Disclosure: Parks and Planes is an informative resource for readers. Due to unforeseen conditions like National Park closures, policies, construction and other natural changes to the park and its trail, Parks and Planes, LLC does not assume liability for the accuracy of posts, trail conditions and directions. Parks and Planes strives to accurately describe and document details as experienced during the date and time of the visit. Please travel safely when following this itinerary and visiting recommended sites and places mentioned in this blog post. Nothing in this post is AI generated. All photos are our own.
California, the Golden State is home to some of the best and most geographically diverse national parks. I had the chance escape to one such park this winter: Death Valley National Park, the second largest national park in the U.S. AND an International Dark Sky Park.
Located just east of the Sierra Nevada mountains on the California-Nevada border in Inyo County, California, Death Valley is a land of deep beauty and constant contrasts. 95% of this national park is considered wilderness and it’s here that the hottest temperature on earth – EVER — was recorded: 134 degrees Fahrenheit (57 degrees Celsius) recorded at Furnace Creek on July 10, 1913.
I visited the park for one full day with my Dad during the off-season (February).
Continuing reading for the day-trip itinerary we followed to see some of the most iconic and well-photographed parts of the park. My Dad is in his 70’s so this 1-day itinerary is perfect for all ages and those who may not be able to hike long distances.
You can find a map at the end of this post showing where we started, each stop we made in order and how we exited the park on our way back to Las Vegas.
Your Day Trip Itinerary to Death Valley
To say we left this national park and its visual spectacle of otherworldly landscapes speechless and awe-struck would be an understatement. We became obsessed the second we made our first official stop at the Welcome to Death Valley National Park road sign for an obligatory, “we were here” photo.
1. Zabriskie Point
From here, we continued to Zabriskie Point, one of the best overlook spots in the park. Right before you arrive at this stop, please remember to stop at a kiosk to pay the $30 park fee. The kiosks are small and easy to miss. You can also pay the $30 park fee at the Furnace Center Visitor Center which is located further into the park.
Zabriskie Point has a small, paved parking lot in front and the hike is somewhat steep but short and well-worth it. At the top, where the path ends, you’ll gaze over a forbidding topography riddled with rouge, hypnotic sand and rust colored badlands that stretch as far as the eye can see. Immediately we felt transported to another universe. This was our first full view of this mysterious and unpredictable place and the prospect of what else awaited us as we continued our journey left us both feeling giddy with anticipation.
2. Furnace Creek Visitor Center
Before exploring any further, I highly recommend you stop at the visitor center. It’s worth stopping at before heading north or south for several reasons. Here, you can pick up a paper map of the full park which is available to all who show proof that they paid the $30 park fee. We both lost cell service the minute we entered the park, and we likely wouldn’t have been able to get out of the park without this handy dandy, paper guide. Also, the center has clean bathroom facilities and souvenirs for sale too. Plus, there’s a fantastic display/educational center where you can learn more about the park’s history and defining features including a full display on the Death Valley pupfish – a small type of fish that is only found in Salt Creek which flows through the valley (the creek is said to be as salty as the ocean). You can also ask about Ranger Led Programs which are offered on-site at different times each day.
All in all, the information we soaked in here allowed us to better understand and appreciate the sights when we visited IRL. A final reason why you’ll want to make this stop early in the day is so you can learn what parts of the park are open vs. closed. Anything north of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center was completely closed when we visited. I’m so glad we stopped here instead of trying to drive straight to Ubehebe Crater in the north – we would have wasted time trying to access closed roads and sights.
We spent about 30 minutes at the visitor center before we headed to our next stop armed with lots of NP knowledge and full water bottles.
Did you know? The name Death Valley came about after a group of men in 1849 tried to cut across the wilderness as a shortcut during the gold rush. The men got lost and were never found. The name stuck.
3. Golden Canyon Trail
After checking out the visitor center, we decided to lace up our sturdy gym shoes and hit the trail!
The Golden Canyon Trail is one the most popular short trails in the park and for good reason – it’s a relatively flat, well-defined, and easy trail to hike and offers up some dizzying views. The moment you arrive at the trailhead, located off the parking lot (very easy to find) you’ll find yourself engulfed in a golden-hued canyon, surrounded by colors that look like flashes of yellow electricity. For any well-versed Star Wars fans out there, you might recognize this place as Tatooine aka Luke Skywalker’s home! Learn more about Star Wars filming location at the park, here.
About a fourth of a mile into the Golden Canyon Trail, you’ll come to a steep step/rocky terrain. In other words, a 3-foot rock scramble. If you can get over that you’ll be able to continue for a nice, leisurely walk for about another mile before arriving at the junction to the Red Cathedral. The more adventurous hikers can continue, but this is where we turned around.
