Making Memories

If you are not interested in Autumn foliage, then the next place I suggest you to visit has absolutely no sign of Autumn at all. It is the Death Valley!

As the lowest desert valley in North America, at 282 feet below sea level, the weather here is quite extreme. Is that the reason this valley is called “Death Valley”?! No! According to history, around 1849, a group of pioneers came here and got lost. Although only one person in the group lost his life, when the group got lost, they truly believed they would die in this valley!

When to visit?

Here, the highest recorded temperature was 134°F (55°C) in 1913. And recently on July 16, 2023, the temperature here reached 129°F!! With such hot temperatures in the summer, the period from October to April is when you can visit Death Valley when the weather is much more pleasant. Note that in the winter, the temperature here also drops below 40°F, not warm at all, but that is a characteristic of the desert at night, especially in the winter!

It’s puzzling that one of the hottest and driest places is closed due to flooding. The weather in recent years has been unpredictable, so you should check the Death Valley alerts on the National Park Services website for the latest information. According to announcement on this website, Death Valley national park and the roads leading to it were closed due to too much debris on the road caused by the recent flooding from Hurricane Hilary. According to the schedule, the park and some of the roads will reopen on October 15, 2023; heavily damaged roads may not reopen this year. And after the roads are reopened, there will be parts of the roads that will remain closed due to repairs. Check road conditions and detour routes before your visit.

The fact that the park was closed for some time, in my opinion, can also be an advantage because Death Valley will have fewer visitors since some people may want to wait to travel there again. However, to ensure safety measures, I think you should plan to visit at least a few weeks after its reopening. Follow the above website for up-to-date information. One more tip is you can try booking a hotel room in advance (remember to reserve a refundable room); then, you can call the hotel to ask about the park’s condition. People inside the park will know best because sometimes the website may not have the most updated information. If you find the park’s condition is not safe to visit, then you can cancel the plan without penalty. The reason I advised you to book the hotel before calling is because: (1) since the park is closed, the hotel price will be cheaper so you want to lock in the low price as soon as you can; (2) if you call the hotel and say you have a reservation there, they will be more willing to answer your concerns (this is just overthinking because most people are just genuinely kind, and the hotel staff there are not fussy).

Note: Death Valley is a quite unique place so the weather can also be erratic. You should check the weather forecast before departing. There are many websites and mobile apps to check the weather. National Weather Service is one of the reputable services.

We visited Death Valley in early Spring. The weather was warm during the day, cold in the morning and evening.

Nearest Airports

To get to Death Valley, the nearest airport is Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, about 120 miles away (about a 2-hour drive). The next major airport is LAX in Los Angeles, about 270 miles away (about a 5-6 hour drive). Also in the Los Angeles vicinity, Ontario Airport and Burbank Airport are approximately 250 miles from Death Valley.

Accommodation

In the national park

If you want to stay in the Death Valley National Park, then the choices are very limited:

• The Oasis of Death Valley – is the most luxurious resort in this area; includes 2 resorts: The Inn and The Ranch. There is a golf course, swimming pool, tennis court, basketball court, volleyball court, and a children’s play area; There are restaurants and even a grocery store/small market. You can also rent a horse to ride, or rent a jeep to drive.
  
  • The Inn – out of the 2 resorts, The Inn has higher standards and is prettier in my opinion. It’s a smaller resort, has a nice surrounding garden/walking ground, a swimming pool, and a restaurant. Note that the restaurant here only serves breakfast and dinner. For lunch, they sell quick bites like sandwiches, salads and snacks in a small shop next to the swimming pool. There is a rooftop terrace for stargazing. There are no street lights around except for the small lights from the hotel below, so it is completely dark, a perfect setting for stargazing without being interfered by any lights.

Across the street from The Inn, there is a beautiful garden (which belong to the hotel). It’s surprising that in this harsh desert, fresh and colorful flowers bloom so beautifully here. When the weather is not hot or cold, you can sit here to relax or have a picnic.

• The Oasis of Death Valley
  • The Ranch – this side is larger and has a small market/grocery store. There is also a camping site. There is a full-service restaurant and also a self-serve buffet restaurant.
    
    We stayed at The Inn and had two dinners here. The food here is delicious and the price is not too expensive. We drove to The Ranch for a lunch buffet and did a little shopping. For me, the lunch buffet at The Ranch is very basic (before eating, you are able to walk around to see if the food here suits your taste). I have not tried the full-service restaurant at The Ranch. We brought pastries for breakfast so we didn’t have the chance to try the breakfast here.
    
