Death Valley: Land of the hot, dry, and low people.
Er, I mean landscapes. But technically the people who visit are hot, dry, and low!
Because it’s the hottest place in the world, driest place in the US, and lowest (sea level wise) place in North America… get it? Did I overexplain? I think that’s my specialty. Laugh with me.
Maybe?
Death Valley National Park is a desert land that is (in my opinion) undervalued. I grew up five hours from it, left California, visited multiple times, and still had to live there again for six months before I visited Death Valley. AND I only visited as I was leaving the state.
My mom lived in California longer than me – nearly 30 years! She wasn’t even interested in seeing Death Valley because it had been misrepresented to her. She thought it was just a bunch of flat, hot, boring desert. I mean, to an extent it is a bunch of hot desert… but there’s more to it than that. It’s also definitely not flat! She went along to make me happy because she knew I wanted to see it. Another weird thing is, I don’t even know why I wanted to see it. I had the same thoughts and views as she did – but in my head, it was a national park, so there had to be something there. And I was right! But honestly? I think she ended up enjoying it more than me.
Because of her general disinterest and my desire to please everyone involved, we only spent one day in Death Valley. And that one day ended up starting really freaking late thanks to an issue we had with my grandfather’s Mercedes. There’s a reason I’m mentioning his fancy car here. Stay tuned for details.
Without a doubt, we made the most of it and had a great time. And you definitely can enjoy much of what Death Valley has to offer in one day, as many people profess. But really, we would’ve liked at least one more day to explore the park we didn’t get to see. It is incredible the sheer differences and number of landscapes that occur in Death Valley. Even in one day, you are sure to see at least five. So, if a person who was mostly curious about a National Park named Death Valley (me, just to be clear) and a person who wasn’t interested in seeing Death Valley at all wanted to stay (Mom), maybe consider stretching your vacation in Death Valley a little longer.
With that said, I’m here to share what you can do in Death Valley in one day if you only have a day! Even if you have longer, I’ve provided some insider information and tips that will be useful no matter how long you visit for. Why should you use this itinerary instead of the others that follow a similar path? I’m not unaware, I know most people who visit Death Valley in one day see very similar sights, partially due to the geography. Granted, I didn’t realize quite how many people. But anyway. You should use this plan because I provide laughs and reality that I rarely see in other sites. I tell you how we messed up, didn’t see exactly what we wanted, and my true impressions of a place. I don’t paint our one day as perfect or idyllic, and I even give you alternatives and extra options if you have more time to visit or don’t want to make a stop where I did. Also, I really think my pictures are the best 😉
Note: We came in from Ridgecrest, so this itinerary can be followed top to bottom if you start from the west side of the park. I’ll have a full post for Everything You Need to Visit Death Valley soon where I’ll have full instructions, but for now if you use State Route 14 or U.S. Route 395, you can join State Route 178 that heads east into the park. Also, I really don’t like “getting here” directions, which you can read about in my Barcelona itinerary, but I’m still providing them. You’re welcome 😉 If you come in from the east, you can go from the bottom up, but you won’t get the sunset at Zabriskie Point.
#1 Driving to the Main Attractions
8:00am: We stayed in Ridgecrest at the OYO Hotel South China Lake (not the OYO Europa), which wasn’t terrible, but I also wouldn’t recommend to most people. I honestly didn’t mind it because I slept decently; however, it was cold, and the outside was off-putting/falling apart. The air conditioner was also kind of gross looking… but it was one night so *shrug*.
Anyway, we got up, got ready, and were all ready to make the nearly two-hour scenic drive to our first stop, Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Then. Then. Then. The freaking car broke. Okay, not exactly, but we got a message from the car’s system that it was low on radiator fluid. It hadn’t said anything before, but we couldn’t risk the car overheating going into Death Valley. I mean, Death Valley. Remember how it’s the hottest and driest place on earth/in the United States? Yeah, we had to postpone our day to get radiator fluid and not overheat the car. After driving to multiple stores and just being annoyed at the timing, we finally got started on our one day in Death Valley. All this background and non-sense to say, don’t worry if your trip isn’t perfect, no matter where you are or where you are going. We still got to see almost everything we wanted to. The only things we didn’t get to see were things that we likely couldn’t have seen anyway because they are farther away from the “more main” stops.
#2 Searles Valley/Stops on the Drive
Searles Valley Sign 
A working factory in the middle of the desert.
By 12:30pm you can make it to Searles Valley area even with a slow morning, which is just part of the wonderful scenery. We stopped multiple time for photos, and I even ran and played with some white stuff that was on the side of the road (spoiler: it was salt!!), which I don’t recommend. The area I was in didn’t have signs about it, but I later learned you aren’t supposed to touch that stuff. My bad. But I wanted to be transparent.