My Dad did struggle at the rock scramble. There wasn’t anything for him to grab on to or steady himself with as he tried to step and climb over the rocks. He did manage to successfully pass this part, but it was difficult and did make me nervous especially on the descent. If you plan to hike this trail and you or your hiking mate(s) might not be the steadiest on their feet on unpaved terrain, I recommend traveling with a pair of lightweight, packable/folding trekking poles.
I’m very glad we decided to hike this trail because it allowed us to get into the park and lost among the canyons. We encountered other hikers on the trails, but it was by no means crowded. We found ourselves taking many moments to appreciate the natural beauty and the monotony of this strange place. We even spent some time searching the canyon walls for fossils but came up empty-handed. Better luck next time!
4. Artist’s Palette and Artist’s Drive
Close to the Golden Canyon Trail, you’ll find Artist’s Drive which is a one-way, paved, 9-mile scenic drive with an overlook pull-over stop (aka the Artist’s Palette).
This is a very popular and well-photographed spot in Death Valley likely because it is one of the most colorful. Here you’ll weave in and out of an ominous stretch of badlands at the foot of the Black Mountains. The sight is spectacular, and the drive was my Dad’s favorite part of our visit. The rolling badlands appear in shades of orange, green, gold, pink, purple and red. We heard that the colors really pop depending on the time of day you visit. We drove through in the mid-afternoon and the colors weren’t as vibrant as we anticipated but still a sight to see.
About 4 miles or halfway into the drive you’ll arrive at the Artist’s Palette area. The overlook/pull over spot will be easy to find because you’ll see others hanging out taking photo after photo against this scenic backdrop. You can stop and take some pictures of your own or even hike a bit, but the beauty of the Artist’s Palette is you can see it from your car or even from the parking lot. No hiking required for this one.
A benefit of visiting in the winter is being able to enjoy the drive without feeling rushed by other cars piling up behind you or stuck by slower moving vehicles in front of you. We were able to leisurely drive and enjoy the views; slowing down and speeding up at the pace that felt right to us.
5. Devil’s Golf Course
As you exit Artist’s Drive, turn left to continue onwards. While driving on the main road, you’ll look out on stretches of unbelievable openness all the way to the mountain foothills. The land will be barren and littered with craggy lava rock fields. The landscape will appear to glisten with white and if you’re like us, you’ll find yourself thinking you’re looking at a mirage because why would snow be here, in Death Valley?! Just when you start to question your sanity in this strange place, you’ll come upon a solitary, dirt road before you with seemingly no end in sight. Take the entrance, turn right. You’re about to find yourself in a landscape like no other.
The dirt road is wide enough for two cars and it does end – at a cul-de-sac where cars can park around the edges. Once you’re standing on the fringes of the path and the field, your eyes will focus, and you’ll realize that that white stuff isn’t snow. Instead, you’re standing in a desert littered with silver rubble and ancient lava caked in SALT. It was an unbelievable sight. I had to step into the field, pinch the tiniest bit of salt and bring it to my mouth to confirm my suspicions. Such a surreal experience to be in one of the largest protected saltpans in North America!
You can walk in the field, but all the signage you find in this area will advise you to be very careful when doing so. The boulders are loose and one wrong step will leave you with a twisted ankle or much worse. When we were there, I was the only person out in the field and I only went a few yards in. I can’t get over how it felt to be standing among scattered boulders of dirt the color of espresso grounds with the texture of petrified lace and thinking “this all used to be covered by a lake.” The crystalized salt composites stretched out as far as the eye could see. I have never seen anything like it.
We spent about 20 minutes at the Devil’s Golf Course. Like the Artist’s Drive, we did not hike here. I recommend visiting this site before Badwater Basin so you can appreciate it to the fullest because up next is the absolute star of the park.
6. Badwater Basin
Hold on to your hats, we’re about to enter THE must-see point in the park. While we read a bit about Badwater and glossed over some of the information available about this site at the visitor center, nothing could have truly prepared us for this magical place in the middle of the desert.
The paved parking lot for this stop is the largest parking lot we came across in the park (besides the parking lot at the visitor center). It also happened to be the busiest when we stopped which was mid-afternoon around 3 p.m. However, being the off-season, we didn’t have issues finding a parking spot.
There are also vault toilets here.
Once you’re good and ready to explore the basin, take the ramp or stairs down and before you start exploring, I suggest you turn around to face the parking lot and look way, way up into the cliffs. You’ll likely have to squint to see it but once you do, you can’t unsee it. What are you searching for? A sign that reads “Sea Level”. It will be soaring way above your head and well above the basin, signaling to you just how far below sea level you currently are. In fact, while standing in Badwater Basin, you’re at the lowest place in North America – 282 feet below sea level, to be exact. Which means, not only are you in the hottest place on earth but you’re in the lowest point in North America AND the driest place on the continent too. How’s that for a triple crown?!
