ONE DAY IN DEATH VALLEY FROM LAS VEGAS: MAP AND ITINERARY DETAILS WITH NOTES FOR ALTERNATIVES
Death Valley is such a large park! Thus, planning a one-day schedule involves focusing on its most important features. Here is a suggested itinerary for a day excursion to Death Valley from Las Vegas
Using This Map: To access the layers (driving routes and places to go), click the tab located in the upper left corner of the map. To reveal or conceal layers, click the checkboxes. You may learn more about each point of interest on the map by clicking on the icons. This map will be added to your Google Maps account if you click the star next to the map’s title. Open Google Maps on your computer or phone, select “Your Places” from the menu, then click Maps. This map will appear on your list.
ITINERARY DETAILS:
MORNING:
- 7am-9a.m: Drive from Las Vegas to Death Valley: Get an early start to make the most of your time in Death Valley, particularly if you are going during the shorter winter days. It takes about 2 hours to get from Las Vegas to Death Valley. Target to arrive in Death Valley at 9 am; leave Las Vegas by 7am. Of course you could leave earlier for Death Valley so that you will have more time to spend at the park; leaving at 6am will get you one extra hour of daylight.
- 9:00 a.m-9:15a.m: Arrive in Death Valley. Death Valley does not have park ranger booths. All you have to do is pull into a parking lot of the pay station which is a few more minutes down from the park entrance sign, pay your money ($30 per vehicle, good for seven days), place receipt on the dashboard, and drive away.
- 9:15a.m-10:15 a.m: Drive to and explore Dante’s View. To get to Dante’s View from the Pay Station, drive 13 miles (approximately 25 minutes) by turning left on Furnace Creek Wash Road. From there, follow the signs towards Dante’s View. Please be careful since about halfway through the drive, the road becomes quite winding with multiple switchbacks. Below lies the United States’ lowest point, Badwater Basin. Admire the scenery while exploring the trails that branch off in both directions from the parking lot. It is a very popular site for sunrise and sunset.
RORA TRAVELS
- 10:15 a.m-11:45 a.m: Drive to and explore Twenty Mule Team Canyon. The one-way Twenty Mule Team Canyon road winds across hills of yellow and white mudstone. It takes roughly 45 minutes to drive from Dante’s View to Twenty Mule Team Canyon. To get there from Dante’sView, return to Highway 190 and take a left turn to enter the park. Travel six miles to reach Twenty Mule Team Canyon’s entrance.
- 11:45a.m-12:30 p.m: Drive to and explore Zabriske Point. Another well-known, must-see vantage point in Death Valley is Zabriskie Point. Zabriskie Viewpoint is five minutes’ drive from Twenty Mule Team Canyon.
LUNCH: 12:30 P.M. Though there are some eateries in Death Valley, they are extremely few. You have the option of driving an hour round trip to Stovepipe Wells or dining at one of the restaurants at The Oasis in Furnace Creek. Considering how busy you are today, I suggest bringing a picnic lunch, and eat it at Zabriskie Viewpoint or while traveling to Badwater Basin (your next destination).
AFTERNOON
- 12:30 p.m-1:30p.m: Drive to, and explore Devil’s Golf Course (OPTIONAL). Make a short trip here if you want to check out the bumpy salt flats known as the Devil’s Golf Course. To get here from Zabriske Point, turn onto Badwater Road after passing Furnace Creek. After passing West Side Road, make a right turn onto the Devil’s Golf Course road (the name of the golf course will be posted on a street sign). The parking area is a short drive away along a well-maintained dirt road.
- 1:30p.m-2:30p.m: Drive to, and explore Badwater Basin. At 282 feet below sea level, the Badwater Basin is the lowest place in the United States. Take a stroll on the salt flats and take in this unusual scenery.
- 2:30p.m-3:30 p.m: Drive Artist’s Drive and explore Artist’s Palette. Enjoy more of Death Valley’s distinctive scenery on this nine-mile scenic journey. From south to north, Artist’s Drive is a one-way street. Take Badwater Road north for five miles and turn right into Artist’s Drive to reach this location from Badwater Basin. The rainbow hills of Artist’s Palette are a sight to behold on Artists Drive. The oxidation of metals in the soil is responsible for the formation of these pink, aqua, and purple hills. If you want a closer look at these hills, park in the designated area and take a stroll on the trail amongst the colorful hills or some scrambles the rock here to get a better view. Take your pick.
- 3:30p.m-4:30pm: Drive to, and explore Mesquite Sand Dunes. It is a 29-mile drive and takes 30 minutes to get here from Artist’s Drive. It is a great site to look at sunset and sand sledding.
EVENING
- 5:00 p.m.-7 p.m: Drive back to Las Vegas. From Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, you have two routes to choose from to return to Las Vegas North Route or South route. Both are about the same distance but the northern route is a bit quicker.
North Route (150 miles, 2.5 hours): From the sand dunes, take Highway 190 and Daylight Pass Road out of the park, heading towards Beatty. From Beatty, take US-95 S to Las Vegas. South Route: Take Highway 190 south through the park, passing via Pahrump and Furnace Creek. If you drove our route earlier today, this is the same route you took to reach Death Valley.
NOTE
If you have more time:. Based on this itinerary, it will be close to 5 pm by the time you leave Mesquite Sand Dunes and sunset times in the winter here range from 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. If you are considering of visiting more places during winter day trip, such as hiking the Golden Canyon Gower Gulch, my suggestion is to start driving from Las Vegas at 6 a.m. or arrive at Death Valley no later than 8 a.m., and make it a fast or just skip places such as Devils Golf Course.
- Golden Canyon-Gower Gulch Hike. This is a great short hike to experience the badlands of Death Valley. It can take two to three hours to complete the 4.4-mile loop hike although you may cut it short, if you simply hike into the Golden Canyon and take the same route back to your vehicle.
If you want to see sunset at Dante’s View without Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Start your trip from Las Vegas, driving towards Death Valley Pay Station via US-95 or Highway 190. Stop at the pay station, and drive towards Furnace Creek Visitor Center if you want to get a map or ask questions about the park. Next, make way to Badwater Basin as your first place to visit in Death Valley. Then, in sequence, Devil’s Golf Course, Artist’s Palette, Golden Canyon, Zabriske Point, Twenty Mule Team Canyon and lastly, sunset at Dante’s View. Drive back to Las Vegas via Highway 190, Highway 373 and US-95
If you want to visit Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes and see sunset at Dante’s View. Start your trip from Las Vegas, driving towards Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes via US-95. Next, make way to Badwater Basin as your next place to visit in Death Valley. Then, in sequence, Devil’s Golf Course, Artist’s Palette, Golden Canyon, Zabriske Point, Twenty Mule Team Canyon and last sunset at Dante’s View. Drive back to Las Vegas via Highway 373 and US-95.
