Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park is truly special and is currently sitting in our top ten national parks out of the 34 we have been to as of May 2024. We stayed in the park at the Ranch at Death Valley and enjoyed dinners at Last Kind Words Saloon and breakfasts at the Inn at Death Valley. We chose this based on previous reviews, and we were happy with our meals. We had half a chicken for dinner one of the nights, and it was really delicious.

We had two unique experiences while we were there: we were fortunate enough to go when there was water in Badwater Basin (Lake Manly), and it rained (drizzled)!

Badwater Basin was our favorite place in the park; we stared at the reflective and mesmerizing water forever. The surface of the water was so still it was like a piece of glass. Walking on the salt and then into the water was fun too.

Our second favorite place was Artist’s Palette which we went to on two different days. It was the most colorful hike that we have experienced. Hiking through the small hills of color was challenging at times but gorgeous. There are many different paths that you can take so you can determine how easy or challenging of a hike you want to take. It was so fun to wander on the winding paths through the pretty colors.

We also enjoyed Dante’s View, Zabrinkie Point, and Golden Canyon. We did try to go on a hike off one of the dirt roads. We have an all-wheel drive SUV, and we only got about half way down the road before we turned back. We were concerned about our vehicle as the road was bad, and we saw lots of other people turn around in cars and SUVs. There were cars that we saw continue so it seemed more like a risk/reward or personal preference. For us, there was plenty to see and do on the paved roads which were good, and the scenery was beautiful!

We visited Death Valley on a winter vork trip. Prior to going to Death Valley, we stayed in Las Vegas which is one of our favorite cities to visit. Read more on Vegas or read more on our California adventures