Death Valley travel guide

Death Valley, situated 130 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is one of the deepest valleys in the north hemisphere as low as 86 m below sea level. This enormous desert with a surface of 7700 square km offers very diverse sceneries from mountains and salt lakes to canyons, cactuses, craters, palms and sand dunes. The best time to visit Death Valley is in spring when temperatures are around 28 degrees centigrade during the day and 12 degrees at night; summer daytime temperatures are normally around 40 degrees with the thermometer rising to the high 40s’ at times. The places to stay in the desert are few and far between, usually at the edge of the Valley like Baker, Shoshone and Amargosa Valley, which are all very limited but essential for necessities like water, food and most importantly petrol. The nicest place to spend the night is Furnace Creek Ranch in the village of Furnace Creek in the middle of the Valley that appears like a true oasis in the middle of the desert with shops, restaurants, tennis court and swimming pool.
Places to see on Death Valley are the Borax Museum in Furnace Creek, Scotty’s Castle, Ubehebe Crater and Titus Canyon. Zabriskie Point is a panoramic spot from where to enjoy the view over the eroded valley resembling the moon craters; lighting is particularly good at dawn. Dante’s Peak is another panoramic point 1669 m above sea level offering a view over the entire valley. Badwater, the residual water of a salt lake that, a longtime ago, used to stretch all over the valley. The Sand Dunes on the road to Scotty’s Castle looking like a piece of the Sahara was moved to California are one of Death Valley most beautiful spots.
Valuable information on Death Valley can be found at the Visitor Centre on Route 190, Tel. +1 760 786-3200.