Once you wrap your head around the coolness of this place and where you’re standing, now comes the fun part. You can hike on the salt basin! It’s an unbelievable experience. These dazzling salt flats are a legacy of the place’s maritime origins and flanked to the east by the Amargosa Mountain Range and the Panamint Range to the west. If you walk far enough out, you’ll be able to see the well-photographed salt-based hexagonal structures/patterns. We did not walk out that far, and I wish we had at least tried – instead we made it out about 1 mile and turned around. While we weren’t the only visitors walking the salt flats, the place was incredibly quiet. It was as though everyone was stunned into silence by the amazement of the surrounding area.
Depending on how you enter the park, you could reverse the itinerary I’ve laid out and stop at Badwater Basin first. It would ensure you have ample time to explore and appreciate this spot but I personally think this one makes for an unbeatable grand finale.
7. Ashford Mills (Ghost Town)
When exiting Badwater Basin, turn right and be prepared for a scenic 12-mile(ish) drive to the next stop. Be sure to take in the landscape because even though this place seems straight-up hostile to all life forms you’ll start to see some small pockets of life amid unbelievable emptiness. The roadside will start to be accented by plants like salt grass, salt brush and pickle weed. There are even a few pools of water that will start to materialize too. Supposedly scorpions and mountain goats can be found in the park and while we didn’t see any animals in the park, I’d have to bet they’d be by the water.
While trucking down the road, before you buzz by Jubilee Point, make one final stop at Ashford Mills to check out the ruins of a very tiny mining town. Built in 1914, there isn’t much left to see here but it’s easy to get to and there is an informational plaque to help you visualize what once stood on this land. Plus there is a vault toilet here making it an excellent final pit stop before departing Death Valley.
Getting to Death Valley
Death Valley is easy to get to from Las Vegas (total drive time was about 2 hours, 12 minutes). We entered from the East Side from CA 190. Before hopping on CA 190, we passed the abandoned Amargosa Opera House near Death Valley Junction which we came to by way of State Line Road (in California)/Bell Vista Rd (in Nevada which we picked up in the Nevada town called Pahrump). We never passed a welcome to California sign delineating the CA-NV state line and shortly after Pahrump we lost signal on both of our cellphones (carrier: Verizon). We recommend you travel with a paper map of the U.S. or at least California and Nevada if you plan to road trip it to this NP.
A Few Tips on Visiting Death Valley
- The weather is cooler in the winter months making this a peak time to visit but, be sure to dress in layers
- Wear sunscreen and if you hike, bring water – especially in the summer
- Dogs/pets are not allowed on any of the trails
- I know I sound like a broken record, but please travel with paper maps or screenshots of directions – we both lost cell service the entire time we were in the National Park and if it wasn’t for the paper map we picked up at the Visitors Center we would have struggled to get out of the park before nightfall (the park is HUGE with many dirt road access points to get lost on!)
Other sites to see while at Death Valley National Park
- Depending on when you visit, you might want to check out jubilee pass which is known for spectacular wildflower views at certain times of the year
- At the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes you can sled down dunes!
- If you have time and it is OPEN – consider visiting Ubehebe Crater, the youngest and largest crater/volcanic features in the U.S. The Crater is said to be more than half of a mile wide and 770 feet deep. If you visit, please let me know what you thought!
- Hike at Harmony Borax Works – this is where you’ll find old mines set up to dig up borax
There have been a few places in my lifetime where I have stood, looking out and felt humbled beyond belief. Instant and absolute insignificance while standing before a place. That’s how I felt here, in Death Valley National Park – especially at the Devil’s Golf Course and Badwater Basin. The vast scale and stunning scenery that awaits you here at this record-breaking place defies explanation. You’ll have to see it to believe it.
Onward Mates!
Alyssa (and my Dad) aka just a couple of crazy cats in a cool canyon
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I loved Death Valley!
It’s such a unique park! How much time did you spend in DV? Did you do a lot of hiking?
Oh my wow, Alyssa! Like in another planet, Tatooine of Star Wars you said (my son went crazy when I showed him your pics, he’s a Star Wars fan). Such a meaningful and fun adventure with your dad. 🙂
I love that you shared the photos with your son! It truly is otherworldly out there and I’m very, very fortunate to have been able to visit with my Dad!
Thanks. Brings back nice memories of a great trip taken a few years back!
So glad to hear! We already can’t wait to return one day.
Thanks for sharing as it is a place I can’t imagine ever getting to.
You’re most welcome! Definitely a unique place but you have plenty of those out by you — many of which I do hope to make it to one day 🙂
Visited Death Valley many years ago…it was a most memorable and enjoyable trip!
So glad you had an opportunity to visit this national park. It is a true gem!
I don’t know if I will ever have the chance to visit it, and I really appreciated your interesting post
Thank you for that! I am so glad you found this post interesting and I do truly hope you may have the chance to visit one day.
You’re more than welcome 🙏🌹🙏