How we saw Death Valley National Park with kids
We did a 1-night stay in Death Valley National Park. I have to say this is one of my favorite National Parks. It’s so underrated and it far exceeded my expectations!
The drive from Vegas is easy, only 2.5 hours. We drove there in November, just ahead of Thanksgiving on a Tuesday. It was not crowded. The temperature was mild, in the low 70’s and upper 60’s.
What we did each day
Day 1 in Death Valley:
We drove to Death Valley National Park and arrived around noon. We ate lunch from our cooler on the drive. Then we stopped at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center and then headed straight out to Badwater Basin and then planned to work our way back stopping off at other points of attraction.
Badwater Basin is SO cool! 282 ft below sea level. I’m sure I’d change my tune if it were July, but in November this is quite possibly one of my favorite visited places on earth. You can walk out onto the salt flats. On that day the blue of the sky and the white of the salt was in the perfect juxtaposition.
My husband put his finger on the salt and tasted it just to be sure it was real. It was! People walked way out. It was extraordinary. We learned the Basin does fill with water at certain times of the year. It was a sight to behold. You must visit if you can. Also, you can look back towards the road area, which has a mountainous backdrop, and see the marking on the mountain where “sea level” actually is versus where you are standing in the Basin. It’s pretty cool to see it that way and a good point of perspective.
The next stop of our afternoon was Devil’s Golf Course. In hindsight, this was one of my most favorite moments of the trip. At the time, you think otherwise. You have to drive out on a gravel road, for about a mile, to what doesn’t look like much more than you’ve already seen, and then you walk out to what is other-worldly. Suddenly, you are feeling like you are no longer on this planet, but on some other one, transported in a moment. It was miraculous in my opinion. Apparently, only the “devil” could play golf on a surface like this. I get it after seeing it!
Up next on the drive, we stopped at the Natural Bridge. This spot is at the end of a very bumpy gravel road about 1.5-2 miles off the main road. Any car will do, but it’s super bumpy. The short hike to the natural bride was doable, but it is on a gravel type trail, so it was a slow hike. It was nice, but we didn’t explore beyond the bridge.
Pictured left was our spectacular view of the Basin descending down the trail from the Natural Bridge. It was incredible.
That night we stayed at the Ranch at Death Valley, which is inside the park, so huge plus. It was nice and worked just fine for what we needed. It is located near the Furnace Creek Visitor center, so it is very really centrally located. There are restaurants and shops in this same area. It’s nice to be able to walk to dinner and relax at the end of the day.
Before heading to dinner that night we waited until dark and drove over to Borax Works for some stargazing! It was only about a 5 mins drive away, so it was easily accessible. My pictures don’t do it justice, otherwise I’d share, but it was a great view of the night sky and Milkyway.
When we visited Great Basin National Park, I felt like we missed out on the opportunity to stargaze, so I wanted to be sure we got it in on this trip. It was well worth it for me and my husband, but especially for our kids. They enjoyed it and haven’t seen a night sky like that before.
Also, my kids love to check out any hotel pool or spa, so we did! They loved it! Apparently, it’s a spring fed pool that stays warm all year long. It has a great backdrop of the mountains in the background. I recommend it!
Day 2 in Death Valley:
We found breakfast from a combination of our cooler and the amenities on site at the Ranch and then ventured out to Zabriskie Point. This was definitely a site to see. Also, otherworldly looking. The backside of this point was one of the filming locations in Star Wars, and you can totally understand why when you see all of the topography.
Next up we went back to Borax Works, where we stargazed the previous night, just to see it in the day light. It was cool. While not pictured there was a processing area still preserved where they refined the Borax. There are various plaques documenting the history at this site. It was very interesting.
We then we went to the Sand Dunes near Stovepipe. This was a filming site for Star Wars. And how insane was it to see so much sand all of a sudden when driving. It appears like out of nowhere. A true area of intrigue.
After the Sand Dunes, we left the park and headed back towards Las Vegas. We went a different direction out of the park so we could see Rhyolite, a ghost town. Leaving this direction, you head towards Beatty, NV. Rhyolite was an interesting stop and definitely worth it if you have the time.
Recommendations and take aways:
1. Stay in the park if you are doing more than one day. It was a great experience, and you can easily access the night sky!
2. Must do’s are Badwater Basin, Devil’s Golf Course, Furnace Creek Visitor Center, Borax Works, and the Sand Dunes near Stovepipe.
3. Next time opportunities for us are: Scotty’s Castle, Ubehebe Crater, Telescope Peak, and the Charcoal Kilns. In that case we would look to stay in Stovepipe since it is closer to those sites.