Death Valley Trip Report
Feb 27th, 2004 | 03:27 PM
#1
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Joined: Jan 2003
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Death Valley Trip Report
Hi,
We just got back from Death Valley, and thought I would jot down a few things while things are still fresh in my memory.
We stayed at Stovepipe wells village in their standard room. As many of you at Fodors have said, the rooms are very plain and unattractive but their location is what makes people stay there. The standard rooms don?t have a TV, phone or even an alarm clock. While we were aware that there were no TVs, we did not know about the alarm clock, which did put a slight damper on our trip. They do have a wake up service where the security guy comes and knocks on the door, but they don?t always maintain good time.
The next day we made our way to Zabriskie's point for sunrise, and then headed to Dante's view. When we arrived at Death Valley, we were told that the road to Dante's View and artist's drive were closed due to recent rains and flooding. However, the park rangers informed us that the roads were open though the official bulletin said the opposite. The views from dante's peak were great though there was a lot of fog and clouds. There were also very high winds and we literally froze even in our warm jackets!
Later in the afternoon, we decided to hike golden Canyon, which I would recommend to everyone, and consider one of the best parts of the trip. To make the most of the hike, I would suggest going beyond the interpretive trail which ends after a mile into the canyon. We went further along (about .25 miles) towards the red cathedral. Once you reach the base of the red cathedral, you can go further through stoned archways up the red rock. You then reach a point which has red rocks towering all around you. At that point, we decided to climb just a little further on a mound up there, and I should say I saw one of the most spectacular views ever! Unfortunately, there are no marked trails at this point, so you have to sort of just follow your instinct. I tried searching on the web if there is any mention of this trail and I found this single web page which I suspect has a picture of the place I mentioned, though it does not nearly captue the almost 360 degree views that you get.
http://members.toast.net/bernhardts/photos.htm
It is the eleventh picture in the list on the website.
The next day, we wanted to go to the sand dunes during sunrise, but we were not woken up in time, and missed it. Anyway, the sand dunes were sort of wet due to excessive rains this season, which is something to look out for.
All in all, it is a great place, quite unique and different from your "normal" national park, and you really feel the power of nature and get to admire its creation.
If you have any questions about our trip, I would be glad to share my experiences with you.
Kathy
We just got back from Death Valley, and thought I would jot down a few things while things are still fresh in my memory.
We stayed at Stovepipe wells village in their standard room. As many of you at Fodors have said, the rooms are very plain and unattractive but their location is what makes people stay there. The standard rooms don?t have a TV, phone or even an alarm clock. While we were aware that there were no TVs, we did not know about the alarm clock, which did put a slight damper on our trip. They do have a wake up service where the security guy comes and knocks on the door, but they don?t always maintain good time.
The next day we made our way to Zabriskie's point for sunrise, and then headed to Dante's view. When we arrived at Death Valley, we were told that the road to Dante's View and artist's drive were closed due to recent rains and flooding. However, the park rangers informed us that the roads were open though the official bulletin said the opposite. The views from dante's peak were great though there was a lot of fog and clouds. There were also very high winds and we literally froze even in our warm jackets!
Later in the afternoon, we decided to hike golden Canyon, which I would recommend to everyone, and consider one of the best parts of the trip. To make the most of the hike, I would suggest going beyond the interpretive trail which ends after a mile into the canyon. We went further along (about .25 miles) towards the red cathedral. Once you reach the base of the red cathedral, you can go further through stoned archways up the red rock. You then reach a point which has red rocks towering all around you. At that point, we decided to climb just a little further on a mound up there, and I should say I saw one of the most spectacular views ever! Unfortunately, there are no marked trails at this point, so you have to sort of just follow your instinct. I tried searching on the web if there is any mention of this trail and I found this single web page which I suspect has a picture of the place I mentioned, though it does not nearly captue the almost 360 degree views that you get.
http://members.toast.net/bernhardts/photos.htm
It is the eleventh picture in the list on the website.
The next day, we wanted to go to the sand dunes during sunrise, but we were not woken up in time, and missed it. Anyway, the sand dunes were sort of wet due to excessive rains this season, which is something to look out for.
All in all, it is a great place, quite unique and different from your "normal" national park, and you really feel the power of nature and get to admire its creation.
If you have any questions about our trip, I would be glad to share my experiences with you.
Kathy
Feb 27th, 2004 | 07:27 PM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,739
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Thanks for the great report! I'm soo envious! We spent only one day in Death Valley, mostly because it was 122 degrees in the middle of july! (better to see it then, than not at all, kwim?)
But we were so intriqued by its uniqueness and hope to return again...preferably not in the middle of summer.
Feb 28th, 2004 | 10:17 AM
#4
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 13
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I am glad you guys found this useful. They told me that they have the maximum number of visitors in summer, which is not a good time to go because of the heat. Spring and fall are probably the best times to go. We were also there for just a day, I hope we can go there again.
Another thing that I forgot to mention earlier is that they have three types of rooms at stovepipe: patio, standard, and deluxe. When I tried to book online, it was only for the deluxe rooms which is $99. When I called them, they said they had a standard and deluxe, and I booked the standard for $79. After we checked in at stovepipe, we found the guy mention a total of $64 to another person who was checking out. I then found out about the patio rooms which are $59, which were still vacant. They never told me about it earlier. I think the patio rooms are slightly smaller and may not have a window. But considering that the standard rooms aren't much different, you can at least save $20 a night.
Kathy
Another thing that I forgot to mention earlier is that they have three types of rooms at stovepipe: patio, standard, and deluxe. When I tried to book online, it was only for the deluxe rooms which is $99. When I called them, they said they had a standard and deluxe, and I booked the standard for $79. After we checked in at stovepipe, we found the guy mention a total of $64 to another person who was checking out. I then found out about the patio rooms which are $59, which were still vacant. They never told me about it earlier. I think the patio rooms are slightly smaller and may not have a window. But considering that the standard rooms aren't much different, you can at least save $20 a night.
Kathy
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