    Because the hotel is in the national park, the view at every corner is beautiful. There are rooms with private balconies. Or just stepping out of the room and the view in front is simply breathtaking! There is wifi at the hotel for you to use. Phone signal is available, but very weak!
    
• Stovepipe – there are hotel rooms, a swimming pool, a restaurant, a small grocery store, a camping site and an RV park. Wifi is a bit limited. Phone signals are only available in public areas such as the restaurants and reception areas, not in the hotel rooms.
• Panamint Springs Resort – the rooms here are like motels or cabins. There are also a camping site and an RV park. In addition to restaurants, brewery and grocery stores, there is also a gas station here. Similar to Stovepipe, phone signal and wifi here are very limited.

Outside of the national park

If you don’t mind driving into the park every day, then you can stay in a hotel or an Airbnb outside of the park. You can stay in nearby towns such as Beatty, Nevada (45 minutes drive) or Pahrump, Nevada (1.5 hours away). Other places like Las Vegas (2 hours) or cities in California are too far for us (about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours drive)! We also rented an Airbnb in Beatty. There are many gas stations, shops/markets and restaurants around here – so of course there are more dining options than inside the national park. But of course the down-side is you have to drive a little further to Death Valley.

What to see in Death Valley?

Unlike many other national parks where the highlights are the mountains with beautiful waterfalls and lakes, Death Valley stands out by its extremes. As the largest national park in the continental United States, Death Valley is famous for its harsh desert climate, stunning landscapes, and unique geological formations. Furthermore, if you like astronomy, this is the place you need to come see the starry sky and the Milky Way. If you look at the sky during a full moon, you can see the salt flats below, emitting a mysterious white color in the night. Death Valley is certified as an International Dark Sky Park and is conserved to protect dark spots through responsible lighting policies.

With an area of about 3.4 million acres, there is a lot of land for you to explore. Below I list a few typical places.

• Zabriskie Point is named in honor of Christian B. Zabriskie, who devoted many years to the Pacific Coast Borax Company that operated in the area before it was named Death Valley National Park in 1933. This is an iconic Death Valley view and a favorite spot to watch sunrise and sunset.
  
  To get here, drive about 15 minutes east on Hwy 190 from the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. There is an empty lot for you to park your car. From the parking lot, walk uphill about 400 meters to get a beautiful view. We came here in the early evening before sunset. In addition to tourists, I noticed in the distance that there was a couple taking wedding photos here! What a great idea, right?!

The most prominent feature can be seen from Zabriskie Point is Manly Beacon, the mountain peak rising above the barren lands of Death Valley (pictured below). If you like hiking, there are several hiking trails for you to enjoy such as the Badlands Loop Trail. Hike far or near depends on which path you want to choose. There are paths that take you to Gower Gulch, Golden Canyon or Red Cathedral. Note that pets are not allowed on the hiking trails in Death Valley.

• Dante’s View is considered to have the most beautiful view of Death Valley. From here, you can see Badwater Basin. The view from the parking spot is also beautiful, or you can hike in a bit; each hike gives you many different stunning views. And of course, the sunrise and sunset here can be said to be unparalleled anywhere in Death Valley. Dante’s View is about 45 minutes from Furnace Creek.

• Badwater Basin is located about 86 meters below sea level (282 feet), is the lowest point in the United States, as well as North America. From the parking lot, you follow a path to the salt flats. To see the beautiful salt polygons, you need to hike about 1.5-2 miles out to the salt flats. Note that on the way to the salt flat, there are some parts that are a bit slippery. Because there’s nothing around to shield, if it’s hot, then it’s incredibly hot; and when windy, it feels as though the wind can blow you away – that’s the situation on the afternoon when we visited! From the parking lot, the walk to the salt flat is less than 1 mile. This can be a very unique place to take photos.

• Mesquite Flat sand dunes are beautiful golden sand dunes surrounded by purple mountains. The sand ripples with no footprints is an breathtaking landscape for photography. I think this place will also be very beautiful for wedding photos! From the parking lot, you can walk and see unlimited sand dunes. This goes without saying – it is of utmost importance to keep track of the direction so you know how to come back out! Honestly, the sand dunes look so similar that it can get confusing.
  
