Death Valley National Park
The largest National Park in the lower 48 states? Or Tatooine in a galaxy far, far away? Both.
*Visited in September 2020
What are the spots I need to hit? A quick note before diving in: I spent my time in Death Valley in the month of September when California was experiencing record high temperatures so we were advised by Park rangers to not hike between the hours of 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and to hydrate like crazy. So each spot we stopped at or hung around wasn’t for too long as we adhered to the cautions! Not to be understated: Death Valley is massive. For the one day that was spent there, I opted for the lower half of the Park which has these spots: Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Zabriskie Point, Artists Drive through Artist’s Palette, and Badwater Basin. Star Wars: A New Hope filmed at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes so if you want to feel like you’re in a sci-fi on another planet, this is the place. Zabriskie Point was my favorite spot — it was the kind of quiet you don’t really come across often. It was peaceful and the vista views were unmatched. Artists Drive is a one lane, windy road that if you stuck your hand out of the window, you’d be touching rocks. Once you get to Artist’s Palette, you can go in deeper through the Mars-like terrain on foot. Badwater Basin, the hottest, driest, lowest place in the U.S., is vast with no set trails or walking paths so you’re free to roam!
Should I stay in the Park? Our road trip through California had us on a schedule so our accommodations were an AirBnB about an hour outside of Death Valley. The town where we stayed is called Ridgecrest and it’s the last town you’ll hit heading into the Park. It had a selection of grocery stores, gas stations, etc. so it’s a good place to restock on snacks & gas before hitting DV. If you’re wanting to camp within the bounds of the Park, there are 9 different campsites that are offered. The NPS website specifies features for each campground so you can decided what will fit your needs! There are also other lodging options if you’re wanting to stay in the Park.
