This day tour to Death Valley was something that I was very much looking forward to on my trip to Vegas! Nevertheless, I almost changed my mind about going after a friend queried, ‘why would you want to go there, it’s in the middle of nowhere, and it’s far too hot!?’. However, they had rented a car and aimlessly drove out to Death Valley with no plan. Thus, they had not made it to the most spectacular scenery in Death Valley. Also, they visited in the middle of the summer when the heat is at its most extreme!
Undoubtedly, if you intend to drive to Death Valley, a bit of research and planning is needed. For me, coming from Ireland (where I am surrounded by greenery and small mountains), the landscape of Death Valley was completely different! Therefore, I found it quite a sight to behold! If you are familiar with a vast desert environment, you will likely not be as impressed as I was. The vastness, colors, and landscape found in the desert was something that I had never experienced before, especially on such a large scale!
The following sections are included in this post (click to navigate directly to the section):
- About the Day Tour
- Overview of Death Valley
- 1. Dante’s View
- 2. Zabriskie Point
- 3. Lunch Spot in Death Valley
- 4. Devils Golf Course
- 5. Badwater Basin
- 6. Devils Cornfield
- 7. Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
- 8. Area 51
Day Tours to Death Valley From Vegas
I discovered Death Valley through a picture of the beautiful and colorful landscape at ‘Artists Palette’. Thus, it was due to this image I investigated and decided to book a day trip here. However, one huge disappointment was that the tour I took (Vegas Desert Tours – these appear to have stopped running during COVID) did not stop/pass by Artists Palette. I think this is quite misleading because the main image on their website included it! Hence, I believe it should not be featured as their main picture if not included as part of the tour. ?
Also, we did not stop at Ubehebe Crater or Scotty’s Castle. These are two more locations listed on their website. After the tour, I read that Scotty’s Castle was closed at the time. Therefore, this was understandable. However, it would have been nice to have known this before booking and paying for the tour. Similarly, I found that many tours to Death Valley will list a large number of locations on their itinerary but are careful to state that not all stops may happen on the day. Thus, this is something to note!
A Long Day!
The tour was long. It included so many stop-off points that people seemed exhausted by the end of the day. Nevertheless, you got your money’s worth for a day with the tour guide! Indeed, it was a fantastic day, just tiring. The tour guide remained enthusiastic and eager throughout the day.
I would advise you to bring some snacks with you on the day. There was quite a large lunch included with the tour. However, we had this early in the day. Thus, by the end of the day, everyone appeared hungry. Also, there were not too many places to buy more food throughout the day.
Our guide was fantastic and flexible with pulling the bus in and stopping whenever he spotted something interesting. For example, desert flowers, animals, etc. The tour was expensive. I paid $214.90! However, I was late booking. There was a cheaper tour I was hoping to book. Unfortunately, it was booked out for the dates I was due to visit. ?
Overview of Death Valley
Though it’s very close to Vegas, Death Valley is in California (the northern Mojave Desert). It borders the Great Basin Desert. Death Valley is one of the hottest places in the world. It is along with deserts in the Middle East.
The World Meteorological Organization states that the highest registered air temperature on Earth was 56.7 °C (134.1 °F) in Furnace Creek Ranch (Death Valley) on July 10, 1913. However, this has been disputed as factual (due to errors found in the reading). Even if this reading is omitted as false, it still comes in the joint-second place as the highest recorded air temperature at 54.0 °C (129.2 °F). This reading occurred on June 20, 2013, joint with Mitribah, Kuwait on July 21, 2016. Saying this, when I visited in April, it was not unbearably hot. Mid-summer is when the heat is at its peak, tours don’t even run during mid-summer months.
Diversity of Life & Nature in Death Valley
Even though it’s named Death Valley, parts of the Valley contain a great diversity of life and nature. The extremeness of the environment makes for a fantastic location to visit. From seeing the snow peaks during winter, a multitude of wildflowers blooming in autumn, to the beautiful sunset colors on the mountains during summer months. Those interested in Geology and Ecology would love this graben environment tour! It includes salt pans, salt flats, and loads of interesting and colorful rock formations along the cliffs. The salt flats of Devils Golf course are fascinating. Surprisingly, there are numerous wildflowers in the desert too.
