Tidbits.

• Death Valley – a name given to this place by pioneers lost in the winter of 1845-1850 who thought this would be their grave.
• Death Valley National Park – the largest national park in the 48 contiguous states in the US.
• Badwater Basin – the lowest point in North America, at 282 ft below sea level, is at Death Valley National Park.
• Mount Whitney – the highest point in the 48 states, at 14,505 ft, is only 76 miles of the Badwater Basin. Denali (aka Mount McKinley), at 20,310 ft, in Alaska, is the highest point in North America.
• Camping – the best way to visit and explore the park. Available all-year round.

Date established: 1933, as a National Monument. October 31, 1994, as a National Park.

I visited Death Valley National Park in December 2019. Plan was to camp and explore the park for 3 days. 3 days became 4. I had no camping reservations prior to arrival. Most of the camping sites inside the park were on a first-come-first-served basis.

I arrived in Las Vegas night of December 18. Stayed in the city for the night, and drove to Death Valley National Park the day after. It’s about 2.5 hr drive from Las Vegas to the Park.

Stopped at Walmart and asian grocery store for food and supplies.

• water and soda
• fuel for my jetboil
• firewood
• uncrustable pbj
• noodles, eggs, and sardines
• fruits and other junk food
• can’t go camping without any beer, of course

Tina’s Filipino Cuisine Restaurant was on the way, so decided to stop and get some cooked food-to-go to save some time for dinner upon arrival and camp set up at the park. The take-out food I bought actually lasted for 3 dinners, with addition of hot noodles and eggs.

Day 1. Arrival at the Park.

Took the scenic route from Las Vegas to the Park – Rt 160 to Pahrump to Death Valley Junction then Rt 190 West to Death Valley. The Visitor Center is at Furnace Creek, right about in the middle of the park. Several scenic spots are along the way before reaching the visitor center.

Dante’s View. Dante’s View is just a spur route off Rt 190 West. It provides a panoramic view of the Death Valley basin and the Panamint Range highlighting the snow-capped Telescope Peak. I originally planned to hike Telescope Peak and was strongly discouraged by the park ranger at the visitor center when I asked about the conditions. So no Telescope Peak hike on this trip.

Zabriskie Point was also on the way before the visitor center. Skipped it on Day 1 and proceeded to the visitor center after Dante’s View. Needed to get some details and availability of camp sites before it gets dark. The park ranger said plenty of spots in Texas Spring Campground, a short 5 mile drive from the visitor center. Drove and scouted the area before settling to a good spot. Finished set up with plenty of daylight left. Score!

Dinner was the first of the take-out food from Tina’s. Lomi, anyone?

Brrrrr. It was cold at night. I believe the temps went down to upper 30’s in the wee hours. From head to toe, I slept with a beanie, thermal shirt + sweater + winter jacket, gloves, thermal + fleece pjs, warm socks.

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Day 2.

Zabriskie Point. Woke up very early. After preparing the coffee and the instant Ginataang Munggo for breakfast, I drove to Zabriskie Point. The view was amazing in the golden hour. Then the crowd started to arrive. And they kept coming. It was time to go.

Golden Canyon Hike. Went to the Golden Canyon parking lot, and set up my gear for a full hike of the Golden Canyon Circuit Loop. 8+ miles recorded by my Garmin.

Devil’s Golf Course. After the fun and solitary hike, I went to Devil’s Golf Course. What looks like yummy sugar-coated brownies are actually hard and sharp rocks. It was given this name from the phrase ‘Only the devil could play golf’ on this surface in the 1934 NPS guide book.

Badwater Basin. Could this be the highlight of a visit to Death Valley National Park? I will leave this on the debate table. It was crowded. Good thing was I was wearing my waterproof hiking shoes. I was able to go farther in the wet and water covered area, away from the crowd. Enjoyed a 360 panoramic view of the area.

Artist’s Drive. Artist’s Palette. Last in the itinerary for today. Scenic drive on Artist’s Drive, with a stop at Artist’s Palette. The pastel colors of the rocks reminds me of a neopolitan ice cream. Man, I’m getting hungry. Is it time for dinner?

Day 3.

Racetrack Playa. Reading some information about the Racetrack Playa made me decide to upgrade my rental car with a 4×4 full-sized SUV. But even with this upgrade, I did hesitate to go to Racetrack Playa. It’s 27 miles of rough and rocky terrain, with a big chance of getting flat tires. And it’s in a remote section of the park, with -100% of having cell signal. Warnings from the NPS website and several posts said expect to spend 2.5+ hours to cover this 27 miles of rough road. So what’s in the Racetrack Playa? It is the home of the moving rocks! I call them the original Rolling Stones. And yes, they do move on their own. Not going to tell here how this mystery is explained.

Ubehebe Crater. Ubehebe Crater is actually the last stop of paved road before the 27 mile rough road to the Racetrack Playa. I did not stop here on the way out, because I wanted to make sure I have enough time to explore the Playa. Stopped here on the way back and did the rim trail before heading back to the camp.

It was night time when I got back to the camp. Hot noodles + whatever’s left for dinner tonight.

Day 4. Time to go. But I’m not done yet.

Mesquite Sand Dunes. Mesquite Sand Dunes is just right off Rt 190. So accessible. I thought I was early when I arrived to see it. So many cars already in the parking lot. No chance to have a picture of the dunes without any foot prints. Still, it was worth it.

Twenty Mule Canyon. On the way back to Las Vegas for the next adventure, I had to pass Twenty Mule Canyon. And of course, I did.

Death Valley National Park is just another must-visit place you have to put on your list. With 4 days, I still have not explored the whole park. No Telescope Peak hike, no Wildrose Peak hike, no Fall Canyon hike. And like the other parks I have visited, I know I will have to come back.