Death Valley Campgrounds

[Lumatic]

I'm thinking about Death Valley for Thanksgiving. Meeting my grands there. Any suggestions for a campground where I can set up my Tradewind and a tent?

[barts]

We enjoyed camping at Furnace Creek last April - it's dry camping, of course. This is not the overflow (parking lot), but the regular campground.
It can get cold there, so make sure you have a way of keeping warm... Do check out the grades on the various ways into the park.

- Bart

[Kamiak]

We visited DV in February this year and stayed at the “The Ranch at Furnace Creek” (part of the Furnace Creek Resort). They have a few full-hookup sites available. Most of the facilities in the park are dry camping. There are about 3 Forest Service campgrounds around Furnace Creek, one across the highway from “The Ranch”, plus a number of other dry camping locations in other areas of the park. I believe there’s also a full-hookup campground at Stovepipe Wells. I found “The Ranch” to be “ok”, nothing special as it pertained to the “campsite”, but convenient for our purpose. There’s a “village” of retail establishments, restaurants, etc. within the facilities that you may find beneficial. I don’t know about tents. All-in-all, the Furnace Creek location is central for visiting other areas of the park. As “barts” pointed out, pay attention to which road you choose to enter the park, as some involve considerable climb and descent. Entering from the south, such as from Las Vegas through Pahrump is probably one of the flatter routes.

[Mexray]

The Texas Spring Campground just up the hill from the other Furnace Creek Campgrounds is the most 'tent friendly' of the three, if you can find a space...

The 'Furnace Creek' campground might have some tent areas - its flat RV spaces with mesquite bushes scattered around the camp...

The 'Sunset' Campground is a flat 'parking lot' with RV spaces lined out - not really tent friendly...

We usually go down there in the Spring, but the Thanksgiving holiday might attract more people than usual during the winter season...

Have fun - great place...the fuel is EXPENSIVE there, as there's only one station! Fill up before heading into the park, or if you need fuel, take a short trip over the Beatty, NV...

[ASwifey]

We also stayed at the Furnace Creek Ranch with the full hook ups. We liked it just fine. There is a store, a gas station (no diesel though), a pool with a shower house, it could not have been easier to park, and best of all they have a saloon right across the street!

Death Valley is an awesome place to visit! We wished we had been able to spend more time there. Just too many things to see in a few short days.
We were there this last March, and the weather could not have been better.

Here's a shot of our camp spot. The second pix is the Devil's Gold Course.

[idmtman]

We are heading there this winter also. I've been to DV many times and stayed in several places but only dry camping. How much do the full hookup sites cost at the Ranch?

[gatorboy]

We spent a week there in December and camped at an RV park in Tecopa Springs. Highly recommended.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/...tml#post934282

[Buttercup]

You could also go to Stovepipe Wells where they have dry camping and/or tent camping plus they also have generator hours until 9:00 p.m. There is a small convenience store there and its a few minutes away from the sand dunes.

Texas Spring is my favorite place to camp but depending on the time of year, it can be packed. There is no generator hours there. If it is full, there is always Sunset campground just at the entrance to Texas Spring. There is generator hours there. That is where a lot of motorhome type vehicles park. Neither Texas Spring, Sunset or Stovepipe Wells require any registration - you just show up and use the automated kiosk to pay.
We have gone down there for Thanksgiving. What fun!!!!

[jimmini]

We like Mesquite Springs best But the only think that is near is Scotty's Castle.(But I guess that is why we have a Squarestream,We like what other do not.)
Furnace Creek area campgrounds are the nearest to most things folks want to see.

[Buttercup]

Yea - but Mesquite is also the gateway to Ubehebe Crater and Racetrack! both well worth seeing!

Originally Posted by jimmini

We like Mesquite Springs best But the only think that is near is Scotty's Castle.(But I guess that is why we have a Squarestream,We like what other do not.)
Furnace Creek area campgrounds are the nearest to most things folks want to see.

[Kamiak]

I paid $31 at Furnace Creek Ranch in February 2011. I don't know if that was net of any AAA or Good Sam, etc. discount. Also, I don't believe this National Park resort vendor offers a discount for NPS's Golden Age, etc. cardholders.

[Buttercup]

$31 is way more than what you will pay at Texas Spring, Sunset, Stovepipe Wells or Mesquite. At those locations, if memory serves me, the cost is less than $20.

[Mexray]

If there are any personnel at the 'toll booths' in any of the Furnace Creek area campgrounds, they will collect a National Park Entrance fee, in addition to the actual overnight camp fees...

When we were there, we stayed at Sunset for a night before heading up to Mesquite Springs campground - we drove over to the main Furnace Creek campground for a look-see, and the NPS fellow in the 'booth' hit us up for the National Park entrance fee - we had our old Golden Eagle card, so we didn't have to pay - also the fellow upgraded our G/E card to the new version for no/charge...

Death Valley is a National Park, but with the state highways through the Park, they don't always collect an entry fee...

1. fuel prices on 3/30/11 - Diesel WAS available...
2. Sunset 'parking lot' campground @ furnace Creek
3. Mesquite Springs campground