Hello, my lovely readers! We recently checked another National Park off our bucket list. It was our 9th National Park in the USA, and I’m excited to share details about it. So get ready for our complete itinerary & experience exploring the lowest, driest, and hottest place in North America.
We spent two days exploring the diverse landscapes of Death Valley National Park, which shares borders with California and Nevada. It was a fun and unique experience to explore the extreme conditions around the park, from the vast salt flats to the colorful mountains.
In this blog post, I will share my 2-day itinerary, total trip expenses, and essential details to help you plan your trip on a budget. We were a group of four friends traveling from Las Vegas to Death Valley National Park, and our total trip cost was approximately $850 (excluding flights).
You can buy the Death Valley National Park Self-guided Audio Tour that you can listen to while exploring the park. The guide shares details about all the must-visit spots and their history. However, download the guide before your trip to access it offline since there’s no signal or wifi access inside the park.
History of Death Valley National Park
Death Valley has been home to the indigenous tribes Timbisha Shoshone, Paiute, and Kawaiisu for centuries. They have thrived in the intense desert environment for years and sustained themselves through hunting, gathering, and trading.
So how did this place become “Death Valley”?
In the mid-19th century, during the California Gold Rush, the first non-indigenous people arrived in the valley. They were trying to find a shorter route to California through these deserted peaks when a group of pioneers lost their way for 26 days. One of them couldn’t survive the forbidding terrains and extreme climate, which earned this place its name “Death Valley.”
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the valley saw a boom in mining activity, with prospectors seeking minerals like gold, silver, and borax. It led to the establishment of the Harmony Borax Works company and the iconic Twenty Mule Team wagons, which transported the mineral from the desert to market.
Death Valley was declared a national park in 1994 to protect its unique ecosystem for future generations. Today, the park spans over 3.4 million acres of desert wilderness, making it the largest national park in the contiguous United States.
Reaching Death Valley National Park
Las Vegas is the closest airport to the Death Valley National Park (DVNP). It makes a great weekend getaway spot, especially during the winter when the temperature is pleasant. The park is full of places that will make you go Ooh-Aah, especially the Salt Flats and Artists Drive.
We rented our car from Avis Airport rental near Harry Reid International Airport for three days and stayed inside the national park for a night. It was a 2-hour drive from the airport and was easy to navigate within the park without the internet. If you have limited time, you can also do a quick day trip covering all the top spots that can be reached easily by car.
Our car rental cost was $256 for three days, which included a cleaning fee as the car got dirty because of the salt residue.
Pro Tip: Most top spots in the park have paved roads, but a few have rocky unpaved ones. If you’re planning to visit one of those, make sure to book an SUV.
Stay in Death Valley National Park
There are three hotels within the national park that you can stay at, Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel, The Ranch at Death Valley, and The Inn at Death Valley.
We stayed at Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel near Mesquite Sand Dunes. It is the most affordable one, with all the amenities available at arm’s length. You can read more about our stay in Death Valley National Park here.
Cost per night: $200 for four people
National Park Entry
There is no timed entry for Death Valley National Park, but you will require a Day Pass or an America the Beautiful Pass to enter the park. If you don’t have a pass, you can buy one for $30 (per vehicle) from the Furnace Creek Visitor Center.
Park Entry Fee: $30 per vehicle
Gas Stations inside the park
Death Valley is hot, which means the car will consume more fuel in the form of A/C. Moreover, if you plan to stay for more than a day, you will definitely need to refill your gas.
The park has two gas stations, one in Stovepipe Wells Village and the other near the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. The Stovepipe offers the lowest prices, as compared with the other one (almost $2-$3 less per gallon). Therefore, we recommend getting the gas from the Stovepipe Gas Station to save money.
Gas Cost: $124.00 for three days
Food in Death Valley National Park
The park has a few restaurants inside the premises, mainly near the hotels, and a grocery store at Stovepipe Wells Village with all essential items and ready-to-eat meals. Here’s a list of restaurants you can visit:
- Toll Road Restaurant (Stovepipe Wells Village) – Daily, 7 to 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM to 3 PM, and 4 to 8 PM.
- Badwater Saloon (Stovepipe Wells Village) – Daily, 7 AM to 8 PM.
