My wife (doper Araminty) and I have a vaguely defined plan in which we are going to visit death valley over Christmas. We live in California so it’s within driving range. But we’re not sure where precisely we want to go, what we want to do, etc. We do know that our primary interest is in seeing nature and scenery, and we will have dogs with us.
So I guess our vision is something like a rental cottage near the national or state park, or possibly a campground, although we’re certainly not hardcore campers.
Anyone have any guidance?
Thanks!
There are two motels within the grounds, Stovepipe Wells where we stayed and Furnace Creek which is fancier. (We visited.) We thought Stovepipe Wells was just fine. We didn’t see any hotels outside the park on the California side that were close enough to be feasible. I don’t know anything about camping, tough there are plenty of campgrounds.
Furnace Creek is a bit closer to the famous stuff, though you can see the dunes from the Stovepipe Wells parking lot.
Scotty’s Castle is well worth it, as are Badwater Basin. It is pretty much all good, but be prepared for lots of driving. We went in the early spring, I don’t know how crowded it is around Christmas. The park web site is pretty good.
And there are actually two lodging facilities at Furnace Creek – Furnace Creek Inn is fancy and expensive; Furnace Creek Ranch is motel-like, similar to Stovepipe.
Death Valley is huge. Anything outside the park is a long way from the main points of interest. If you do camp, the best campgrounds are Furnace Creek and Mesquite Springs; the other CGs tend to be gravel parking lots for RVs.
In addition to the sights Voyager mentioned, check out Salt Creek and Zabriskie Point (the latter is famous for sunrises, especially). Take a hike up one or more of the narrow canyons, especially Mosaic Canyon, near Stovepipe. Ubehebe Crater is cool.
If snow hasn’t closed the road yet, the charcoal kilns and the view down from Wildrose are worth the drive. Otherwise, go to Dante’s view on the east side.
Be sure you have reservations for a place to stay - it fills up during the major holidays.
Somewhat unusually for a National Park, there is a lot of road-accessible backcountry in Death Valley. I’ve done the paved road tour a few times, but last year I happened to be down there with a truck and did a bunch of the backroads and it’s really like a whole different park. There’s a few serious 4x4 tracks, but most of the dirt roads in the park are passable with most normal cars. There’s some amazing scenery and you get real solitude you don’t get on the paved roads.
So definitely see the big sights on the paved roads, but I’d say it’s worth doing at least one excursion off of them. I think my favorite 2wd passable road I did was Titus Canyon, which has some amazing desert scenery, a cool ghost town and goes through a narrow tall slot canyon. It’s one-way only accessible from the Beatty, NV side but you can make a loop of it (and hit the cool Rhyolite ghost town/art installation). There’s also the road up to the Racetrack, which is a high playa valley that has rocks that move via mysterious mechanisms, but the road is pretty severely washboarded so it’s slow going.
Also, re: camping, I don’t know exactly what your definition of “hardcore” camping is, but on the backroads you can camp anywhere right off the road (provided you’re more than 2 miles from a paved road). If you’re tenting it anyways, in my mind camping for free on desert gravel with nobody else for miles around is better than paying to camp on a gravel pad next to a bunch of RV’s. You just need to bring your own water.
Yes! I have a picture of this taken with my cheap little camera as my wallpaper, and it is the best photo I’ve ever taken. It is a volcanic crater, not a meteor crater, but is very accessible. Definitely worth a visit.
Camped in a tent over the winter holidays several years back. DO NOT recommend. It was amazingly cold at night, with a wind that picked up lots of fine dust and salt and deposited it in every orifice it could find.
Other than that, it was one of the most memorable trips I’ve taken. Saw all the big sights (I highly recommend catching Ubehebe crater early in the morning when you get a lot of shadow and light contrast. I’d love to go back and hope to do so in a couple years but I will absolutely stay in a hotel or a good 4-season RV.
I love Death Valley, I’ve probably been there at least a dozen times. As mentioned above, Titus Canyon is a fantastic drive, but it can be pretty scary for the novice desert driver, especially in a sedan. The Racetrack and the Charcoal Kilns are also amazing, but before going out, make sure you check with a ranger about road conditions.
I think Furnace Creek Ranch is the best place to stay if you don’t camp. Lodging isn’t cheap, but I love the single-story bungalow-style rooms along the lawn area in front of the pool. (and that pool is a great spot to float around in at sunset). Furnace Creek Inn is super expensive, but worth a visit for their amazing Sunday Brunch.
Of course you’ll want to check out the dunes; go out early and catch the sunrise there, then head up to Mosaic Canyon for a neat short hike.
As noted above, DV can be very cold (I’ve had water freeze inside my cooler overnight) and windy in the wintertime, so bring appropriate clothing.
You should check the park regulations about pets before taking your dogs with you. And whatever you do, don’t let them run free in any area that has cholla (“teddy bear” or “jumping” catcus). There isn’t a lot of cholla cactus in DV proper, but all it takes is a couple of cactus spines in a dog’s nose to ruin a vacation.
My late husband and I were frequent guests at Furnace Creek Inn, which is expensive but worth it, you should try to swing it for a night at least - the pool is fantastic and their is a garden oasis that is super romantic. If you can’t afford a stay then you should at least have a meal there.
Remember to bring sweaters, etc. the evening will get chilly over Christmas. We usually visited in midsummer, we were into the INTENSE heat ( this was back when the Inn was open year round, I think they’ve cut back. ) In addition to the natural attractions the others have mentioned you should check out Scotty’s Castle.
I will 3rd the mention of Death Valley being exceptionally cold at night in winter. Once that sun tips below the mountains, hang on to your dangly bits, 'cause they are about to freeze off!
Wherever you stay, go out for a walk at night. The array of stars is stunning, and the air has the fragrance of pinon trees. If you are in the right place you can hear coyotes yipping at each other. A great place.
A couple of spots on the outside edges of the park are worth checking out if you have the time:
Darwin Falls, which is just outside of Panamint Springs. The access road is kind of rough, but it should be okay for most cars.
The Trona Pinnacles, which you’ve seen in tons of movies and commercials, are off of CA178. That particular access road is okay when it’s dry, but you don’t want to try it if there has been *any *rain at all.