Death Valley NP Campgrounds In and Around

[gatorboy]

Hey!
Contemplating a visit to Death Valley National Park this winter. I was wondering if anyone would care to comment on the campgrounds in and around the Park? Recommendations?

[wkerfoot]

Gaterboy,

PM Buttercup, he goes there often. Outside of the NP, dry camping, there is not much.

Bill

Originally Posted by gatorboy

Hey!
Contemplating a visit to Death Valley National Park this winter. I was wondering if anyone would care to comment on the campgrounds in and around the Park? Recommendations?

[Davern1]

I love Death Valley. Furnace Creek is probably my favorite. The sites are roomy and the views are terrific. The sky at night in Death Valley is so amazing. It's one of the least light polluted places anywhere. The other campgrounds in the area are more of just cement parking lots.

[SilverRanger]

We should be passing through in January. I'd love to hear more about the area, campgrounds, and weather, as well. We're going cross country, and plan to stay mostly at National or State parks. Does anyone think purchasing the annual National Park Pass would be worthwhile?

Thanks.

[cclarkego]

January is a perfect time to visit Death Valley, I spent about ten years 4WDing all the back canyons and surrounding mountains and it is beautiful country. Furnace Creek is a good place to stay. Furnace Creek Inn and Scotty's Castle are great places to check out. If you unhook your trailer, then Titus Canyon has an amazing one way road that curves through towering canyon walls and if the road to Butte Valley is open via Warm Springs Canyon, it ranks as my favorite 4WD desert place with old miner's cabins tucked into the hills. Incredibly beautiful...

Have fun,
Carol

[Charlie M]

Originally Posted by SilverRanger

We should be passing through in January. I'd love to hear more about the area, campgrounds, and weather, as well. We're going cross country, and plan to stay mostly at National or State parks. Does anyone think purchasing the annual National Park Pass would be worthwhile?

Thanks.

SilverRanger; What is your age? If you are 65+ for $10.00 you get a lifetime Golden Age/ America the Beautiful pass. Even if you have to purchase for the u/65 crowd price I would recommed it. The Grand Canyon is now $20.00 or $25.00. The pass will get you into all N.P., BLM, ACOE etc.

[kingfisher24]

i am goin there sometime in January as well,.......on my way to somewhere else

[SilverRanger]

Carol, thanks for the recommendations. I'll check those places out for sure.

Charlie M, thanks for the info. At 58, I'm not eligible for the senior pass, but am now leaning towards the annual. As we will be doing a lot of traveling over the next year, it seems like it could be useful.

kingfisher24, I'm always on my way to somewhere else.

[snake]

Originally Posted by Charlie M

SilverRanger; What is your age? If you are 65+ for $10.00 you get a lifetime Golden Age/ America the Beautiful pass. Even if you have to purchase for the u/65 crowd price I would recommed it. The Grand Canyon is now $20.00 or $25.00. The pass will get you into all N.P., BLM, ACOE etc.

The age for the Lifetime Senior Pass is 62, it allows you to bring along up to three underage guests. In addition to the free entry to Federal recreation areas often a bigger savings is the 50% savings on most campground fees in the National Parks, National Forests, and BLM areas.

p.s. We're planning a trip to Death Valley over the Christmas holidays.

[Ahab]

We also are going in January, Probably the second two weeks.

[Buttercup]

Well, depending on what you want to see will determine what campground to stay at.
We usually stay at Texas Spring, on the upper level. From that location you are neat 75% of the attractions in the park.
you should check out the NPS site to determine what you can and cannot do at each campground and openings.
Death Valley National Park - Campgrounds (U.S. National Park Service) or http://www.death.valley.national-park.com/camping.htm has more information.

Furnace Creek is not a campground I have stayed at. Most of the campgrounds allow generators, They are prohibited in Texas Spring Campground but allowed at Sunset, which is the lower flat lot campground right across the street from the Furnace Creek Ranch.
We will be down there in November oddly enough staying for perhaps a few weeks if we are lucky.

[Phoenix]

We have purchased the annual NP pass for years, and it is well-worth the price.