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the ecology of the land. He stopped at times when he spotted interesting and colorful wildflowers. We even saw some wild burros roaming around. Although we didn’t visit Salt Creek, it’s interesting to note its ecology (for example, its put fish and pickleweed). Salt Creek is a mile-long shallow depression.
We stopped off at the following locations:
1. DANTE’S VIEW
Located about 25 km south of Furnace Creek, you will find Dante’s View. It is near the edge of the Black Mountains. You can take a short path from the car park and up to the mountain edge. Here, you will discover a great view of the surrounding mountains overlooking Badwater Basin. It is worth a couple of minute’s walk from the car park and along the trek over the valley. Here is said to have the best overall views of the southern half of the national park. This location is featured in Star Wars!
Considered one of the most spectacular views in Death Valley is Dante’s view. It offers a stunning view of how vast and lacking growth this area is. However, I preferred Zabriskie Point. I found it more colorful and photogenic. Nonetheless, at Dante’s you will enjoy a view of the valley, Badwater Basin, and even Devils Golf Course in the distance. It’s possible to hike further on to gain more scenery. The viewpoint is 5,476 feet in height. As mentioned, it is looking down onto Badwater Basin (which is over 200 feet below sea level). On a clear day, you can see both the highest (Mt Whitney) and lowest (Badwater) points in the contiguous 48 states of the USA!
2. ZABRISKIE POINT
Here and Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes were my favorite locations! Zabriskie Point is currently the number two thing to do in Death Valley on TripAdvisor (after Badwater). The erosion in the landscape creates mesmerizing repetitive colorful folds and wave-like patterns on the surrounding mountain area. It is magnificent to see in reality! The rapid erosion of the mudstone environment is attributed to the rapid and rare rainfall that falls in the area. Zabriskie’s viewing point allows you to see a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. It is not even justified in pictures! This landscape is due to the sediments of Furnace Creek Lake, which dried up 5 million years ago.
Views from here include Manly Beacon, with its yellow and orange colored badlands, and Red Cathedral. I would love to return here at sunrise or sunset to enjoy the spectacular colors as daylight hits the mountains. I have read that it can be a busy spot at sunset. Therefore, if you wish to set up your camera for some fantastic shots, arrive early! I’m sure you can catch beautiful images of the colors hitting the mountains. From the parking lot, it’s a couple of minutes walk up (circa 5 minutes) to the viewing point. This walk was fine for me but perhaps, during the strong summer heat, it may be a bit strenuous for some older people! The colors are various gold shades such as yellow, orange, burnt brown, and apricot. If the weather permits, you could hike Golden Canyon from here.
3. DEATH VALLEY LUNCH SPOT
As expected, there are not many hotels in Death Valley! We stopped off at The Ranch at Death Valley. The ranch is listed as a best seller on Tripadvisor. Here, we sat outside with our packed lunch and enjoyed the views. I’ve read reviews that it can be costly to dine here. Unfortunately, this makes sense seeing as there is a lack of competition for dining and accommodation in the area!
4. DEVILS GOLF COURSE
Most definitely not for playing golf on! Devils Golf Course is composed of natural salt pans. These were rocks, thus they formed a hard, rough texture that was difficult to walk across. The name originated from a National Park Service guide book (1934) which includes the quote “Only the devil could play golf” of the area.
Lake Manly was previously here. Consequently, Halite salt crystals formed from dissolved minerals after the lake evaporated. The Devils Golf Course is found in Badwater Basin and sits slightly higher than the lowest point at Badwater. In the early 1900s, before Devils Golf Course became protected by the National Park Services, the Pacific Borax Company performed some exploratory work drilling holes into it. Subsequently, they found that the mineral deposits extend up to 1000 feet below ground! Watch the below video clip for a 360° view of the area.
Due to its location, this environment allows the salt pan to remain dry and for the weather to wear the mineral deposits into rugged shapes and formations. You can access the area by car (just off Badwater road, not too far from Furnace Creek) and walk across the formations.
