Covering 3.4 million acres of desert, Death Valley National Park is the largest national park in the US. The park is home to the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level and the darkest night sky in the United States. For this trip, we didn’t do our typical road trip. Instead, we based out of Las Vegas with a 2-day side trip to the park. When it comes to vacations, I prefer to be in nature, but one of the things I love about Las Vegas is that there’s something for everyone, including nature lovers! There’s plenty of adventure just a short drive away!
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Things to know before you visit Death Valley National Park
- Technically, you can visit Death Valley any time of year. But before you plan your summer trip to this land of extremes, remember that you are going to the hottest and driest national park. Temperatures from May to September average at 100 degrees and above. It’s a long, hot summer with the mid-summer months reaching average highs of 115 degrees. You definitely don’t want to be hiking in the desert in those temps. April and October are still hot, but definitely more bearable with average highs in the 90s. If you want to get out of your car and explore at all, winter is really the best time to visit with average highs in the 60s and 70s from November to February.
- The number one cause of death in Death Valley is actually single-car accidents. Depending on where you go in the park and conditions, 4wd may be necessary. Eureka Dunes and the Racetrack are two areas where 4wd is advised. For most places, you will definitely want to make sure you have good ground clearance. During our drive through Titus Canyon, there were several times I thought we were going to get stuck and this is definitely not a place you want that to happen (cell phone service is basically nonexistent). However, it’s always a possibility, so make sure that you have all the necessary tools and parts in your car and remember to drive carefully no matter where you are in the park.
- There are a few gas stations in the park but they are far apart from one another and you will be doing a lot of driving. Just keep your eye on your gas tank, don’t let it get too low and know where the nearest gas stations are.
- With Death Valley being the driest place in North America, dehydration is always a concern, no matter what time of year you go. Make sure you have plenty of water on you and that you actually drink it! I also would recommend keeping food or snacks with you in the car, but that’s always a must for me no matter where I am!
Our Itinerary
Day 1: Las Vegas
We flew a red-eye flight into Vegas and spent the first day hanging out on the strip. My one must-do in Las Vegas is seeing a Cirque du Soleil show. So far, I’ve seen Le Rêve and Mystère. Both were great, but I would definitely recommend Le Rêve!
Day 2: Valley of Fire State Park
We rented a motorcycle for the day and drove to Valley of Fire State Park, which is about an hour’s drive from the city. We took the scenic route, doing a loop which in total was about 150 miles, 3 hours of driving. We went mid-winter so temps were in the 50s. I thought this would be way too cold to be driving on a motorcycle, but we wore plenty of layers and were fine. In the park, there’s plenty of great sites to see, all right off the main road, or within a short hike. The points we stopped at were Arch Rock, Atlatl Rock, Mouse’s Tank, Rainbow Vista, and Elephant Rock.
Day 3: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is actually in Las Vegas, and only about a 20 minute drive from the strip. It’s such a cool place, whether you just drive through it, do some hikes, or climb some rocks! We hired a guide from American Alpine Institute to do our first ever multi-pitch climb. The highest we’ve ever climbed before was probably about 60 feet. This climb was about 600 feet. This was definitely stepping outside my comfort zone and actually toeing the line of being a little too far out of my comfort zone. Luckily, the climb was really easy, or I probably wouldn’t have made it to the top. Aside from being slightly nervous about the heights, this was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had in my life and I’m pretty sure Chris would agree. You should know this is not something you need to have climbing experience to do! The guides take out plenty of beginner climbers and there are shorter climbs. If rock climbing is at all something you would be interested in, I highly recommend climbing at Red Rock!
Day 4-5: Death Valley National Park
We woke early to drive into Death Valley National Park. From Vegas, it was about 130 miles, or 2.5 hours. Our first stop was to drive through the famous Titus Canyon, a 27 mile drive through the back-country. Not surprisingly, this drive was rough, steep, and narrow. Rough is actually an understatement. We were amazed our car made out of this drive without falling apart. I honestly don’t think we even took any pictures of this part of our trip. We must have been too focused on the road ahead! But, it definitely made for quite an adventure! Next, we went to the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, the largest dune field in the park. The 100 foot sand dunes make you feel so tiny. Next, we hiked the Mosaic Canyon Trail, a moderately difficult 4-mile out and back trail with about 1,200 feet of elevation gain. This hike was definitely worth the stop!
After checking in at the Inn at Death Valley and having dinner at the Furnace Creek Ranch we headed out to Zabriskie Point for some stargazing and our first attempt at night photography. We have a lot to learn as far as night photography goes, but regardless of the pictures, this was definitely a highlight of the trip!
On day 2 in the park, we started back at Zabriskie Point for sunrise. Next, we drove the Twenty Mule Canyon Drive, a 2.7 mile one way loop before doing what became my favorite hike of the trip, at the Golden Canyon. This hike can be anywhere from 3 to 8 miles depending on which route you decide to take. We made it a 4-5 mile hike connecting Golden Canyon to Gower Gulch.
After the hike, we drove Artist’s Drive, a 9 mile one way road through mountains covered with vibrant colors, which are the result of oxidation of various minerals. Next, we stopped at the Devil’s Golf Course, which is a huge area on the floor of Death Valley that is covered with rock salt formations. We ended our trip with the easy 1 mile out and back trail to the Natural Bridge before heading to Bad Water Basin, the lowest point in North America. At Bad Water Basin, you do have to hike at least 1 mile RT out and back to get to the edge of the salt flat, but you can hike out as far as you want, with the entire Basin being 5 miles wide. We hiked out probably about 1.5 miles and enjoyed our last stop in Death Valley before heading back to Vegas.
Day 6: Las Vegas/Red Rock/Departure
We didn’t fly out until late at night, so we had a full day ahead of us and we decided we’d go back to Red Rock and do a hike. We decided on the short but fun 2.2 mile Calico Tank Trail. Chris also decided to boulder a little bit…in his hiking boots.
To see more pictures of our trip to Las Vegas and Death Valley, click here.
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