  If you travel with children, then this is where they can have fun activities like sand-boarding or just rolling around the sand. You can bring a sleigh or a saucer to sit on and slide like snowboarding but on sand, the same activity recommended for White Sands National Park.

• Natural Bridge is one of the most famous hiking trails here. At the finish line after hiking 1 mile, you will see a sandstone arch that looks like a bridge across – as the name suggests.

In addition, you should visit these places if you have more time:

(The images above are from the internet: Expedia, NotAboutTheMiles, AmusingPlanet, TimeForaHike, Leon Jackson Flickr, and Earth Trekkers).

• Artists Drive is and Artist’s Palette – Artists Drive is a 9-mile scenic drive of unique views in Death Valley. This road only runs one way from South to North. There are many beautiful places on the way for you to stop and see or explore, but the most worth-visiting is the Artist’s Palette, which got its name from the hills and mountains having many different colors such as pink, teal, purple… like an artist’s color palette, created by the oxidation of metals in the soil.
• Darwin’s Falls – surprised?! In a place that is so dry and hot, how can there be a waterfall? Yet here, there is a waterfall that flows year-round!! Darwin Falls is located west of Death Valley in the Panamint Springs area. To get to the falls, you have to hike about 1 mile. Although it’s only 1 mile, because of the geography, it may take you 30-45 minutes to walk.
• Devil’s Golf Course is a very strange looking rough salt pan, located near Badwater Basin. You can see it from the parking lot. Note that the rough surface of salt is quite sharp, so take caution if you want to walk in for a closer look.
• Ubehebe Crater is a volcanic crater. You can see the crater from the parking lot. If you want a closer look, you have to hike around the rim of the crater for about 1.5 miles.
• Mosaic Canyon and Grotto Canyon
  • Mosaic Canyon is located in the Stovepipe Wells area. To get here, you have to drive about 2 miles on gravel (unpaved) roads to the trailhead. Therefore, sedans, SUVs, trucks are recommended. Larger vehicles such as buses or RVs are not allowed. From the trailhead, you have to hike about 4 miles. The trail is uneven and considered to be difficult, and has many interesting nooks and crannies. You should plan about 3 hours to hike.
  • Grotto Canyon – if you are a professional hiker or adventurous and like challenges, then you can try hiking to Grotto Canyon. The trail is only about 2 miles but difficult. There are narrows along the trail and parts where you have to climb about 8 feet high to cross to the other side in order complete the hike.

How much time should be spent?

Just like any trip, how much is too much, and how much is too little?!! It’s up to you! If you are not interested in scientific and geographical facts, or are not a photographer, then Death Valley has few activities for you to do and explore. Therefore, spending 1-2 days would be enough to visit the typical sites. Day-trips would be too rushed, especially if you want to admire the desert at night, then you have to spend the night here. Last time, my family stayed for 3 days and 3 nights, and only managed to visit a few most popular sites only. The rest, we spent time relaxing at the pool, letting the kids play around in the sand dunes, and admiring nightscapes, etc.

Photography

As you have seen scattered throughout this article, the landscapes in Death Valley are stunning and unique. With such a beautiful background, taking photo of people here is also very ideal. Regarding outfit colors, I find any contrasting color would work. As I said, I saw a couple taking wedding photos here where the groom wore a black suit and the bride wore a white dress, but still looking very beautiful. With unique landscapes, you can take photos with many different concepts: edgy or graceful (like the bride). I’m loyal to dresses, so we tried the concept of “rough elegance”.

Conclusion

In addition to beautiful landscapes and unique terrain, Death Valley also gives you an unparalleled tranquility! Not as popular as other national parks, on average only about more than 1.1 million people visit Death Valley each year. And with a huge area, you will definitely find areas all to yourself, so it could be an ideal place to take photos of landscapes or people because you don’t have to worry about having other people in the pictures.

Having nearby cities with many attractions such as Las Vegas or Los Angeles, you can combine the visit to Death Valley with a trip to one of these two cities. Except for summer, you can visit anytime in the remaining 3 seasons. For example, this fall, if you are not interested in seeing the foliage, visit Southern California or Las Vegas, then spend a few days visiting Death Valley. The beauty of sand dunes and unique majestic mountains can give you a different perspective on the valley with a strange name! Enjoy your time to unwind and talk to Nature and reevaluate the meaningful things in your life! Is Death Valley really a “death valley” or a place to where people are reborn?