Tell me about Death Valley

[Nicoleinwi]

Mid January - mid March we'll be going to Vegas and want to take a side trip to Death Valley. Curious from people that have been and have hiked, how long do you recommend to visit there?

On other sites I have heard anywhere from 3 hours to a full week.

Wanted to give you a little background on how DH & I tour, if it is light our during that timeframe we are planning on going, we will be out hiking by 7am. When we went to Yellowstone in June we spent four full days in the park. We felt like we saw Yellowstone in-depth and we hiked a lot. So if anyone has done Yellowstone as well as Death Valley, knowing how long we spent in Yellowstone might help you in answering my question.

Thanks!

 

[bcla]

I've been to Death Valley a couple of times, but never more than an afternoon. Did it in June once to just cut through on the way home. You can imagine that hiking is not recommended. Every year they get Europeans (especially Germans and Swiss) who think they can do it and pretty much they get at least one death every year.

Last time we visited was around Thanksgiving as a side trip from Vegas. It's actually quite nice from November to about mid-April. I haven't really done any hiking there, but if it's close to February there can be some pretty spectacular wildflowers if there was enough rain during the winter.

And yes - these photos really are of Death Valley:

Definitely do the big spots like Badwater and Furnace Creek. If you have time there's Scotty's Castle. They should have daily tours.

http://www.nps.gov/deva/historyculture/scottys-castle.htm

 

[Nicoleinwi]

Wow those pictures are amazing! Thanks for sharing.

Oh and I wanted to clarify to my original post. I will be out west for a one week timeframe sometime between mid January through mid March. We haven't finalized schedules yet. That way someone didn't think I had 2 months to just vacation.

 

[bcla]

Wow those pictures are amazing! Thanks for sharing.

Oh and I wanted to clarify to my original post. I will be out west for a one week timeframe sometime between mid January through mid March. We haven't finalized schedules yet. That way someone didn't think I had 2 months to just vacation.

Just to clarify - I found those photos on the internet. I've never been to Death Valley during wildflower season. However, it's really remarkable that such flowers can grow in the most inhospitable climate in the world. You'd think it's only scrub brush and other desert plants. If there's enough rain in the winter (and rain is sporadic and not really related to whether or not California is in a drought) the seeds will soak up the moisture, bloom, and reproduce. Then the seeds stay dormant unless there's enough rain. The flowering plants obviously die out quickly when it gets hot, but they've left their legacy with their seeds.

When I visited in the summer, a park ranger said that winter is the most popular season there. You can actually do things that would kill most people in the summer. Just check the park website for recommended hikes, and find a visitor center for maps.

 

[hsmamato2]

we visited Yellowstone for 9 full days...I still want to go back because there is TOO much to see! I don't see how you can 'see it all' in just 4
Visited DV on another trip, we drove in, stopped at a couple of cool viewing spots,and stayed one night at Furnace Creek Ranch- LOVED IT! it was a great experience, it was late Sept- ds and I got up at sunrise to walk around and watch the sunrise, then we drove out,stopping a few times to see some views..we were on a tight schedule driving between Grand Canyon and Yosemite at the time, so that was all the time we had there- loved the salt flats-artists palette,etc. sorry I couldn't stay longer...(it was really cool,within one driving day we went from the lowest to view of the highest points in the US...)

 

[CPT Tripss]

We only spent two nights in Death Valley, not too rushed. There is a lot to see.

By comparison, we spent nine nights in Yellowstone.

 

[Mike Whitehead]

I could point you to a few spots but your rental car company wouldn't be to happy...

 

[GoBears 1980]

Death Valley is over 5,200 square miles. You can not see it in two nights.

Figure out what you want to see and go from there.

http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/index.htm

DISboards may not be as good a resource as TripAdvisor.