TR: yk+preteen 1 week in sunny Boulder City + Death Valley Feb 2025
Mar 5th, 2025 | 10:43 AM
#21
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Joined: Jan 2004
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Thanks so much!!! That seals the deal for me--I need to begin thinking about a trip out West...maybe fly to Las Vegas and drive from there.
Your photos are so beautiful.
So to clarify, Furnace Creek Resort is now named THE RESORT AT DEATH VALLEY, and encompasses both the INN and the separate RANCH??
Do they both use the same pool?
Your photos are so beautiful.
So to clarify, Furnace Creek Resort is now named THE RESORT AT DEATH VALLEY, and encompasses both the INN and the separate RANCH??
Do they both use the same pool?
The ranch is the cheaper one, and is also a lot bigger in size in terms of having the "town squarer" there. The town square has several eateries, including a Saloon, the 1849 buffet restaurant, and the ice cream shop that also has fast food. There are also a General Store, an outfitter shop (for renting bikes etc), and a more upscale shop. The post office and the Borax museum is also there, in addition to tennis court, golf course, and a pool.
If you want A+ luxury, then I think the Inn will provide that, but for all the other services (tennis court, golf course etc), you will need to drive over to the Ranch for them.
If you don't want to pay the Inn prices but can afford a bit more, I highly recommend the new Cottages at the Ranch. We walked there just to check them out (from the outside) and I really like them. They are off to the side so a bit more quiet (if you can request the ones away from the main road, but also away from the town square). The upside is it's in the Ranch complex so you are much closer to the various restaurants and golf course / tennis etc. If I were to return to DV, I would stay at the cottages next time.
https://www.oasisatdeathvalley.com/lodging/cottages/
Mar 5th, 2025 | 11:18 AM
#22
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Joined: Jan 2004
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Day 6 - 🥾
Day 6 (Saturday) - more hiking in DV
After our in-room breakfast, we spent our morning near StovePipe Wells area. Our first stop was the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. We were told to go first thing in the morning before too many people trample on the sand, but of course, there were still leftover footprints from the previous days. We got there around 9am and there was only a v small crowd. There are no designated trails there; you can walk wherever you want. Most people give up after 1/4 mile or so; others will hike to the tallest dune which is 1 mile. 1 mile doesn't sound far, except when you are walking on sand and up and down undulating dunes; it is QUITE a workout! I'm glad I brought my hiking poles. We veered off to a different direction where there are undisturbed dunes so we can photograph the ripples in the sand. We probably walked 3/4 mile out and back (1.5 miles total). By the time we returned, an hour later, there were more people.
Our next stop was the big hike of the day - Mosaic Canyon. To get to the trailhead, you have to drive on an unpaved road for 2 miles. Our small SUV was okay but it was slow going as it's v bumpy (and with it being a rental, I don't want to damange the car). The hike is "only" 4 miles out-and-back. What I failed to notice beforehand is that there is a 1200 ft elevation gain in the 2miles to get there! It was certainly quite an uphill slog the whole way. The first 1/3 to 1/2 of the trek is very pretty, and you really appreciate the stone formation "why it's called mosaic". The canyon is v pretty. The middle section is a bit boring, and the last part is more for fun - as you will hit a boulder jam at 1.3 mile which requires quite a bit of climbing and scrambling. Then you will reach a dryfall which looks inpenetrable, but there is a detour to by pass the fall. At the end of the trail is a 25' dryfall. It took us 2'15" to do this hike; 2/3 of the time was going up; 1/3 was coming down.
We didn't pack lunch today because I said we can splruge and eat at the Toll Road restaurant at Stove Pipe Wells. Lunch took a long time because they are understaffed... we waited over 10 minutes before someone seated us. We almost left! Anyway, my son got their pizza and I had the Bison burger ($54). The food was good, though quite possibly we were very hungry at that point. The 12" pizza is pretty thick crust so we took half of it home. It was already 2:30pm by the time we left.
After the 2 hikes in the morning, we were super beat so we went back to our hotel room for a siesta. (our other option was to drive the 20 mule canyon drive but I was too tired to do so. Another option was to go to the Furnace Creek Visitors center to check out the Dark Sky Festival EXPO) I took a much-needed nap in the room, while my son worked on his junior ranger book for DV, and also wrote postcards to family and friends.
Around 4:45pm we set off for Zabriskie point, probably the most famous spot in Death Valley National Park, to watch sunset. This is our 3rd sunset in DV, and I gotta say, this is by far our most fav spot for it because of the surrounding landscape. So much so that my son actually agreed to wake up early the next morning to come back for sunrise! We hung out at Zabriskie Point for about 45 minutes before heading back to our room, where we ate the leftover pizza for dinner.
After dinner, we set off to the Town Square, to the General Store to buy our souvernir (xmas ornament), then to the Post Office to mail postcards, and then shared another huckleberry ice cream ($9.7, 2 scoops), and finally out back in the dark golf course for our last stargazing opportunity, as we leave the next morning.
