Death Valley National Park

Whether you want to make the trip to Death Valley National Park as a destination in and of itself, or looking to extend your Las Vegas trip with a day or two (or three!) with something completely different than the lights, noise and flare of Las Vegas, here’s a quick guide to get you started with all there is to offer in Death Valley National Park.

How Long Should I Visit Death Valley?

Truth be told, you could spend a week here and not see all the sites, especially if you are a hiker or a photographer.  To hit up a good variety of spots and spend some time in each for a short hike or explore, you’d need at least 3 days.

Now there are day trip tours from Las Vegas that make for a great sneak peak of some highlights that might be the best way on a limited time.  What we chose to do for this first teaser of a trip to Death Valley, was drive ourselves and stay one night (we had planned 2 nights, but weren’t impressed with our accommodations), and enjoy a bit of the sites in the afternoon of day 1, then a full day on day 2 before heading back to Las Vegas in the evening.    There is still soooo much to explore and we will certainly be back!

When Should I Visit Death Valley?

Death Valley is the hottest place on earth and the driest in the US.  I would personally avoid Death Valley in the summer as temps can rise to the 120’s  (with a record of 134 degrees!).  Along with that can be flash flooding, so you will want to be very careful and pay attention to alerts. Spring will bring you flowers if you hit it right, but commonly have intense winds.  Fall is still very warm, but late fall and winter might be your best bet.

We were there in early December and the sunrise was very cold – I wore my Patagonia jacket, gloves, and hat and had a blanket wrapped around me – items I never have considered packing before to head to Las Vegas, Nevada!  But the afternoons warmed up a bit, and were very pleasant for hiking and exploring – around 50-60 degrees.  I could have used about 10 degrees more of heat, but I won’t complain – those summers would melt me in an instant.

How to Get to Death Valley?

We flew into Las Vegas, which is the most common way to get to Death Valley, California, and it was just over a 2 hour drive to get to the Furnace Creek Visitor Center in Death Valley.  Palm Springs is another launching off spot, and takes about 4 1/2 hours driving to get to the same visitor center (but you’ll be driving through part of Death Valley prior to that).  Unless you plan on having a day tour from Las Vegas, you will absolutely need a car to navigate this vast area.  There are no shuttles that I could see that would transport you in and around the park.

Where is Lodging close to Death Valley?

There are multiple options for lodging, including camping that can be found by looking up the National Park website www.nps.gov/deva .  This will be a vital resource for you for alerts including road closures, common trails and sites that are closed, visitor center hours, gas station locations, lodging, food, and maps.  Pahrump is the largest town close to Death Valley (about an hour away) and has some chain and mom & pop type hotels/motels, there are also AirBnB’s scattered in the area.  Keep in mind the distance from Death Valley (very important for the crack of dawn, catch the sunrise moments).  We made the mistake of thinking that 1 1/2 hours from Death Valley would be fine, and since it was north of Death Valley, and roads ended up being closed, we had a very long drive in the early morning to see the sunrise.  Even in December, roads were still closed from flash floods in the summer.  Keep in mind, those roads can be closed for years at a time!  So there were some locations we had no hope of visiting due to that.

There is lodging within the borders of Death Valley National Park that don’t involve camping.  A few resorts – The Oasis at Death Valley, The Ranch at Death Valley and Furnace Creek Resort, are right in the heart of Furnace Creek area of Death Valley, and your best bet to get right out into the sites in the morning and into the evening.  That said, you are definitely paying a premium price to do that.

Where would I stay next time?  I would plan further ahead and pick one of the beautiful AirBnB’s I found within an hour or so of the national park.  I personally like to get out of the area and have more food options (and fill up on gas outside of the park).

Where is Food & Gas in Death Valley?

There are not many choices within the park itself, and you’ll be driving 30-60min outside the park for more options.  Within the park itself, you can find a few restaurants at the resorts, but I wouldn’t count on it, as most were closed when we were traveling there.  We did get the breakfast buffet at the Ranch at Death Valley, but I can’t really recommend it, it was overpriced, cold and not many options.  However, in the middle of the desert, it worked to get us warmed up and back out to the trails. I would highly suggest bringing whatever classic hiking snacks you like, and tons of water in your car.

This is another reason I recommend staying outside of the park, as you will have many more options for food, and its hard to leave for an hour drive for food and then realize you need to come back to sleep.  We found some great spots in Pahrump and Beatty that I will get to on another post.  The other great reason to head out for food, is to meet local people, see what their towns are like, and really explore more than just the national park.  We even found a wine bar filled with the most amazing people, and delicious food & wine (who knew?), and we will certainly be back to visit!

Do I need A 4×4 Vehicle in Death Valley?

Yes, and no.  A higher clearance car is recommended for most areas of the park, as many roads are rough and bumpy.  For the roads that require 4×4, its also recommended not to even attempt to travel them (and take A tour instead) as they are very isolated, not maintained or monitored frequently, and the nightmare stories of being stranded even if you are an experienced driver, are numerous.  Your cell phone will NOT work in most areas of the park either, so getting that tow truck to you is challenging as well.  This also speaks to the need to bring way more water and snacks that you anticipate, and some blankets in the car.

Will my Cell Phone work in Death Valley?

Short answer, Nope.  We found we were able to use it only near Furnace Creek, and few random spots elsewhere.  We were able to pop our next location (and even a series of next stops) on the map app of my iphone, and set start from outside the park or at Furnace Creek, but it only kept working if I didn’t mess with it after that.  So, be prepared and have maps printed out prior, grab one from the visitor center, and be clear on where you plan to go.  I love the trail guide from Falcon Press and map from National Geographic, both easily ordered on Amazon.

Now that we’ve got some of the basics out of the way, stay tuned for my next posts on A Perfect Weekend in Death Valley – how to see the best of Death Valley in a short amount of time, and the Best Restaurants Near Death Valley National Park, because if you know me at all, it’s all about the food.