Death Valley in California
 

Hello, My bride has decided that we will sojourn to this region soon.
Might anyone have helpful hints or memories from there to share?
All I can think of is those Cow skulls sitting in the desert. What does one expect to do or see there and where would be a nice place to continue on to from there?
Thanks, Kelford.

It is a beautiful, stark landscape. We like go there about once a year and stay at Furnace Creek Lodge--not Stovepipe Wells.

From Death Valley we go to Las Vegas or we drive through the Mohave Desert to Joshua Tree NP and Palm Springs.

If you like the desert, you will love this trip.

There is a good description of the park on the National Park website that has all the information you would need.
www.nps.gov

Where will you be starting from?

Congratulations to your birdie on choosing such phenomenal place to visit. Furnace Creek has two available lodging. One is Furnace Creek Ranch and other Furnace Creek Inn. They are completely different. There is a very active the Death Valley Forum on Trip advisor. I read a few days ago description of each place mentioned here. I never saw "those Cow skulls sitting in the desert" in Death Valley. Lots of hiking, spectacular scenery, wildflowers, wildlife, golf, sunsets, sunrises, history.
Ag3046 gave you an excellent idea of starting with national park services website

Love, love, love Death Valley! We have been there nearly every year for the last 35 years. Take lots of water and remember to drink it frequently. Go to the Visitor Center and they will help you plan your outings. Check out the pupfish. See Scotty's Castle. Hike in Mosaic Canyon, Titus Canyon, Fall Canyon, Sidewinder Canyon. Visit Rhyolite. See the Bottle House. Roll down the Sand Dunes! Have a picnic at Zabriskie Point. Hike Golden Canyon. And more... It is a very special place, so enjoy!

Thanks for responding, We will be coming from the SF bay area where we live.
I'm not a big fan of the heat, but the boss has decided on this region.
Rhyolite sounds intriguing and so does Scott's Castle as I have heard the story many times, Thanks again.

Hi Kelford,

Death Valley isn't hot in fall, winter and spring. It's HOT in the summer.

March 25, 2007 we woke up to 51 degrees and the highest during our visit was 89 degrees

We are thinking of visiting Death Valley in Dec. after a few days in Vegas... Or is Joshua Tree a better place to visit? We will be heading to L.A. and probably won't have time for both places... We are a couple in our 40s with a teen... Thanks for any ideas.

We have just returned from this trip.
Both Joshua tree and D/V are full of landscape you should see at least once.
Scotty's castle is a must see in D/V and the Borax Museum and visitor's center.
At J/T there is a visitor's center at the base of Park st. The rock formations are like the moon or a distant planet.
I can say that the highways in the areas of both these parks are very good.
With a teenager, maybe look around some of the ghost towns in Nevada or Rachel, Nev. of area 51 fame.

Thanks for your ideas.

The history of Scotty's Castle is fascinating. However, whether it's worth a visit depends on how much time you have and whether you are willing to accept as a castle a place that isn't a castle.

For instance, the Hearst Castle isn't a castle, but it looks like it could be a castle whereas Scotty's Castle doesn't.

i think scotty's castle was definitly worth it. the tour was very interesting and not very expensive.
we stayed at the furnace creek ranch and like it. had groud floors with a walk out patio. the pool was nice.
the furnace creek inn gets great reviews but it's significantly more expensive.
if you are driving up from san fran, you could always stop in tahoe for a few days. vegas is very close and palm springs/joshua tree are great places (but that may be too hot for you too)