The Death Valley Wrap-Up
CALIFORNIA
Well, after living just two hours away for over 22 years, it took us selling all our shit and moving to finally visit. Before we went on this excursion, I really didn’t know all that much about Death Valley and my perspective at the time was why go to the fucking desert when we already live in the fucking desert, right?! Wrong. Super wrong. Like sooooo fucking wrong. I made a mistake, and I’m here to admit it. So after over a week out there, here’s the wrap up:
Things I loved
Literally everything. Lol, I really did write that in my notes.
*The diversity - now that I’ve been around a little and seen some of the other national parks, Death Valley still holds the #1 spot for me in terms of bio-diversity. Where else can you walk amongst salt flats in the lowest point on Earth, chase magically moving rocks across the desert floor, and hike a volcanic crater? It’s like going to Mars! Nowhere that I know of and if you do, please let me know!
*The weather - there’s really no such thing as winter there so when you can’t go to 70% of the country because of snow and sleet, you can always go hiking in Death Valley at 62°. Obviously, the summers are hot, and you’ll totally die if you go hiking, but realistically, isn’t that so worth it when you consider that the other nine months is peak season?!
*The vastness - it’s so huge, and when I say huge I mean over three million acres. You can easily get away from people if that’s our thing (because it’s definitely mine). Even if you go during peak season, which we did, you’ll quickly find that most people are congregating around “The Loop” and even then its still manageable at the right times of the day. Trust me when I say this is not like going to Disneyland.
Things I hated
*Accommodation options - (In my humble opinion) there really aren’t any legitimate places to stay that aren’t staggeringly expensive. The cheapest night I found was $265/night at the Oasis, and in terms of RV parking, it was $35/night to stay at Fiddler’s Campground, which does not consist of any hook-ups but does allow you access to the Oasis amenities. I stayed in Amargosa at the Longstreet Casino with full hook-ups for the same price but the obvious disadvantage was the 40 minute drive in and back. If you really want to “experience” Death Valley, you need to stay where you’re exploring, so you can’t really do it right unless you boondock.
What I would have done differently
In retrospect, I definitely should have boondocked through the park, as I stated earlier. However, this requires a rig that is not only totally set up with a generator, lithium batteries, and at least 800 watts of solar, but is tried and true. I was just coming off the last maiden voyage where I’d ripped the auxiliary cable out of the bed of the truck, so I wasn’t quite ready for that yet, and Death Valley is not the place you want to discover your electrical doesn’t work.
If you’re looking to do this, there are some super legit choices such as the concrete slabs east, Bonnie Clare dispersed camping out north, Trona Pinnacles west, and Silurian Lake down south. All great, super accessible last time I was there, but please check the road conditions before heading out.
And for the weird, irksome, questionable, & fantastic…
*The closures - after Hurricane Hilary descended on the entire southwest, Death Valley continues to suffer the after effects. While many of the main roads are open as well as the southeastern attractions, the west is still reeling and awaiting revival by CalTrans. Racetrack playa is only accessible from the Eureka Dunes, and closures include Panamint Dunes, Skidoo, Eureka Mine, Scotty’s Castle, Titus Canyon, Saline Valley, and Darwin Falls. Yep, about 1/2 the park is washed out through 2024.
All in all, Death Valley has been my absolute favorite park to visit. I’m already planning my next trip in fall - fingers crossed the west bound roads are reopened. If you’re interested in more information on the park, check out The Bitter Bitch travel blog homepage!
The good, the bad, & the WTF