Death Valley

[AZsix]

We are thinking of going to Death Valley the third week in March. I know the temps will be reasonable that time of year but I need advice on cg's. We want to spend two or three nights and would like hookups. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

We are also considering a trip to Zion instead and any advice on Zion would be helpful too. I'm leaning more toward Death Valley though.

[kimrb266]

Death Valley is a national park so inside the park they do not offer hook ups.
 
There maybe some private RV parks near by.

[AZsix]

Death Valley is a national park so inside the park they do not offer hook ups.
 
There maybe some private RV parks near by.

Thanks for the info. I think Furnace Creek may be out best bet. How much is there to do there? Will two nights be enough time? I don't want the kids getting too bored but I want to make sure we have time to fully appreciate the park.

[Hoagie]

Thanks for the info. I think Furnace Creek may be out best bet. How much is there to do there? Will two nights be enough time? I don't want the kids getting too bored but I want to make sure we have time to fully appreciate the park.

Hi Gary,

There is a lot to see and do in Death Valley, depending on what your preferences are. There is a lot of history there with the pioneers coming through, borax mining, prospectors, etc. There are a lot of fascinating natural wonders in Death Valley that you can't see anywhere else is the U.S.  The Devil's Golf Course, The Racetrack, Badwater - the lowest place in the U.S., beautiful painted canyons, massive sand dunes, and much more. I suggest you visit the park website at

http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm

There is a ton of information there. I see you have an Expedition. If it is 4-wheel drive the park has miles of unpaved roads to explore. Just make sure you visit with the rangers at Furnace Creek and pick up some information regarding exploring the back country.

As for hookups, none of the NPS campgrounds have more than water (and some of them don't even have that!) But there are full-service, private camping facilities at Stovepipe Wells RV Park and the Panamint Springs Resort.

[Dee4j]

Hi Gary,

There is a lot to see and do in Death Valley, depending on what your preferences are. There is a lot of history there with the pioneers coming through, borax mining, prospectors, etc. There are a lot of fascinating natural wonders in Death Valley that you can't see anywhere else is the U.S.  The Devil's Golf Course, The Racetrack, Badwater - the lowest place in the U.S., beautiful painted canyons, massive sand dunes, and much more. I suggest you visit the park website at

http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm

There is a ton of information there. I see you have an Expedition. If it is 4-wheel drive the park has miles of unpaved roads to explore. Just make sure you visit with the rangers at Furnace Creek and pick up some information regarding exploring the back country.

As for hookups, none of the NPS campgrounds have more than water (and some of them don't even have that!) But there are full-service, private camping facilities at Stovepipe Wells RV Park and the Panamint Springs Resort.

Is Calico anywhere near DV?? if so they have H/U's

[He Ruide]

We are also considering a trip to Zion instead and any advice on Zion would be helpful too. I'm leaning more toward Death Valley though.

Gary,

I've not camped nor visited Death Valley so I can comment.  However, I spent 10 days at Zion National Park and I would highly recommend it.  Here are specific pictures of the Watchman campground as well as photo galleries of various features of the park. Finally here are pictures of Kolob Canyons which is also part of Zion.

Hope this helps.

Ruide

[AZsix]

Hi Gary,

There is a lot to see and do in Death Valley, depending on what your preferences are. There is a lot of history there with the pioneers coming through, borax mining, prospectors, etc. There are a lot of fascinating natural wonders in Death Valley that you can't see anywhere else is the U.S.  The Devil's Golf Course, The Racetrack, Badwater - the lowest place in the U.S., beautiful painted canyons, massive sand dunes, and much more. I suggest you visit the park website at

http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm

There is a ton of information there. I see you have an Expedition. If it is 4-wheel drive the park has miles of unpaved roads to explore. Just make sure you visit with the rangers at Furnace Creek and pick up some information regarding exploring the back country.

As for hookups, none of the NPS campgrounds have more than water (and some of them don't even have that!) But there are full-service, private camping facilities at Stovepipe Wells RV Park and the Panamint Springs Resort.

I have been to the website and have seen lots of pictures of Death Valley both of which make me want to go there. My wife and I have been to Zion before (though only for a day) but looking at their website it says that the time we are going can be a pretty wet of year.

With four young kids how long do you think would be sufficient at Death Valley?