5. BADWATER BASIN
After enjoying the view down onto Badwater Basin (from Dante’s View) earlier in the day, we eventually made it here too. Badwater Basin is a popular point as it is the lowest elevation in North America. It is 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. The lack of nature/vegetation here was astonishing! There is a spring located here. However, it is likely to be dried up during the mid-summer heat. The salts surrounding the spring in the basin make the water undrinkable. Aka ‘bad water’! There are plant and animal life found in the pool. For example, pickleweed, aquatic insects, and the Badwater snail.
In Contrast to my usual Irish Environment!
For someone like me, who is familiar with an environment of greenery and mountains, the view out across Badwater Basin was extraordinary. It appeared out of worldly! The vastness and desolation of the space lying ahead of me was something to behold! The area is solely covered in salt flats and lacks vegetation. It looked like how I imagined standing on the moon would be! I walked for so long that I had to turn back to catch the bus. The flatness and salt continue for about 5 miles. It is interesting to note that, during periods of significant rainfall, the valley bottom becomes flooded. Water will thus cover the salt pans. However, the lake does not last long due to the 150-inch annual evaporation rate.
From the parking lot, you can see a sea-level sign (marked at 280 feet). It is on an adjacent mountain. Thus, this puts perspective on just how low down you are. Once you leave the car park and walk down to the basin, it looks like a field of snow lying in front of you! This is due to the salt from the evaporated water. The high level of salt means that not much life can survive here. Similar to Devils Golf Course, these salt pans are rough and tricky to walk on. However, the walkway in the middle is clear of salt. The large concentration of salt and the flat vastness of the bottom of the valley is a unique viewing point. Visiting around mid-summer months can mean the heat gets very high. Therefore, bring plenty of water and try to visit early morning before the high heat.
6. DEVILS CORNFIELD
Probably my least favorite spot. However, I’d still give it a quick mention! We only stopped here for about 10 minutes. I think this is all you likely need at this location. Notably, it looks similar to a harvest field of corn. However, it is not studded with corn. It is composed of lumps of arrow weed. The weed was traditionally used for making arrows, medicinally by Native Americans, and as a food source.
7. MESQUITE FLAT SAND DUNES
I found this area so photogenic! Interestingly, less than one percent of the desert of Death Valley is covered with dunes. Thus, these are a rarity throughout your desert trip. Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes has three types of dunes. That of crescent, linear, and star-shaped. Also, Mesquite does not have Death Valley’s tallest dunes. These are at Eureka Dunes. However, Mesquite dunes are the most accessible. The highest dune located here is circa 100 feet.
These dunes featured in several films due to their proximity to Hollywood. For example, in the Star Wars series. We only had a quick stop off here. However, you don’t need too much time here. I walked about 5 minutes onto the field. Nevertheless, you can hike much further across the dunes. If doing this, it is important to pack plenty of water! I liked the beautiful colors and dune ripples stretching out in front of me. Indeed, there is a sense of sereneness here. Due to Death Valley National Park being protected as wilderness, off-road vehicle travel is not permitted on the dunes.
8. AREA 51
On our way back, we made a quick pit stop by Area 51 at ‘Area 51 Alien Center’. This is mainly a cheesy souvenir shop with many alien memorabilia. We saw a brothel right next door called Alien Cathouse Brothel! ? More interesting for me was our drive just before this pit stop. Here, we got to see some air force flying around the Area 51 base. It is said to be a training base (believe this if you will!).
You can even tell by my lack of photos for this section how tired I was!! I just wanted food at this stage! It states online that Area 51 Alien Center serves hot food. However, we only had a few minutes. Thus, l just grabbed some large bags of crisps/bars to keep me going – I didn’t even see any hot food for sale. Perhaps they had finished serving when we reached here.
Indeed, I’m hoping to go to Death Valley again next time I’m in Vegas! Therefore, if you have any tips for some different locations to stop at next time, please let me know! ?
Have you been to Death Valley? Anywhere else you would include for this post? Thanks for reading!
Anita
xx
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