Day Trips into Death Valley

A March 2007 trip to Death Valley by Linda Hoernke

Stagecoach Hotel & CasinoMore Photos

Two days exploration into Death Valley.

  • 9 reviews
  • 26 photos
Drive through Death Valley
Visit the ghost town of Rhyolite, four miles west of Beatty, Nevada. There is also a strange open air museum from artists that have dotted the desert landscape with their work.
The drive through Titus Canyon was a highlight in itself... walls of the canyon that rise above you, big horn sheep and petroglyphs. Take a tour of Scottys Castle and hear the stories that brought this place to life. Visit the sand dunes and don't forget a stop at the Devils Golf Course. A hike up Golden Canyon and a view from Zabriski Point were among my favorites. Visit the lowest place in the western hemisphere at Badwater.

Quick Tips:

Visit Death Valley in winter or spring but be prepared for extremes in the temperature. One area of the park may be in the 40s while another are in the 80s. Check road conditions with the visitor center or park rangers before setting out on one of the dirt roads. Make sure you have plenty of water along with a hat and sunscreen. Fill your gas tank full before venturing out because gas stations may be far a few between. The wind is always blowing so take extra care with your camera equipment. A plastic bag over your camera will help.

Best Way To Get Around:

Death Valley covers so much space that the best way to visit the Park is with a car. If you visit Death Valley during the cooler months, bike riding is also great for touring the park.

Stagecoach Hotel & CasinoBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Stagecoach Hotel & Casino"

Stagecoach Hotel & Casino
The rooms were comfortable and clean. There was a small refrigerator and hair dryer. The only thing missing was a coffee pot. Nice pool area and a wonderful Jacuzzi. The hotel is attached to a casino and is a good place to meet some of the local characters. They have two restaurants. Alexanders Steak House was closed because of remodeling. Ritas Café had excellent service but I would rate the food "okay." Beatty is on the eastern edge of Death Valley so this hotel made a good base for day trips into the park. Another plus to the location is Baileys RV Park about 4 miles north of the hotel. They advertise mineral hot springs and they are great!
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Linda Hoernke on March 7, 2007

Stagecoach Hotel & Casino
900 East Highway 95 North Beatty, Nevada 89003
(800) 424-4946

Titus CanyonBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Big Horned Sheep
We drove west of Beatty into Titus Canyon. The dirt road went 26 miles and snaked up a steep hillside. The walls on either side extended vertically letting the sun drop down into the center of the canyon. This is where we saw big horn sheep climbing up the side of the cliffs. We dropped down into a deep, narrow gorge where the walls of the canyon lifted above us. Reached the ghost own of Leadville and hiked about the ruins. This town only lasted a year before the residents moved on. We reentered the gorge and the walls of the canyon came closer around us, rising higher than before. Glad this was a one way road… no where to back up if a car was coming the other way. The canyon walls date back half a billion years and we found petroglyphs left behind from the Timbisha tribes that once lived here.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Linda Hoernke on March 7, 2007

Titus Canyon
Death Valley National Park Death Valley, California

Beatty Museum & Historical SocietyBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Beatty Museum & Historical Society"

Beatty Museum
To visit the Beatty Museum is a walk back into the past of miners, bootleggers and pioneers. The woman that ran the museum was full of stories, being an assayer for the mines herself in her youth. Beatty is the Gateway to Death Valley National Park and is the heart of the Bullfrog Mining District. Learn how the early miner's lived, worked and played. I especially enjoyed the old photographs of the mines and the towns before they became ghost towns. The museum is open Monday thru Sunday from 10am until 4pm.
Their phone number is (775) 553-2967

  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Linda Hoernke on March 7, 2007

Beatty Museum & Historical Society
417 Main Street Beatty, Nevada 89003
(775) 553-2967

Death Valley National ParkBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Sand Dunes"

Sand Dunes
We visited the sand dunes in the late morning... still enough time to catch the colors and shadows of inspiration. The dunes are near Stovepipe Wells and are easy to get too. The ripples and stark beauty of the dunes are a must-see. We didn't get the chance but have heard it is the perfect place to be on a night with a full moon.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Linda Hoernke on March 7, 2007

Death Valley National Park
Death Valley Death Valley, California 92328
(760) 786-3200

Scotty's CastleBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Scottys Castle"

Scottys Castle
Scottys Castle was built by Albert Johnson in 1927. The story goes that Johnson met a man by the name of Walter Scott... a con-artist in the true sense. Scott convinced Johnson to invest in a gold mine that he had supposedly found. Of course there was no mine but Johnson and Scott became good friends. Once the castle in the desert was built, Johnson invited Scott to live there and give tours to people visiting the area. Scott had a basketful of stories and intrigued people with his tales of gold mining, being an expert horse rider and working with Wild Bill Cody. He also told people that the Spanish style mansion was his and so the name, Scottys Castle came into play.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Linda Hoernke on March 7, 2007

Scotty's Castle
Grapevine Canyon California Death Valley, California

Death Valley National ParkBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Devils Golf Course"

Devils Golf Course
Located 13 miles south of Furnace Creek in Death Valley, The Devils Golf Course is a salt flat that has been carved by wind and rain. Caution should be taken while walking on or around the formations as they are very sharp. Early morning and later in the day are best to photograph the contrast between the pillars of salt and the mountains beyond.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Linda Hoernke on March 7, 2007

Death Valley National Park
Death Valley Death Valley, California 92328
(760) 786-3200

Death Valley National ParkBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Golden Canyon & Zabriski Point"

Golden Canyon
The trail through Golden Canyon cuts through sandstone rocks glowing in different shades of orange, gold and red. I found the shaded areas picked up the deeper blues and green of the rocks. Trail guides are available and describe numbered points of interest. A total trip of 4 miles will take you through the badlands below Zabriski Point. The badlands are mudstone hills formed by sediment being buried and then compressed. If you don't want to hike the whole trail, you can drive to a parking area near Zabriski Point and it is a short but steep walk to an amazing view.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Linda Hoernke on March 8, 2007

Death Valley National Park
Death Valley Death Valley, California 92328
(760) 786-3200

Goldwell Open Air MuseumBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Rhyolite & the Gold Well Museum"

Mercantile Store

Rhyolite is located 4 miles west of Beatty, Nevada and is a mining ghost town which had over 8000 residents in the early 1900s. We walked among the ruins of the Mercantile Store and visited the triangle made up of a bank, jail house, and brothel. There is a funny story that when the residents would see someone coming up the dirt road, they would take turns locking themselves in the jail. That way it looked like they were "keeping the law." One of the houses were built solely from empty bottles that the saloon keeper supplied to a Tom Kelly. It took over 30,000 bottles to make his house.

On the outskirts of Rhyolite is the Gold Well Open Air Museum, owned by an artist from Belguim. When he moved to the area he contacted a number of artists to add something to the desert landscape. They did and the desert floor is dotted with huge ghostly figures of The Last Supper along with giant iron sculptures of a miner.

  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Linda Hoernke on March 8, 2007

Goldwell Open Air Museum
3008 Mason Avenue Las Vegas, Nevada 89102
(702) 870-9946

About the Writer

Linda Hoernke
Linda Hoernke
St. George, Utah

Get the Word Out

Share this travel journal beyond IgoUgo with your favorite sharing tools.