Years ago, we had been through Mesa Verde and Rocky Mountain National Parks on a Colorado roadtrip, and the ranger at Pike's Peak mentioned we should get annual pass. When I said that I wished we had heard about it earlier in our trip, he asked me if we saved our receipts from the other two national parks. Then, he discounted the annual fee by the total we had already paid. I think this may be good for up to 30 days or so.

In any case, we turn 62 this year, so I can't wait to get the $10 pass for seniors.

Check out the national park web site for details on weather and campgrounds:

Death Valley National Park - Plan Your Visit (U.S. National Park Service)

The Mesquite Springs campground near Scotty's Castle is higher in elevation, so plan on cooler weather there. Big camping spots with some separation between spaces. Nice place to stay a few days. Also, take the underground tour of Scotty's Castle; lots of interesting info that's not on the regular tour.

Stove Pipe Wells campground was centrally located to lots of interesting drives and hiking areas, but it is a dirt parking lot. Not really bad, since you won't spend much time there, except sleeping. But, we got stuck between two big bus-type motorhomes that ran their generators a lot. Besides the noise, the diesel exhaust was gawd-awful. Try to get a spot on the outer perimeter where you may get a little extra space.

Furnace Creek looked nice, but it fills up fast (at least it did when we were there). I strongly suggest reservations, far in advance. We camped at Texas springs, across the street and up the hill. OK, and nicer than Stove Pipe, but Mesquite Springs was the best in our opinion. It was cooler there, and more spread out.

We went over spring break a couple of years ago. It was cool (mid-60's) when we got there; and a week later when we left, it was in the mid-90's. Unfortunately, we camped at Mesquite Springs early in the week; and we should have reversed the route and schedule, as it would have been much cooler there, instead of the much hotter Stove Pipe and Furnace Creek area. However, this may not apply for earlier in the year...

I agree; don't miss Titus Canyon, but leave plenty of time. It's a long, slow drive. Also, it'll probably take a couple of visits to see everything. Beautiful place for photos and kids; just not in in the summer!

[cclarkego]

Well it looks like I am going to Death Valley this year after all. Probably December 30 --January 5, but not bringing the Airstream. I am thinking of staying at Furnace Creek Inn for a bit doing day trips and then camping out in the upper canyons for the rest. If I see any silver bullets out there, I'll stop by and say hi....

Carol

[TinShack]

If you go to CampsitePhotos.com there are pictures of each campsite for the 4 primary campgrounds in DV...Furnace Creek, Sunset, Stovepipe Wells and Texas Spring. Here is a link... Death Valley National Park

[cclarkego]

Thanks Steve,

I'll probably try Mesquite Springs this time, don't really want to listen to generators at night or maybe I'll get lucky with one of the canyon cabins....

Carol

[Buttercup]

I just got back from Mesquite - they do allow generators from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. But it got damned quiet after 7.... Actually, wasn't that loud to begin with there. Now that the 49'ers have gone home, the whole park should be a lot quieter.
Texas Spring is probably the quietest campground there as they do not allow generators.

[cclarkego]

One time I was up exploring the canyons and found a cabin up high in the mountains just as a big storm blew in, a huge cloudburst opened up raining cats and dogs. Barely made it to the cabin, knocked, no one there so I decided to stay there and wait out the storm. It rained all night, the wind came up so strong I thought the roof was going to go. Spectacular lightening and thunder display from the one little window. So I bundled my sleeping bag in, made a nice fire in the fireplace to keep warm and ate dinner. Had a little wine, listened to the wind howl, had some more wine, watched the mice creep around, and went to bed. The next morning it was clear and bright so I drove back down the canyon. Just as I get to the valley floor, I see coming along the dirt road, a covered wagon pulled by a couple of mules with an old fashioned looking couple driving it. My mouth dropped about six inches and I swore I'd never drink wine again. I thought I was either hallucinating or had gone through a time warp. That was my introduction to the 49ers.....

Carol

[pmclemore]

Can you find that wine anywhere, or just in California?

Pat

[cclarkego]

You have to drink it in California, but it sure put the fear of God in me......

[snake]

We've booked a space at Furnace Creek December 20-28, we may go up to Mesquite Springs for a few nights after that. It will be our third Christmas in an Airstream in the last 4 years.