Despite holding the record as the hottest place on the planet, Death Valley is one of the coolest parks we’ve visited. Our 3 day trip barely scratched the surface as there are so many different and stunning things to see. Just make sure you visit in Winter. Bring water. And sunscreen.
We visited Death Valley in December/January 2018 (over New Year’s)
Getting There
California is a really big state. You’d think a drive from San Diego to Death Valley wouldn’t take long, but the 250 miles seemed to take forever. We finally arrived at Ballarat, a virtual ghost town near the southwestern part of the park. There’s not much to this outpost, but it was memorable for the abandoned vehicles and chance to buy a soda in the middle of nowhere . Another stop along the way was the Mobius Arch. It’s part of the Alabama Hills, just west of the park and right below Mt Whitney, the highest peak in the continental US. The cloud cover made it impossible for us to get a Milky Way photo with the arch, but we’ll get that one someday. Still, be sure to check out the photo gallery. Before venturing into the heart of the park, we skirted along the western border and stopped to hike to Darwin Falls. That’s right – a waterfall in Death Valley. It’s a pretty easy hike, preceded by a slow 2+ mile drive to the trailhead on a bumpy gravel road. The reward after hiking a mile is a small springfed falls in a shady oasis. As our first stop inside the park, it gave us a clue to the amazing diversity we were about to discover.
Diversity
Stovepipe Wells is the first “civilization” you hit when driving SR190 through Death Valley from the west. There’s a gas station, hotel, restaurant, general store, ranger station, campground, and yes, a saloon. And lots of people on a cool December day. Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are nearby and more prototypical of what you’d expect for Death Valley. The dunes themselves aren’t that tall, so you shouldn’t get lost, but they’re quite expansive. We walked for about an hour and they still went on and on. Fortunately, it was only about 70F outside, so despite the amazing workout for our toes, it was comfortable. Not far away, we stopped at Mosaic Canyon for a hike and were amazed at the beauty of the slot canyon. It narrowed to a few feet in places and you never knew what you’d see around the next corner. We didn’t make it to the end as we wanted to make it to Zabriskie Point for the sunset.
Furnace Creek
It’s about a half hour from Stovepipe Wells to Furnace Creek, the main center of the park. Zabriskie Point is just past Furnace Creek and a magnificent place for a sunset. The colors on the rocks and their stark peaks are unforgettable. We stayed for quite a while as the colors kept changing as the sun got lower and lower on the horizon. This view alone makes Furnace Creek a must stop on your visit.
We stayed in Furnace Creek at the Ranch at Death Valley. The more elegant Inn at Death Valley was under construction, but the Ranch was fine. The main park Visitor Center is in Furnace Creek and there’s even a golf course, advertising the lowest elevation (-214′ below sea level) course in the world. Anyway, we awoke before dawn and drove up to Dante’s View (5476′) for sunrise pics. It was cold and breezy, but the views east toward the rising sun and west looking down on Badwater Basin were awesome.
After some breakfast back in Furnace Creek, we explored the Harmony Borax Works. Cool history and some great photos. Stephen Mather, one of the great leaders for our National Parks, got his start here – watch the Ken Burns documentary on the National Parks. We also investigated the Salt Creek, a one mile boardwalk trail along a small winding highly saline waterway that hosts the most unique creature. The Salt Creek Pupfish only exists here and somehow is able to survive water temperatures that range from near freezing to well over 100F. Try as we might though, on this day we did not see one.
Badwater
Basin
Heading south on Badwater Road, you’ll come across some bizarre, yet astonishingly beautiful scenes. And the excellent names they’ve been given, add to the mystique. There’s the Devil’s Golf Course, a heavily eroded section of the salt flat with brutally sharp crystalline formations that are so inhospitable that it’s said “only the devil could play golf” on its surface. Further along the road is Artist’s Drive, a five-mile one way loop off the main road that winds through a lower section of the mountains. There are numerous pullouts and vistas, but the highlight is Artist’s Pallete where the oxidized metals in the soils display stunning hues of red, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The lowest point in Badwater Basin at -282 feet below sea level has a boardwalk and displays that describe the geology and history of the area. You can walk out on the desolate salt flat which was once the floor of a giant freshwater lake over 10,000 years ago. One of the available hikes in the area is Natural Bridge Trail. It’s an easy 2 mile round trip on dirt/sand/gravel to a large arch. We needed the steps and were glad we did this hike. The drive to the trailhead was a 2+ mile slow, bumpy gravel road. These were fairly common and our sedan did ok. A high clearance vehicle would definitely be a better option, but it’s manageable if you take your time. Our last day in Death Valley was packed and just maybe too much for one day – message to self – take your time and spread your visits out across multiple days.
And
Much
More
We hit many of the great sites at Death Valley, but missed several worthy ones. Next time we visit, we’ll definitely rent a jeep and visit Titus Canyon, a one way dirt road through a narrow canyon on the east side of the park with ancient petroglyphs. We’ll also venture out to The Racetrack, a dry lake bed where the resident rocks mysteriously move across the floor. And if we’re lucky, we’ll get to take one of the annual paleontology hikes, only available to select lottery winners, to see ancient fossils. If you live in the Southwest, you’ll love a winter trip to Death Valley. If you’re planning a trip to SoCal, consider a few less days of Disneyland or glitz, and go experience some unforgettable landscapes.