| On to Next Post» |
Death Valley is one of the most famous national parks in the United States. It is known for having the lowest point in North America (Badwater at 282 feet (86 meters) below sea level, as well as being remote and harsh. While this is the case, there is also great beauty with sand dunes, springs, canyons and mountains as high as 11,000 feet (about 3,300 meters). A national monument for many years, it became a full-fledged national park in 1994. Today it covers over 3,000,000 acres.
This national park contains over 1,000 miles of paved and unpaved roads and no visit is complete by just staying on the major roads of Death Valley. We took a Toyota 4Runner 4×4 vehicle four day trip in April 2006 that packed in many of the iconic sights of Death Valley with 270 miles of off-road travel to the most remote and varied parts of the park. This included springs with rare pupfish (Saratoga Springs), 700 foot sand dunes (Eureka Dunes), flats where rocks mysteriously move from one place to another (The Racetrack) and higher elevation valleys and wooded plateaus (Hidden Valley and Hunter Mountain). A combination of camping in the backcountry and staying one night at the historic Furnace Creek Inn made the trip a true authentic adventure.
Death Valley Itinerary
| Day | Date | Location/Activities |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 April 2006 | Drive from Anaheim to Baker, California to Death Valley National Park; explore Saratoga Springs, Badwater, Dante's View, Zabriskie Point, Artists Palette; stay at historic Furnace Creek Inn |
| 2 | 21 April 2006 | Visit Scotty's Castle, Ubehebe Crater and drive to Eureka Dunes via Crankshaft Junction; hike to top of dunes in the late afternoon |
| 3 | 22 April 2006 | Drive through Tea Kettle Junction to The Racetrack; continue through Hidden Valley to Hunter Mountain |
| 4 | 23 April 2006 | Drive along the Saline Valley, then out of the national park and to Anaheim via Lone Pine, California |
| On to Next Post» |