You’ll also pass Panamint Dunes on the left after you’ve turned onto Highway 190. They are far off in the distance, and if you have more time you can drive five miles down an unmarked road, then hike off-trail three more miles. Needless to say, we settled for far-off views.
Pro Tip: Fill up your gas take before heading in. There are a few gas stations on the way (I say a few, but I only remember one), but they are far between and expensive.
Pro Tip #2: Either go into the park with a paper map or pick one up at an early stop. Don’t rely on phone GPS systems or online maps, because service is spotty.
#3 Mosaic Canyon Trail
2:30pm: After driving, stopping, and generally enjoying the scenery on the drive, we arrived at Stovepipe Wells, which is really just a way station with a small store and hotel. The real attraction of this stop is the Mosaic Canyon Trail. Mosaic Canyon Trail features smooth Noonday Dolomite (a famous rock type in this area), mosaic breccia (the canyon’s), narrow passages, and more! Altogether, this isn’t an easy hike because of the narrow areas, scrambles, climbs, and unclear directions. However, it’s also not difficult, so it’s somewhere in the range of moderate. It can take anywhere from 2-3 hours to go four miles. Unless! Unless you are a person traveling with someone who just had surgery and are running late to see everything on their list. Yeah, I’m talking about me.
If you get started earlier, you can definitely do this full hike, but we only went about one mile in before turning around. We got to see all the “big parts.” By that I mean we had the opportunity to squeeze through the narrows, climb a few rocks (and slide down some!), and wander aound the large opening that follows the narrows. Even though we only did part of the hike, I still think it’s worth a stop. The smooth narrow rocks, scrambling, and sliding were a lot of fun, and it was “easy enough” that my mom wasn’t in too much pain after. Was it the best idea? No, but she did ok!
Another note about the Mosaic Canyon Trail – its road isn’t as smooth and easy to drive down as you think! If you have a car low to the ground (read: my grandfather’s Mercedes…), I highly recommend renting a different car or choosing a different car for your trip. We didn’t realize how “off-road” the roads in some areas of Death Valley would be, and we had to skip some areas after we experienced this first road because we were afraid the car would get hurt. So, learn from me. Take a better car!
Annnddd another note – you’ll pass an area where you should stop and self-pay the fee ($30 for 7 days, with no one day option) for Death Valley National Park (Stovepipe Wells Ranger Station). We didn’t have to pay as I have the America the Beautiful pass, but please do stop because there is no manned station like some National Parks. If you don’t stop here, there are plenty of other places throughout the park to pay, which I’ll cover in another post. Paying these fees is important and helpful so we can all continue to enjoy our National Park system.
#4 Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
3:30pm The sand dunes are only a five-minute drive from Stovepipe Wells – yay for time management on a one-day trip to Death Valley National Park! Not that I designed that… I don’t control nature. Moving on.
The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are also the most well-known and easily reached dunes in the park (did you know there are five different dune areas? I didn’t). Not only are they easily accessible, walkable, and cover a vast area, you can also sand board on them. I didn’t know that either! The highest dune rises about 100 feet, and they are a fun stop, but we didn’t take much time here before moving on. Budget for anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes, unless you have personal plans for this location.
#5 Harmony Borax/Furnace Creek
I’m not putting a time estimate to arrive here because in actuality, we didn’t have time to stop at either of these locations. If you get a head start like we were supposed to, by all means stop.
Harmony Borax Works was the central feature in Death Valley after borax was found in the area. The owner William T. Coleman built the plant in 1881 and put it to use beginning around 1883. After just five years, the empire collapsed (he had many people working for him) and the site was never used again. In 1974, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, which makes it an educational stop. Additionally, there is a short trail around the site, but it isn’t much of a true hike.
Furnace Creek
Furnace Creek is a little “oasis” in the middle of the desert (there is no actual oasis). There’s a hotel, visitor center, and Timbisha Shoshone village right next to it. It’s a good stop to see a visitor center and get food – if you do get food, try and make it at the village. The village is there true tribal land, not a reservation, and because they live in the middle of the National Park their commercial opportunity isn’t high. A great way to support them is through their Timbisha Tacos, which should be able to be made vegan without the cheese (they have a default vegetarian option).
The visitor center is also a great place to stop and get a stamp for a passport or a map if you don’t have one yet (there should’ve been one at Mesquite Flats, Stovepipe Wells, or a bathroom stop prior, though).
