Death Valley travel advice

Got lots of helpful information when I asked for travel advice last year, so trying again. I will be doing a trip to Sequoia/Kings Canyon/Yosemite in May. I want to fly into Las Vegas and drive through Death Valley.

How many hours should I plan for the drive and stops at the major DV sites? I will stay in LV the night I arrive, get up at east coast early time so will get to DV early even with the drive from LV, which brings me to the next question.

I am going to have to drive south/west and up through Bakersfield to Sequoia when I leave DV because Tioga Road will still be closed. Where is the best place to stop for the night between Panamint Springs and Three Rivers? I had originally thought I could do DV and get to Sequoia in one day, probably because I didn’t see anywhere I wanted to stop along that drive.

With the nights I was able to get for hotels inside Sequoia and Yosemite, I don’t have flexibility in my itinerary, so don’t suggest one that makes sense. I have what I have and have to make it work.

I plan on flying home from Sacramento. Is there anything I should see between Yosemite and the airport that would make me want to delay departure to the red eye?

 

Death Valley in May: pack water! LV to Death Valley will take less than three hours (give or take). It's a common back road to avoid 15 for people from around that area.
Getting through the sites are good enough for tour busses to get in so you might be fine, but stick to a normal route. If you get off course, some of those roads require serious 4 wheel capabilities. Bare in mind, Death Valley is seriously far from the Central Valley. You can do a drive and a visit in a day, but just expect it to be a long day. And it will be hot as fuck.

Driving from DV to Three Rivers will depend on when you leave. It will take 5 hours from Death Valley to Three Rivers. You will drive through Ridgecrest and it has a Marriott and a Hampton. If you are going over 178, Kernville is nice. If you are going over 58 through Tehachapi, that is nice to stop for the night as well or just go on to Bakersfield to stop.

Between Yosemite and Sacramento kind of sucks unless you are willing to do some serious diverting. Modesto, Manteca, Lodi et al are kind of meh and Fresno is better to just avoid.

 

Take Highway 49 from Yosemite: Jamestown, Columbia, Sonora, Calaveras, will give you a great taste of the Sierras gold rush era.
Death Valley to Yosemite: Take 395 and you can hit Manzanar, Lone Pine (the Alabama Hills self-guided tour is a blast), Bishop, and Mono Lake and enter Yosemite from the east (less traffic).
Death Valley itself: Scotty's Castle and Badwater (lowest point) in the US are two of the biggies.
Sounds like a great trip, for more inspiration or ideas - consult an Ansel Adams calendar.

 

Always pay attention to your gas gauge and don’t chance it.

 

This. Don't count on cell service either.

 

Kurt Russell says if you break down, don't take a ride from a trucker. And don't leave your hood up at a gas station.

 

Leaving for Vegas Sunday afternoon to start this covid delayed trip. Temps in Death Valley look reasonable on Monday, the day I will be driving though the Park. I will stop on my way for supplies (supplies = snacks and diet Cokes) and water. Tentatively stopping in Tehachapi Monday night, on my way to Sequoia/Kings Canyon, where I have reservations the next two nights. Have reservations in Yosemite for the rest of the trip.

I’m pretty cautious about where I drive when I’m doing these trips. I decided a side trip to Hovenweep wasn’t the best idea when the road sucked, there was no other traffic and no cell reception. I was probably almost there when I bailed and turned around. Still comfortable I made the right call. I have no plans on getting off the main roads in Death Valley. Driving through it mostly because I don’t know if I’ll ever be this close again and I’m curious. I am always surprised by things on my recent trips to the western national parks even with my pre-trip research. Expect the same will happen here.

Already planning May 2022. An Alaskan train trip is the current top choice.

 

Be sure to chart out where gas stations are in advance. There is one in the park, but make sure you can reach it without sweating it out on E.

 

I would think the best Death Valley travel advice is don’t travel to Death Valley.

Or anywhere with “death” in its name, really.

Always happy to help!

 

Have fun, Amy.

I'm heading out to Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia in June and will gladly take any advice from your time there (or from anyone else on here who's been).

I wanted to do Death Valley too, but we're flying in and out of San Francisco and doing a big loop, first up to Redwood, then Crater Lake, then down to Lassen before heading south to Yosemite, Kings and Sequoia. Between the long drive from Sequoia, the June heat and the fact that will be late in our trip, I axed Death Valley. Going to swing by Pinnacles and spend a day in Big Sur after Sequoia before returning to San Francisco.

 

A friend of mine traveled east from CA and made it a point to cross Death Valley at night.

Why? Not the heat.

He wanted to look up at the stars - he said it was one of the most amazing experiences of his life. Taking in the universe.