Looking for must see/do places in DV

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smlobx

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So we're finally going to Death Valley, something I've wanted to do for several years.

My wife and I are going mid February for about a week and will be camping out of our rental SUV. I have been following the reports on the flood damage so I have a rough idea of what's going on.

Anyway, for those of you that have been there, perhaps several times, what should a first time visitor be sure to see/do? We love to hike and explore new areas so anything you could suggest would be appreciated.

Also, what kind of temps can we expect? We will probably be staying in the campgrounds most of the time but may wander of the beaten path if it looks interesting. We may stay at a lodge too!

Thanks!
 
Sounds very familar to me. I asked similar questions for our first trip to DVNP at end of Feb/early March 2015.
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/9992-first-trip-to-dvnp-questions/

Be sure to read the DVNP road conditions threads. They might alter suggestions I got but I got a lot of good recommendations. There is cell coverage in vicinity of Furnace Creek and at a rest area between there and Scotty's Castle area but not much elsewhere.

Gas is cheapest outside the park but the cheapest at Stovepipe Wells within the park. Distances are so great that we filled up every time we were close to Stovepipe Wells. The $1/gal difference adds up.

Best campgrounds for us were Mesquite Springs and Wild Rose. Even better were dispersed nights 2 miles or more from major roads.

Temps were high of 93 in Furnace Creek and low just below freezing at Wild Rose. Elevation is everything.

Paul
 
http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/weather.htm
The chart on the bottom of this page will give you a snapshot of the weather month-by-month in DV.

For someone who loves to hike and explore I will recommend a hike up Marble Canyon with its narrow passages, high rock walls, wide-open sections, and beautiful rock walls, even petroglyphs if you keep your eyes open.

gallery_5833_951_80079.jpg


The sandy road to Cottonwood and Marble Canyons heads south from Highway 190 at the western edge of the parking lot for the Stovepipe wells store. At about mile 8 the road drops off of the head of the alluvial fan into Cottonwood Wash. Another 2 miles or so up the wash is the easily-missed junction where the left road leads to Cottonwood Canyon and the right one leads to Marble Canyon. Look carefully for a small rusty metal sign that marks the junction where you will go right. The road soon enters the canyon and ends in another 2 to 2 1/2 miles. With a 4wd SUV you should be able to get to within at least 1/4 mile of the end of the road. (We did it in an old Toyota Corrola one year but roads in canyons and washes are subject to radical change from year to year!)

I agree with Paul that Mesquite Springs is one of the nicest campgrounds in the park, a little off the beaten track with spacious campsites and great views.

Wildrose and the two campgrounds up the road from it, Thorndike and Mahogany Flat will probably be quite cool at this time of year but Mahogany Flat, especially, is a very nice campground.

As Paul said dispersed camping in Death Valley is great! You can camp almost anywhere you want that is more than 2 miles from a "developed area" which usually means 2 miles from the paved road. One exception is the Cottonwood/Marble Canyon area where you must be beyond the drop into the wash before you can camp.

The big diorama of the park at the Visitor's Center at Furnace Creek is a great way to gain some understanding of the size and topography of the park.

The Explorer's Guide to Death Valley National Park by Bryan and Tucker-Bryan is a fine guide book for those who like to explore.

Have Fun! I'm envious.
 
Drive the Titus Canyon road! In spite of the rain, it was still open as of a week and a half ago.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Wander The West mobile app
 
Expect temps from moderately warm during the day to fairly cold at night. Fall Canyon is great, Marble Canyon is great and also has excellent primitive camping at the head of the wash with great views of the valley and Grapevine range. If you like screaming kids and RV generators then, by all means, stay at the campgrounds. But if you like quiet you should consider camping at the nice perch above the wash on the Cottonwood Canyon road out of Stovepipe Wells. From there a very bumpy road will take you into Cottonwood Canyon and the side canyon, Marble Canyon which has beautiful narrows, petroglyphs and sometimes big horn sheep. Also consider going to The Racetrack, you can camp there and spend the evening wondering what makes the rocks move. Be self supporting, carry lots of water, food and gas, have good tires! and have clothes for every thing from warm to pretty cold at night. It is a magical place with many surprises. You can camp anywhere that is at least 1 mile from pavement, with some posted exceptions, so spend some time with a map and remember that elevation is everything when it comes to overnight temps as you can find bivi spots that range from below sea level to several thousand feet above. It's also good to remember that it's a very big park so gas/water up whenever you can. People die here every year, but they don't need to.
 
Since the Furnace Creek gas is no longer Chevron, there is not much difference in price - currently $3.54 and $3.57 for regular. Remember Stovepipe only has regular. Mesquite Springs is currently being used as a staging site for recovery work at Scotty's and closed as a campground.

Update: For the winter break period, at least, Furnace Creek is back yo their old ways and around $0.90 a gallon more for unleaded regular than Stovepipe Wells.
Stovepipe - $3.44
Furnace Creek - $4.32
Panamint Springs - $5.49
 
Guys-

You're making my day!
I'm at the beach for a long weekend but longing for some desert time. I just read our comments to my wife and she is ready to go now!
It looks like I have a little research to do and need to be sure we carry enough water etc. to be able to stay away from those screaming kids (been there, done that!)

Keep the reccomendations coming!
Thanks again.
 
Easy to refill with potable water at Stovepipe Wells Campground and on the road into Texas Springs Campground.
 
ski3pin said:
Since the Furnace Creek gas is no longer Chevron, there is not much difference in price - currently $3.54 and $3.57 for regular. Remember Stovepipe only has regular. Mesquite Springs is currently being used as a staging site for recovery work at Scotty's and closed as a campground.
Click to expand...
It would appear that current local knowledge is key for planning, especially this year with all the rain. I'll bet the wildflowers will be magnificent this spring.

Paul
 
ski3pin said:
Since the Furnace Creek gas is no longer Chevron, there is not much difference in price - currently $3.54 and $3.57 for regular. Remember Stovepipe only has regular. Mesquite Springs is currently being used as a staging site for recovery work at Scotty's and closed as a campground.

Update: For the winter break period, at least, Furnace Creek is back yo their old ways and around $0.90 a gallon more for unleaded regular than Stovepipe Wells.
Stovepipe - $3.44
Furnace Creek - $4.32
Panamint Springs - $5.49
Click to expand...
An update that gas prices have increased at Furnace Creek to the usual 90 cents above Stovepipe Wells.
 
x2
We had a pinch flat on our last trip, which wasn't the first time.
You mentioned a rental SUV, so you might want to verify that A: off road is allowed, B: there's a real spare, not a doughnut.
 
I noticed no one has recommended Eureka Dunes. They are 600' high and a great hike right from camp. It's only a short drive off pavement from the Big Pine/DV Road, and can be linked to Ubehebe / Race Track / DV Road and/or North Pass to Saline Valley, which is a bigger commitment.

Camping at the dunes is spartan, but there are also dispersed camp spots available which give good access to approach the Last Chance Range.
 
The hike up Surprise Canyon to Panamint City is extremely cool. A lot of it is walking in water though so you'll want to bring some sandals and maybe neoprene socks if it's cold.
gallery_4974_957_800887.jpg


Cautionary note: be very wary of your gps. It can lead you down some very nasty "roads." Paper maps are necessary.
 
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