Next week is Spring Break and this time around rather than boarding a random airplane in search of adventure I have a meticulously planned itinerary for a week in Death Valley.
Why the meticulous planning, you ask? Well, first, Death Valley is big 13,600 km2 (5,300 square miles) and it has a lot of interesting sights to see. So, traveling at random is not going to cover it. Plus, I want to maximize the number of sunsets and sunrises I can get some pictures at. To be at the right time at the right place, a little bit of planning will be required.
Here’s the itinerary I’ve devised.
Day 1
- Drive from Las Vegas to Rhyolite ghost town
- Goldwell Open Air art museum
- Leadfield ghost town
- Drive through Titus Canyon
- Devil’s Cornfield
- Sunset at Stovepipe Wells and Mesquite Dunes
- Camping at Wildrose or Thorndike campgrond
Day 2
- Sunrise at Aguereberry Point
- Eureka Mines
- Skidoo ghost town
- Historic Stovepipe Wells
- Salt Creek
- Harmony Borax
- Sunset at Zabriskie Point
- Camping at Furnace Creek
Day 3
- Sunrise at Badwater, lowest (and hottest) point in the continental US
- Hunt for flowers in bloom at Ashford Mill
- Eagle Borax Works
- Artists Palette set location of Star Wars movies
- Mushroom Rock
- Golden Canyon
- Sunset at Zabriskie Point
- Camping at Furnace Creek
Day 4
- Sunrise at Zabriskie Point
- Twenty Mule Team canyon
- Sunset at Dante’s View
- Camping at Mesquite Springs
Day 5
- Ubehebe crater
- Teakettle junction
- Sunset at Racetrack Playa, home of the moving rocks
- Camping at Racetrack Playa
Day 6
- Sunrise at Racetrack Playa
- Scotty’s Castle
- Sunset at Eureka Dunes
- Camping at Eureka Dunes
Day 7
- Sunrise at Eureka Dunes
- Dunmovin ghost town
- Search for the elusive U2 Joshua Tree
- Darwin ghost town
- Panamint Springs