A Review of Death Valley (from www.ilovenationalparks.org)
Our Visit I visited Death Valley NP twice, both during March while on trips to Las Vegas, NV.
Our Weather The weather the first trip was pleasant and breezy (around 75 degrees), the
weather the second trip was near 90 degrees.
Overall Impression Death Valley is huge. The roads look close on a map, but it is miles from
nowhere in the driest climate in the US. Despite the overwhelming dryness, there is water and
fragile life in the park. There’s enough mix of history, geology and scenery to have something
for everyone.
Favorite Spot Staring out over Devils Golf Course
Minimum Time Required About 2 hours. If you enter
near Furnace Creek on the east side, you can get a feel for
Death Valley in just a little time. Be sure to hit Zabriskie
Point for the great views and stop at a few points down in the
valley like Devils Golf Course and Badwater. This will give
you some understanding of the unique geology and scenery in
the park without having to completely travel through it.
Zabriskie Point, near the Furnace
A Longer Visit A full day is sufficient to see most of the park, Creek entrance, boasts some great
but you'll still need to omit a few spots on a one-day visit. The
formations and a great view,
especially at sunrise. This shot is
driveable portion of the valley consists of three major sections.
The southern section is mostly covered by salt flats, the middle taken near sunset where most of the
landscape is now shadow (March)
section is mostly sand dunes, and the northern section is rocky
and volcanic.
To maximize your seeing-to-driving ratio, start at one end of the park and
work your way along the valley in straight line. If starting here, walk the
short boardwalk at Salt Creek and spend some time in the dunes
near Stovepipe Wells before heading south toward Furnace Creek. This
is a BIG park, so be prepared to spend a lot of time in the car. Zabriskie
Point is a great spot for photos, and nearby you can drive
through Twenty Mule Team Canyon to get up-close with the badlands.
When things get hot, drive back to the Furnace Creek Visitors
Center and spend some time cooling off and learning more about the
park from a Ranger and the slide show.
Small dunes on the
valley floor near Old
Stovepipe Wells
(March)
A Review of Death Valley (from www.ilovenationalparks.org)
If you're in to history, the Harmony Borax Works near the
visitors center provides a walk-through tour of an old mine.
The southern part of the valley is full of sights including the
strange salt formations at Devils Golf Course. If you've got
extra time, take the one-way detour through Artists Palette or
hike up to Natural Bridge. If you're looking for a lighter hike,
you can walk out onto the salt flats further south at Badwater.
Be sure to scope out a good spot to watch the sunset.
The valley is vast and covered by
salt flats(March)
If you've got more time or are more
interested in buildings, make your way to the northern part of the park.
This area is home to Scotty's Castle with its visitors center and museum
at the former estate of a wealthy and eccentric man. The castle is several
hundred feet higher up than the valley floor, and the property is home to
dozens of palm trees, making this a nice cool place to spend midday
away from the hot valley.
While in this section of the park, make the short drive out to Ubehebe
Crater, the large remains of an extinct volcano. As you get close, the
valley soil changes from brown to black. Excellent views inside the
Part of Scotty's Castle in crater can be had from the parking lot, but a trail winds along its edge for
the northern section of even better views for the more adventurous.
the park
Suggestions Think safety in the heat!
Bring sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and twice as much water as
you'll think you'll need. Distances are deceiving in this park,
so you're not as close to help as you think you are. Despite the
1.3 million annual visitors, I drove for several miles at a time
without seeing another car.
To beat the heat, try to limit your excursions to early morning
Wildflowers cover portions of the
and early evening when the sun is low. This will keep you
valley in February/March
cooler. If you can pick a time of year to go, February and
March are great months. Not only are they cooler, but you've got a good chance of seeing the
desert in bloom with wildflowers. It's a little odd to see all the rock, sand and salt sprinkled with
so much color, but the contrast adds to the park's dry beauty and mystery.