[JimS]

There is a concession campground at Stove Pipe Wells that offers H/Up's.  I do not know about reservations.  The web site would have the info on this.  I have stayed at Texas Springs and plan to do so again in February.
The park is full of places to go, especially if you have a 4X4.  There are several canyons off the West Side road that go to old mining areas, Warm Springs Canyon being my favorite.  From Furnace Creek, it would be an all day trip.  Titus Canyon is an interesting drive and can be made with a regular car most of the time.  The charcoal kilns up toward Wildrose are interesting.  There is only a pile of rusting cans and an information sign at Skidoo but the Eureka mine and others around the area are interesting.
There is a web site that I visit often: //www.dzrtgrls.com.  They have done lots of trips into Death Valley and have fabulous pictures of their trips.  I found this to be a good source to find places to go.  Also, go to the Furnace Creek Visitor's Center first off and buy the book Death Valley SUV Trails by Roger Mitchell.  It is a must have.  The Ubehebe Craters and the Race Track are interesting (I have never been to the Race track).  There is also the town of Rhyolite that is not too far away if you decide to drive Titus Canyon.
There are many other places in and around Death Valley that you could spend months, if not years exploring.
BTW< Calico is probably 150 to 175 mile away from Death Valley.  I drive past it on my way to and from Death Valley but never measured how far it is.  Calico is right outside of Barstow, CA. (north).
Hope this helps.

[Hoagie]

I have been to the website and have seen lots of pictures of Death Valley both of which make me want to go there. My wife and I have been to Zion before (though only for a day) but looking at their website it says that the time we are going can be a pretty wet of year.

With four young kids how long do you think would be sufficient at Death Valley?

Hi Gary,

My first trip to DW was as a kid of about 8 years. Our family went for a long Thanksgiving weekend with another family in two MHs. We saw a lot of the main sites you can get to from the paved roads. Did not venture off road too much. As stated above, there are miles of dirt roads to explore with your SUV. Many are passable without 4WD. Many miles more are jeep trails.

I see your kids range in age from 6-11. There will be something of interest for all of them no matter what sites you stop at. On the above mentioned trip I think the kids ranged in age from about 2-13. We all had a great time.

So, specific answer to your question of how long:  At least 4 days to see the major tourist sites. Longer if you want any time to explore some of the side roads where the really beautiful rock formations are, or to see any of the off road areas. DW is a really big park. It takes some time to get between the areas. For example, it will take you over an hour to drive from Furnace Creek to Scotty's Castle.

HTH

[AZsix]

JimS and Hoagie, thank you both for your replies. They were both very helpful. We don't have 4WD on the Expedition so going too far off road won't be an option.

I was worried that my kids may get bored. They love to explore so I don't think I have to worry about that.

I would really want hookups if we were going to be there 3 or 4 days so I will look into the cg that you mentioned. I saw from the website that wildflowers bloom about the time that we will be there so I'm sure my camera will get a workout.

I didn't realize that Death Valley was so big. I'm looking forward to the trip even more now.

[AZsix]

There is a concession campground at Stove Pipe Wells that offers H/Up's.  I do not know about reservations.  The web site would have the info on this.

All I get when I search on Stove Pipe Wells is Stove Pipe Wells Village which only talks about the hotel and not a cg. The NPS website mentions a cg there but it's in the park where I understand there are no hookups. I guess I can call SPW Village and ask them about it.

[Hoagie]

There is a concession campground at Stove Pipe Wells that offers H/Up's.  I do not know about reservations.  The web site would have the info on this.

All I get when I search on Stove Pipe Wells is Stove Pipe Wells Village which only talks about the hotel and not a cg. The NPS website mentions a cg there but it's in the park where I understand there are no hookups. I guess I can call SPW Village and ask them about it.

Reservations at Stovepipe Wells Resort are handled through Xanterra Resorts. You can contact them here:

Reservations

Xanterra Parks & Resorts
Central Reservations
6312 South Fiddlers Green Circle, Suite 600N
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111

Phone: Toll-free within the U.S. 888.786.2387 or
Outside the U.S. 303.29.PARKS (303.297.2757)
Fax: 303.297.3175

[AZsix]

Reservations at Stovepipe Wells Resort are handled through Xanterra Resorts. You can contact them here:

Reservations

Xanterra Parks & Resorts
Central Reservations
6312 South Fiddlers Green Circle, Suite 600N
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111

Phone: Toll-free within the U.S. 888.786.2387 or
Outside the U.S. 303.29.PARKS (303.297.2757)
Fax: 303.297.3175

Thanks. I was going to contact them as they are the same people I went through when we stayed at the Grand Canyon. It was just kind of strange that the website didn't mention the campground at all.