Growing up in Southern California, Death Valley National Park always seemed like a place that was so close, yet so far away. I’ve driven past the turn off a million times while on the road to Las Vegas. I was always curious about Death Valley National Park, but the siren call of the Vegas Strip was always too strong and I kept driving.
Knowing that we were likely moving out of state ( which happened just a few months later), Dan and I decided to combine a business trip with a vacation by taking a road trip from Big Bear Lake, California to Portland, Oregon. This time, we would skip Vegas and enjoy nature centric attractions.
Our trip started on Labor Day weekend, which we underestimated how much crowds would impact our trip. Luckily, crowds were not an issue in Death Valley, likely because of the intense heat. Although it might be exciting for some tourists to experience incredible heat, I don’t think it is the peak time of the year for the park. The heat made it difficult to truly enjoy Death Valley.
On the drive to Death Valley, we marveled at the straight, empty roads.
Meet our beloved Ram truck, which we affectionately named Buttercup. Sadly, Buttercup didn’t fit with our suburban Colorado lifestyle and we swapped her for a Subaru a few months later. She did have the opportunity to go on some epic trips with us! We miss her!
We stopped at Dumont Dunes to experience the incredible sand dunes. It was early morning and the light was bouncing off of the soft sand. The pictures do not do justice to the beautiful shapes and textures of the dunes.
Nearly to Death Valley and more straight road pictures. We can’t get enough of these!
And we arrived!
We paid thirty dollars for a vehicle day pass and entered the park. It was really, really hot. I can’t remember the exact temperature, but somewhere in the 115-120 Fahrenheit range. We actually like the intense heat, but we prefer it when we are in a swimming pool. The Death Valley heat really dictated our visit, as we only jumped out of the car for a few pictures and scenic spots. You can hike and camp, but I can’t imagine too many people do those activities during the summer.
We parked at Dantes View to see the basin and learn about the geography of the area.
Most of Death Valley National Park felt like other parts of the California and Nevada desert. I’m not disappointed that we visited, but I also didn’t feel that we saw anything truly spectacular, leaving me to believe that we may have missed some key areas of the park or perhaps that the magic happens when you visit during the cooler months and can get outside.
We stopped at the Furnace Creek Visitors Center, which had some nice displays, adorable stuffed animals, and most important, clean toilets. The toilets were outside and did not have air-conditioning. They were sweltering. I had a difficult time even touching the door handle.
We stocked up on Death Valley branded water. It is absolutely vital that you come to Death Valley with water in your vehicle. It can be dangerous if you don’t come prepared and every single park ranger asked us about water and suggested that we not attempt hiking.
At the general store we bought enormous milk shakes to fortify ourselves until lunch.
Our final stop was Padre Crowley Point. This is a scenic overlook of a canyon where fighter jets often practice and apparently Star Wars was filmed. I’m not a big enough fan to recognize anything from Star Wars, but it was a beautiful view.
Death Valley National Park is worth the visit if you have never been. I think it would be a unique experience for visitors who don’t live in the desert, however, Joshua Tree National Park is only a few hours south and it is a far more interesting. Death Valley has all of the other parks beat for sheer audacity of extreme weather conditions, but it is lacking in the “wow” factor that many other National Parks offer. That said, I appreciate the National Park service and think that the parks are the treasurers that should be supported.