24 Hours in Death Valley National Park
Nate and I love winter in Death Valley National Park. We try to plan a trip here every year, and we recently took a quick 24 hour weekend trip. One of the most asked questions I receive on my Instagram page is, “What do your trips look like when you’re making your blog posts?” So this week on the blog we’re doing something a little different – I’m going to take you with me for a look “behind the scenes” of what a trip can look like when I’m making my blog posts & YouTube videos...so join me for a whirlwind 24 hours in Death Valley.
Death Valley picture from our first park visit in 2019
24 hours might seem like a short amount of time in the largest national park in the lower 48 states (and I wouldn’t disagree with you), but Nate and I have visited this park numerous times. In fact, our first Death Valley visit was just a day trip from Los Angeles and back to check out the park. I’d recommend giving yourself at least a long weekend here to really enjoy the park, but you can absolutely pack a few great highlights into 24 hours. This was our recent itinerary...
Saturday - 9am
We got a bit of a late start hitting the road (but life happens), so we made a quick Starbucks stop and we were on our way. There are several ways to drive into the park from the Los Angeles area, and you should pick wisely depending on your itinerary. This trip we drove up through Mojave towards the Searles Valley & Trona Pinnacles, and entered the park via the Panamint Valley.
Wild burros seen north of Trona
Saturday - 1pm
We always keep our eyes open for wildlife as we head into the park. As we drove into the Panamint Valley we saw a group wild burros, so we stopped to watch them roam for a few minutes. There is conflicting stories on whether these animals are descendants of abandoned donkeys that were brought to the region by early prospectors, or if they escaped...but either way, it’s impressive to think how they have survived in such a harsh environment over the last two centuries.
Furnace Creek Campground in Death Valley National Park
Saturday - 2pm
We made it to the Furnace Creek Campground and got checked in. We made reservations in advance because this is a great central campground located directly next to the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. This is the only NPS campground in the park that offers reservations during peak season, and it features 136 spacious sites with fire pits and access to restrooms with flushable toilets.
Badwater Basin and Death Valley seen from Dante’s View
Saturday - 3pm
We reached our first official stop inside the park. Dante’s View is one of the highest points in Death Valley with stunning views, but the winding road to this spot can be closed at times due to inclement weather. On our last winter visit the road was closed due to a snow storm, but this time we were grateful to have clear skies. After enjoying the parking area overlook, we started hiking to the south lookout point to take pictures and start recording a Dante’s View YouTube video. We find the further you go along this steep gravel trail, the less people you’ll see along the path.
Sunset from Dante’s View in Death Valley National Park
Saturday - 4:30pm
We then made the hike along the north trail to the official “Dante’s View” to enjoy sunset. There we finished capturing pictures and video for the blog & YouTube video.
Death Valley astrophotography from Dante’s View
Saturday - 5:30pm
Once the sun set, we headed back to a spot we scouted out along the south trail that would be ideal for astrophotography. There we set up our Insta 360 and Canon camera to shoot the stars, hoping to spend an extended time capturing a long star-lapse and the Milky Way above the valley below. However, the winds whipped up and we decided that lower elevations would be a bit more comfortable.
Star trails over Harmony Borax Works ruins
Saturday - 8:00pm
We drove down the mountain and had supper (snacking in the car). Harmony Borax Works is a popular spot to shoot the stars, especially with the 20-mule team wagon in the foreground. However, we opted to frame up a different view and headed to the old housing ruins a short drive away down the gravel road. There we had the whole area to ourselves on a moonless night...and bonus, we had the car right next to our cameras when we needed to warm up a bit!
Sunday - 12:00am
We decided to take a little break and grab some shuteye before heading to the lowest spot in North America.
Astrophotography at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park
Sunday 3:00am
It’s hard to sleep on cloudless nights in Death Valley because this is a gold tier dark sky park (and one of the darkest spots in the country), so we decided to get up and hike out to the Badwater Basin salt flats in the dark. I can’t recommend this enough because the stars twinkle non-stop on pitch black nights...it’s so beautiful that it hardly seems possible that what you’re viewing is real. After about a mile of hiking, we set up our tripods, laid down a blanket, and stared up at the galaxies above while trying to keep count of the all the shooting stars.
Pre-dawn pink skies over the Panamint Mountains from Badwater Basin
Pre-dawn sunrise colors over Badwater Basin in Death Valley
Sunday - 6:00am
By 6am the pitch black skies had turned into a pre-dawn twilight during blue hour. Soon the skies lit up with bright pinks and oranges. Over the years of shooting sunrises, I’ve learned that the hour or so prior to sunrise is where the magic really happens. This is when the colors and the aspenglow lighting are truly unique and ideal for photography...not to mention it’s also quite beautiful!
Sunrise over Badwater Basin salt flats in Death Valley National Park
Morning at Death Valley’s Badwater Basin
Sunday - 7:30am
Once the sun rose over the peaks behind us, we enjoyed walking a few miles further around Badwater Basin. We filmed another YouTube video and captured some photography for a sunrise blog post before heading back. This is a spot we almost always explore every visit, and it’s beautiful anytime of day. In fact, I have a full post on sunset here when water flooded the basin, which you can see here.
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes at Death Valley National Park
Sunday - 9:00am
We went to check out of our campsite and then made one last stop on the way out of the park. The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are located directly off Hwy 190, making this an easy stop on any Death Valley visit. It was super windy, so we didn’t hike to the farthest and tallest dunes, but I have a full blog post on visiting this spot (linked here). By 11am we were heading out of the park and already chatting about our next adventure!
Snow-capped Telescope Peak seen from Panamint Valley
In Summary
I know this isn’t my usual content, but I’ve had a blast sharing a little play-by-play of what my trips can look like when I’m out exploring, creating my weekly blog posts. For a virtual look at this trip, make sure to watch this week’s Behind the Blog video at the top of this post, or you can watch it on YouTube here. Until next week, I hope you find adventure and encouragement wherever you go.
Badwater Basin & Death Valley seen from Dante’s View
Death Valley Products on our Etsy Shop
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About Me
I’m Dawn Marie, a travel and lifestyle blogger based out of Southern California. With in-depth articles, travel guides, and reviews on hotels & products, I seek to share my journeys to help you plan for your own. My adventures take me all over California, the western United States, and around the globe...and every Monday I post new content here, including a comprehensive blog post and YouTube video.
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Can you kayak in Death Valley? Yes! Currently the National Park Service is allowing park visitors to take kayaks and stand up paddle boards onto the historic Lake Manly, the ancient lake that has reappeared at Badwater Basin. Read this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide for all the info you need to plan your kayaking adventure to Death Valley National Park, a perfect road trip from Los Angeles.