Don’t let that deter you from visiting this National Park as there are plenty of amazing sites to see at this park. The world’s highest record air temperature of 134°F (57°C) was recorded at Furnace Creek on July 10, 1913. The temperatures in the summer often top 120°F (49°C) in the shade. We visited in August and saw a temperature of 115°F (46°C) at 8 PM at night! It is the hottest, driest, and lowest National Park.
We would definitely recommend traveling to this national park in the winter months to get the most out of your trip, especially if you are a hiker. The heat will limit the amount of hiking you can do in the summer months, there are even warning signs that tell you not to walk (hike) after 10 AM, which we would heed. Four days after we left Death Valley a man died of suspected heatstroke while hiking on the Golden Canyon Trail. We had decided not to hike that particular trail due to the high temperatures. We plan to go back again and visit so we can do more hiking in the cooler months. Death Valley is the largest U.S. National Park outside Alaska at 3,422,024 acres so there is plenty to see.
We entered the park from the west side on Route 190 near the Darwin Falls Wilderness. The first stop was the Death Valley National Park sign. It is a stark contrast to many national parks, as there was no line or crowds, in fact, there was nobody around at all. This is probably because we were one of the very few crazy enough to visit this national park in the summer.
The second stop was Father Crowley Overlook. Father Crowley was known as the Desert Padre, and he would often stop here to admire the views on his way to or from visiting parishioners in Death Valley, and his home in Lone Pine, California. Located near the western park boundary, this vista point offers a stunning view into Rainbow Canyon, a colorfully striped canyon created by ancient volcanic activity. A short quarter-mile walk or drive on an unpaved road leads from the vista parking area to Padre Point, overlooking Panamint Valley. Rainbow Canyon has been nicknamed “Star Wars Canyon” by visitors who come to observe the military test flights which occur in the vicinity. It is a popular place to photograph military aircraft. Star Wars Canyon is part of the R-2508 Complex, which is one of the largest training areas in the U.S. It also is a good place to photograph a nice sunset.
The road then gets curvier, twisting and turning through little canyons and bigger canyons alike. The colors in the rock can change from one curve to the next, making it an interesting drive. Then the view opens up to what looks to be a big lake, but this lake is dry but can give the illusion there is water in it. You lose elevation as you make your way to the dry river bed and then the road straightens and goes across the dry lake bed to the other side.
You ascend slightly out from the dry lake bed and continue on for some time before reaching the junction at Scotty’s Castle Road/Rte. 374. Route 190 veers 90degrees to the right shortly after the junction. We were now traveling in the dark but the temperature gauge on the car read 114 degrees Fahrenheit at 8:43 PM at night.
We had reservations for The Ranch at Death Valley but did not know we pulled into the sister resort The Inn at Death Valley and could not figure out how to get to our room. There was no office to be seen but a parking lot with a bunch of golf carts parked in it. We asked someone coming in on a golf cart and they said you need to check-in at the office at The Ranch at Death Valley and get you your keycard and golf cart. Unfortunately, we were not staying at the more upscale Inn at Death Valley, so did not need to get a golf cart, but it did look like a lot of fun.
The two hotels make up the entire resort of The Oasis at Death Valley which includes riding stables as well as the 1849 Restaurant, gift shop, and ice cream shop, which are all located at The Ranch at Death Valley. The resort had a 100 Million dollar renovation in recent years. We were a little disappointed that the rooms at the ranch were still outdated except for the redone bathrooms. It was a lot of money for the room, but you did get use of a pool.
We did use the pool that night with a temperature around 110-degrees Fahrenheit. The water was not cool but felt cooler than the outside air, and there was no sun, I could not imagine how hot it would feel in the middle of the day with the sun beaming down on you. The amazing part is the evaporative cooling you still receive when getting out of the pool. I was blown away by the idea I could feel cool with 110-degree winds blowing on me.
The next morning we got up and had breakfast at the restaurant which was decent, but do not drink the water by itself, it does not taste good, so get something with flavor. We headed over to the gift shop afterward and picked up a couple of Death Valley National Park shirts.
We headed out and decided to visit Badwater Basin first and then hit the rest of the sites heading back and out of the park. From the Ranch at Death Valley take right out of the parking lot and then a right onto Badwater Road and follow for 23 minutes (18 Miles). You can hit a lot of popular sites just driving down this road.
Badwater Basin, Inyo County, California is the lowest elevation in North America and the United States at 282 feet below sea level. Badwater Basin is an endorheic basin, meaning basically a drainage basin with no outlet to lakes, rivers, or an ocean. We walked out onto the salt flats but did not go far because of the extreme heat.
The next stop was a short hike to the Natural Bridge, Death Valley National Park. The bridge is about 1/3 of a mile in on the trail from the information sign and is a relatively easy hike on gravelly terrain. The trail abruptly ends at a dry waterfall approximately another .2 miles further along the trail. The total roundtrip is just a mile. The Natural Bridge Road is the access point and is also very gravelly and rough, but can be done in a regular 2 wheel drive car. It is located 13.5 (22 km) miles south of CA-190 on Badwater Road.
Be aware that although the hike is an easy hike, temperatures can get well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and even a short hike can become dangerous. See the second picture of the warning sign below.
The view from the Natural Bridge Trail out into Badwater Basin is quite unreal, part moonscape and part ephemeral haze of an artist’s brush blending colors on a canvas.
Then we stopped at Devils Golfcourse to take some pictures. This site is also on Badwater Road, turn at the sign and go down the dirt road until you get to a parking area. It is well said on the National Park Service website: “An immense area of rock salt eroded by wind and rain into jagged spires. So incredibly serrated that “only the devil could play golf on such rough links.” Listen carefully and you’ll hear sounds like tiny pops and pings — the sound is literally billions of tiny salt crystals bursting apart as they expand and contract in the heat.” A very unique must-see destination within the park.
Be careful walking in this area, due to the jagged and sharp formations.
On the other side of Badwater Road, you will see a paved road called Artists Drive or Artists Loop Road, follow this to the location of Artists Palette. The road itself winds through small canyons and hills. You begin to anticipate what is around the next corner as the colors will change from one curve to another. You will see an array of colors of red, orange, yellow, blue, pink, and green displayed across the hills and into the Black Mountains. It is a 30-minute detour off of Badwater Road and well worth it. Around every sharp corner, you may be surprised to see another color in the hills and rock formations or maybe a whole rainbow of color.
We headed back towards the Inn at Death Valley and then turned right to go east on Rte. 190. We had time for one more stop before heading to Vegas, where we would fly out of a few days later. The last stop but not least was Zabriskie Point. A 15-minute drive east on Highway 190 from the Furnace Creek Visitor Center will bring you to the parking area of this popular vista. The vista is named in honor of Christian Zabriskie, a prominent figure in the heyday of the Pacific Coast Borax Company. The company is known for its 20-Mule Team that was used to transport borax from its mining operations in Death Valley. The vista is located up a 1/4 mile wide paved path from the parking lot.
A view of Manly Beacon is in the photo above left of center top. This jutting high point rises to an elevation of 823 ft (251 m) and bears the name of one of the first Gold Rush pioneers a.k.a 49er to visit the area. Manly Beacon can be very magnificent when viewed at sunrise or sunset.
Zabriskie is also the location of the album cover for The Joshua Tree by the Irish rock band U2. I really enjoyed the views from this vista, I feel like they were some of the most stunning of the entire trip.
If you are flying in or out of Las Vegas to visit Death Valley National Park make sure to stop at Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge two hours from Las Vegas and 30 minutes to the entrance of Death Valley National Park.
Resources: Death Valley National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)