utahtea

I know that the original poster said they weren't hiking in Death Valley but if you have car failure you will be exposed to the heat. While it might be just as hot in Las Vegas you have good cell phone coverage on the interstate and you can't always say that about Death Valley. I personally wouldn't want to make this decision for anyone who had heart problems.

Utahtea

spirobulldog

I think everyone will end up hating the place(even without car failure), when in fact it's a great place to explore. I've always said it's the one national park that surprised me the most. However, just driving through it wouldn't be much fun, IMOP.
I would imagine that someone would stop and help you if your car failed. But I was just giving my opinion.
Yes, I'm aware of how the place got it's name, but it's still the hottest place on the planet. It's also pretty isolated with no real help except for a helicopter. Your going to be waiting a long time for an ambulance, in other words.

janisj

dbdurand: Yes - i do know where the name came from. That doesn't change the fact that people die in Death Valley. And if you read the OP - they have at least one and probably two people w/ heart problems, and VERY young child. We aren't talking 20 somethings who can take a little heat.

What are the chances they'd have car trouble(?) - not very high. But the risks are just too high IMO. Would others help if there was a problem -- sure. But would the help arrive before something serious happened?

Risk / reward? Too much risk for practically no reward (due to not being able to get out of the car to explore)

elizzie4000

I'm with those that say driving through Death Valley in the middle of July isn't a great idea. I was there with family in April and there were already 90 degree days. Even then it wasn't pleasant being outside.

I know the OP just wants to drive through but as been said I don't think there's anything much in it when the weather is so hot that you can't have a look around. I was even concerned about our car overheading, frankly. There were places we didn't see another car forever. It would have been terrible if you had broken down.

I would take the most direct route to Las Vegas and have it done with. I just think the desert is the place to be in the middle of summer especially for people who aren't familiar like some here are.

elnap29

I love Death Valley, have been there many times, but I would never even drive through it in the summer. (It is best when you can get out of the car and hike - best between November and April 10 at the latest).
By the way, you cannot really drive to Zabriskie Point; you have to hike up a hill to get to the viewpoint - unwise in the summer.

Please consider a faster route to Las Vegas.

Debs

This may sound crazy, but have an extra car key with you. Hubby and I have driven thru DV twice (never in the summer heat), and at one stop, the car key fell out of his pocket ... we were very lucky to have found it!

Drive safely and be smart. Have cell phones handy and tell someone which route you'll be taking. Other posters have provided excellent advice, which should be listened to.

Harit

Responding little late, but thanks for all your response. As planned we did visit Death valley on 19th July. It was just awesome. It was 118F on that day, but trust me it is not like you can't survive or enjoy. Actually heat in LV was worst then what we felt in Death Valley.

Btw.. we didn't just drive through DV. We stopped at Sand dunes, Zabarskie Point, Badwater and Artist's plate. My parents loved it, for my 5 yr old everything was "colored rocks" done by god

Special thanks to WhereAreWe, HappyTrailsToYou and dbdurand. Your guidance really helped. Next time I will go to DV in winter. I will definitely take your opinion.

rjasnumberonefan

So glad everyone enjoyed their visit. After my visit this Spring, I will definitely return in the Winter and enjoy it to its fullest.

logandog

"It's not the heat it's the humidity."
Humidity is something Death Valley lacks.
.