- Wild Rose Tavern (The Ranch at Death Valley) – Open Thu-Mon, 12 to 7 PM.
- Ice Cream Parlor (The Ranch at Death Valley) – Daily, 12 to 6 PM.
- The Inn at Death Valley Dining Room – Daily, 7 to 10 AM and 5 to 9 PM.
If you’re camping or staying at one of the hotels, I recommend buying groceries from Las Vegas instead. We stopped by the Grocery Outlet Bargain Market to buy all our essentials. We bought 6 gallons of water, a hat, snacks for the road, Buldak for dinner, and a few sachets of Gatorade (a must for this place).
Cost of groceries: $58
Our 2-Day Itinerary to Death Valley National Park
Here’s the most optimized itinerary to explore Death Valley National Park. I’ve followed the exact route and saw almost everything without being too tired or dehydrated. You can also cover these spots in a day if you start early in the morning.
I’ll also mention the spots I didn’t visit at the end of the itinerary that you can consider visiting and some tips to make the most of your time here.
Day 1
Our journey began at 10 AM from Las Vegas. We stopped at a McCafe for breakfast and did our grocery run at the Grocery Outlet Bargain Market to buy trip essentials. Here’s our route map for Day 1 that you can save in your Google Maps.
Wildflower viewing spot near Ash Meadows
Our first stop was somewhere in the Ash Meadows. We were on our way to the visitor center when we saw miles and miles of wildflowers bursting on both sides of the road. We couldn’t resist but to stop here for photos. It was a delight to experience the rare superbloom in person.
Death Valley National Park Sign Board
Next, we stopped at the National Park sign board to take pictures. If you search this board on Google Maps, it will show you the one on the other side of the park. But I can confirm there’s one located a few miles before the Death Valley Junction to the right with a large pullout area for parking lot the car.
Dante’s Viewpoint
Dante’s Viewpoint was our first stop after entering the national park. The lookout offered a spectacular view of the Badwater Basin and the Telescope peak, the highest point in Death Valley National Park. We did a short hike from the parking lot and marveled at the beauty of the salt flats and mountain ranges.
Zabriskie Point
Next, we headed to Zabriskie Point, where the golden undulating terrains of the badlands captivated our senses. Zabriskie Point was one of my favorite spots in the park, showcasing mother nature’s art created by the dynamic forces shaping the land over millions of years.
Furnace Creek Visitor Center
We stopped by the visitor center to purchase our day pass and freshen up. The visitor had a theatre and a shop filled with cool souvenirs. We watched the short film to understand the history and geology of the park better. On the way to the visitor center, we came across a small village of the indigenous tribe, Timbisha Shoshone. We also bought souvenirs from the shop and grabbed a map to help us navigate the park since there was no network coverage.
Pro Tip: Download a digital map on Google Maps before entering the park because there’s no network otherwise. However, if you forget to do so, worry not! Navigating the park is easy, thanks to the markers installed by the National Parks Service.
Harmony Borax Works
Continuing our journey, we headed to Harmony Borax Works to explore the remnants of the past. The rusted machinery and weathered buildings offered a glimpse into the mining era, showcasing the creativity and perseverance of people who worked in such harsh environments.
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
Lastly, we headed to the mesmerizing Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, a 4-minute drive from Stovepipe Wells Village. We walked around the dunes for a while and watched a breathtaking sunset from the dunes. The golden light highlighted the rippling contours of the dunes, making the sight absolutely serene. With each step, we felt a sense of connection to the timeless beauty of the desert.
Stovepipe Wells Village
Finally, after a long day of exploration through various landscapes, we concluded our first day at the park. We checked in to our hotel in Stovepipe Wells Village and relaxed our tired bodies. The village has two restaurants that remain open until 8 PM. However, we were too lazy to head out, so we had ready-to-eat Buldak noodles instead for dinner and spent some time by the pool before calling it a night.
Day 2
On day 2, we explored the remaining iconic spots in Death Valley National Park. We woke up pretty early and headed out for a morning stroll. The temperature was soothing, and the sunshine felt good, unlike the previous day 🥵.
