Day 01

    Rig briefing and training

    Vehicle handover, comms check, and a technical driving session before the pavement ends.

  3. Day 02+

    Deep terrain

    Guided convoy travel through the route's hardest sections, with the crew leapfrogging ahead to build camp.

  4. Nightly

    Camp, springs, table

    Hot spring soaks, massage, and a chef's tasting menu under a sky with zero light pollution.

Luxury canvas glamping tent and candlelit fine dining table in the desert at night

Pop-up glamping suites

Standing canvas, proper beds, hot water, and a chef's table set with linen and pairings while the crew handles every dish.

Steaming remote desert hot spring pool at twilight overlooking a dry lakebed

Hot springs and massage

Routes are drawn to end at backcountry geothermal water, with licensed massage therapists on camp for post-trail recovery.

Limited departures

Tell us where the pavement should end

Send your dates, group size and appetite for difficulty. We'll return a proposed route, camp plan and menu within two business days.