#6 Devil’s Golf Course
Another stop we couldn’t make, but this time because of our car. We learned our lesson with Mosaic Canyon Trail that the Mercedes wouldn’t do well on a dirt/gravel road, despite how smooth it appeared. We stopped to read the sign, but decided we needed the car in good shape more than we needed to see a cool landscape. So, if you go (or went), let me know how you like(d) it!
#7 Badwater Basin
4:15pm: You’ve made it. The lowest point in North America. If you head here with no stops straight from Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes, it’s about a 50-minute drive. From Furnace Creek, it’s about 25 minutes. While we didn’t stop at Furnace Creek, we did stop at some pull out along the way for photographs (and at the Devil’s Golf Course driveway to hope we could do it…). We also almost didn’t make it to the actual Basin because the GPS told us to stop nearly 2 miles prior to the actual parking area. Just another reason to use more than one device for directions! We had fun looking at that area, but again, I don’t think we were supposed to be there.
Anyway, once you do make it to the parking lot and basin, you’ll get to see the lowest point sign, some pools, piles of salt, hopefully some animals and plants (yes, there are species that survive here – like the Badwater snail and pickleweed!), and people milling about. Something I find interesting and of note – you won’t necessarily actually be standing at the lowest point in North America. The lowest point (not by much, though) is several miles to the west and continually moves depending on water levels. I promise it doesn’t detract from how cool the salt, pools, and creatures are. The people… maybe, but what else do you expect. We actually spent a while here (close to 30 minutes) because I walked quite a ways down the path, but if you don’t plan to do that your visit can be as little as 15 minutes.
#8 Artist’s Drive and Artist’s Palette
Artist’s Drive 
Artist’s Palette walk. The actual formation has green and is really cool, but I liked this view.
5:00pm: The Artist’s Palette is an area/stop on the 9-mile Artist’s Drive, which is named because of the beautiful colors and formations along it. The drive is one way and passes many gorgeous scenes. I stuck my head out the window often even when stopping wasn’t possible to try and get pictures. I wanted to be there in afternoon light, but we were there a little later and it still didn’t disappoint. It’s at least a 30-minute drive, plus however long you decide to stop at pullouts and at the Palette. We spent about 15 minutes at the Palette, simply because Mom was in great pain and couldn’t walk up the path. I did a speed climb and view, so if you want more leisure plan for more time.
P. S. Star Wars: A New Hope was filmed near the parking area of Artist’s Palette, so fans might have some fun looking around 😊
#9 Zabriskie Point
The right view from Zabriskie Point. 
The left view from Zabriskie Point.
6:00pm Admittedly, Zabriskie Point is the stop for a sunrise and Dante’s View is the best for sunset. I wanted to make it to Dante’s Point (it’s 50 minutes from Artist’s Drive instead of 15 like Zabriskie Point), but because of our late start I decided to stay at Zabriskie Point for sunset and forgo Dante’s View. With that said, if you have the time, visit both and end at Dante’s View!
The parking area for Zabriskie Point is a small walk down from the true viewing platform, but it’s wheelchair friendly and not too huge. From this view, you’ll see tons of gullies, valleys, and peaks. Additionally, people will probably climb down to a lower vista for different views, but it didn’t feel safe enough for me. Other than the cool and unique view, Zabriskie Point doesn’t have much of a history! It was built as a waystop for visitors on their way to other parks of Death Valley and remains a popular stop now!
Food?
If you don’t bring your own food (which I highly recommend as food inside Death Valley National Park is expensive and far between), please choose the Timbisha Tacos. They aren’t like what you are probably picturing – instead of a Mexican corn or flour tortilla, the Timbisha use fry bread. I can’t confirm they aren’t made with butter as they are only labeled vegetarian, so let me know if you know.
If you aren’t near that area or don’t want to try the tacos, most of the other restaurants (the hotel dining typically) have salads that can be ordered without cheese, fries, and sometimes pizza that may be vegetarian or made vegan without cheese. I’d personally prefer to save my money and eat a nice meal in Las Vegas, Las Angeles, or wherever your next stop is!
Have you been to Death Valley National Park? If you have, what was your favorite part? If you haven’t, what are you most interested in? Let me know in the comments!
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Wowza what a day! I can’t believe you managed to fit so much into a single day, despite the posh car troubles!
Was this in the summertime? Everything looks so incredibly hot…I think I might prefer to visit in winter, so I can see the cool rock formations and salt without melting! But the whole area is just beautiful.
I was surprised too! I didn’t realize how much we did until I typed this post up. I didn’t feel rushed at all.
It was February, so it was winter! We were actually wearing jackets earlier in the day (prior to the salt flats) because it was a bit chilly. If/when you visit, definitely don’t go in the summer. Temperatures get excruciatingly, well, hot. I loved going in the winter, but spring and fall would be amazing too!