We spotted many native birds, from Grackles to Phoebes, and watched them doing their thing for a while. For breakfast, we had ready-to-eat Poha and Upma. You can also have a buffet breakfast for $13.99 at Toll Road Restaurant in Stovepipe Wells that starts from 8 AM daily.
Devil’s Golf Course
Our first stop was an otherworldly landscape known as the Devil’s Golf Course. This salt pan gets its name from a 1934 NPS Death Valley guidebook, where the author said, “Only the devil could play golf on this harsh terrain”, and since then, the name stuck.
The salt-encrusted terrain resembles a lunar landscape, with jagged formations and crystalline textures stretching as far as the eye can see. You can walk on the narrow path dividing the basin, but we only walked a few meters to take pictures since the temperature was already 100 degrees at 11 AM. 😵💫
Badwater Basin
Next, we headed to the most-awaited spot of this national park, the lowest point in North America, a.k.a, Badwater Basin. The basin is 282 feet below sea level and forms a pluvial lake after heavy rain that is not deeper than 3 feet.
You can walk around the salt flats and explore the region. Our walk from the parking lot to Lake Manly was quite fun and painful as the salt crystals had hardened in some areas, and we were walking barefoot (to avoid our shoes getting wet).
The National Park Service also allows people to Kayak on the lake if the water level is suitable. However, it was pretty low when we visited, so the boating activity was closed for the season. We were in awe of the vastness of the landscape and the extreme conditions that define this unforgiving environment. Badwater Basin is truly a unique and must-visit spot in the park.
Artist’s Drive & Artist Palette
Continuing our journey, we drove the scenic Artist’s Drive, marveling at the kaleidoscope of colors that adorned the mountainside. Every turn brought a different landscape and was simply gorgeous.
We took a short stop at the Artist Palette overlook, admiring the colors of nature, a vivid tapestry of mineral deposits painted across the rocky canvas.
We then bid farewell to this unique national park and headed to the final spot of our trip, the Valley of Fire State Park, which was 2.5 hours from Death Valley National Park.
Bonus activities
Here are some bonus recommendations that you can do in the park. I wish we had more time, but keeping these for our next visit 😉. I’m also listing out a few hikes that were recommended to us by the park rangers and are great for any fitness level.
Stargazing
Death Valley National Park is one of the top spots for stargazing and is ranked as the Gold Tier by the International Dark-Sky Association for Stargazing. You can view many celestial objects that are not visible elsewhere because it is very dark, and the sky remains clear most of the year. We had plans to go stargazing, but the moonlight was too bright, so we skipped this time. You can also keep track of the ranger programs that are great for identifying celestial objects and learning about our solar system.
Hikes
Here are three trails that we highly recommend. These trails will take you through various landscapes, and their beauty will simply blow your mind. Most of the hikes are easy to moderate except the ones in the Panamint Valley or Telescope Peak. However, the surface is rough, so wear good hiking shoes and carry at least 35oz of water to avoid dehydration.
- Mosaic Canyon Trail – is a 3.5-mile out-and-back trail that was recommended to us by a park ranger. This place will make you feel like you’re part of an Indiana Jones film and bring you some unique rock formations and views. It’s a moderately challenging route and takes about 2 hours to finish.
- Golden Canyon Trail to Red Cathedral – is one of the most popular hikes in the park. You will always find the people on the trail no matter what time of the day you visit. This route is also considered moderately challenging and takes 1.5 hours to complete the 2.9-mile out-and-back trail.
- Natural Bridge Canyon Trail – is an easy 1.4-mile out-and-back trail that takes about an hour to finish. However, you can also walk to the natural bridge, which is just a short walk from the parking lot.
Death Valley Tour from Las Vegas
Here are three group tours that I recommend from Las Vegas. These are great if you have limited time or don’t want to drive or travel alone to the park. Each of them offer pick up and drop from hotels, free cancellation up to 24 hours before your trip and guided experience within the national park.
- Death Valley Small Group Day Tour from Las Vegas – this covers all the top spots in the park
- Death Valley Sunset and Starry Night Tour – his covers all the top spots along with a stargazing session (depending on the season).
- Death Valley Sightseeing Tour with Stargazing and Wine Tasting – everything above along with visiting a winery in Pahrump.
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