Planning A Death Valley Day Trip

If you’re planning on visiting Death Valley for the day, then the earlier you get started, the better. This will give you plenty of time to see and do as much as possible without worrying about having to rush back. Additionally, you also want to make sure you go at the right time and stay safe in the process. Ready to plan your Death Valley day trip?

Read the Alerts
If you check out the National Park Service website under the Death Valley section, you can read up on all the alerts that you’ll need to know about. For example, if you were thinking of visiting Scotty’s Castle, you’re going to have to wait until approximately 2019 in order to do so. It’s currently closed because of flood damage.

Taking a Tour
One of the best ways to get a feel for Death Valley is to take a guided tour that’s done by a park ranger. Who knows the area better than them? There are several different tours you can take at all different points throughout the day. Before you make plans to take the guided tour, make sure to confirm that it is available when you want to go so there are no unpleasant surprises.

What to Do
In addition to taking a guided tour, there are several things you can do. For example, you can visit the Borax Museum, stop by the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, go camping, hiking, or mountain biking, or you can just travel the roads and get a gander at the beautiful scenery. You may want to make it a point to stop at certain spots such as Zabriskie Point, Dante’s View, and the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Also, Death Valley National Park is 5,219-square-miles, so there is definitely a lot to explore. When you get hungry, there are several places at which you can stop, relax, and get some good food.

When to Go
You’ve probably heard stories about how hot Death Valley can get, and going there during the summer definitely is no joke. The average high in July in Death Valley is 116 degrees. If you’re going during the summer months, you would need to be okay with the fact that it’s going to likely be over 100 degrees and there’s not really any shade. It’s for that reason that you may want to consider going in winter. During December, January, and February, the average high temperatures are – respectively – 65, 67, and 73, while the low average temperatures for the same months are 38, 40, and 46.

The best thing you can do when you’re planning your Death Valley day trip is to make an itinerary from start to finish. This can allow you to fit in all the plans you’d like to do without necessarily having to rush from one location to the next. To play it safe, make sure to let someone else know what your itinerary is just in case of an emergency.