After our in-room breakfast, we spent our morning near StovePipe Wells area. Our first stop was the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. We were told to go first thing in the morning before too many people trample on the sand, but of course, there were still leftover footprints from the previous days. We got there around 9am and there was only a v small crowd. There are no designated trails there; you can walk wherever you want. Most people give up after 1/4 mile or so; others will hike to the tallest dune which is 1 mile. 1 mile doesn't sound far, except when you are walking on sand and up and down undulating dunes; it is QUITE a workout! I'm glad I brought my hiking poles. We veered off to a different direction where there are undisturbed dunes so we can photograph the ripples in the sand. We probably walked 3/4 mile out and back (1.5 miles total). By the time we returned, an hour later, there were more people.
Our next stop was the big hike of the day - Mosaic Canyon. To get to the trailhead, you have to drive on an unpaved road for 2 miles. Our small SUV was okay but it was slow going as it's v bumpy (and with it being a rental, I don't want to damange the car). The hike is "only" 4 miles out-and-back. What I failed to notice beforehand is that there is a 1200 ft elevation gain in the 2miles to get there! It was certainly quite an uphill slog the whole way. The first 1/3 to 1/2 of the trek is very pretty, and you really appreciate the stone formation "why it's called mosaic". The canyon is v pretty. The middle section is a bit boring, and the last part is more for fun - as you will hit a boulder jam at 1.3 mile which requires quite a bit of climbing and scrambling. Then you will reach a dryfall which looks inpenetrable, but there is a detour to by pass the fall. At the end of the trail is a 25' dryfall. It took us 2'15" to do this hike; 2/3 of the time was going up; 1/3 was coming down.
We didn't pack lunch today because I said we can splruge and eat at the Toll Road restaurant at Stove Pipe Wells. Lunch took a long time because they are understaffed... we waited over 10 minutes before someone seated us. We almost left! Anyway, my son got their pizza and I had the Bison burger ($54). The food was good, though quite possibly we were very hungry at that point. The 12" pizza is pretty thick crust so we took half of it home. It was already 2:30pm by the time we left.
After the 2 hikes in the morning, we were super beat so we went back to our hotel room for a siesta. (our other option was to drive the 20 mule canyon drive but I was too tired to do so. Another option was to go to the Furnace Creek Visitors center to check out the Dark Sky Festival EXPO) I took a much-needed nap in the room, while my son worked on his junior ranger book for DV, and also wrote postcards to family and friends.
Around 4:45pm we set off for Zabriskie point, probably the most famous spot in Death Valley National Park, to watch sunset. This is our 3rd sunset in DV, and I gotta say, this is by far our most fav spot for it because of the surrounding landscape. So much so that my son actually agreed to wake up early the next morning to come back for sunrise! We hung out at Zabriskie Point for about 45 minutes before heading back to our room, where we ate the leftover pizza for dinner.
After dinner, we set off to the Town Square, to the General Store to buy our souvernir (xmas ornament), then to the Post Office to mail postcards, and then shared another huckleberry ice cream ($9.7, 2 scoops), and finally out back in the dark golf course for our last stargazing opportunity, as we leave the next morning.
Mar 5th, 2025 | 11:31 AM
#23
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Joined: Jan 2004
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Day 6 photos
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
Ripples of sand along sand dunes at Mesquite Flat
Start of hike into Mosaic Canyon
25' dryfall at the end of 2 miles (turnaround spot)
Sunset at Zabriskie Point (our favorite spot for sunset)
Sunset time at Zabriskie Point looking at Red Cathedral and Manly Beacon (on the left)
Mar 6th, 2025 | 06:22 AM
#25
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Joined: Jan 2004
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Day 7 & 8 - 🌋 then home
Day 7 (Sunday)
I was really surprised my son agreed to wake up early for sunrise at Zabriskie Point this AM. When we visited Yellowstone last summer, he slept in every day or he would be a complete grump monster. We set the alarm for 5:45am and arrived at Zabriskie Point by 6:10am. Not only Zabriskie Point (IMHO) has the best views, it is also so close to Furnace Creek... it's only a 5-min drive. Sunrise that morning is around 6:30am, though with mountains and such, it's hard to know for sure so best to arrive early. Once again, we stayed for about 45 minutes, watching the first light hit the distant Panamint mountain range, and gradually spread over the badlands and eventually light up Manly Beacon.
Back to our room for breakfast then loaded up our luaggage in the car. Our first stop is the Furnace Creek Visitors Center (8a-5p)so that my son can hand in his junior ranger booklet in exchange for his Jr Ranger badge (no. 52 he has collected!). In the VC park store, they have a small selection of sandwiches for sale. They are exactly the same ones as you can get at the General Store (7a-9p) but the prices are 1/3 cheaper at the visitors center ($7.50 vs $11). We picked up a sandwich for lunch later.
From there, we made the one-hr drive north to visit Ubehebe crater. I'm not sure if I've ever stared down into a volcanic crater (maybe when I visited Hawaii as a kid?) but definitely the first for my son. There is a 1.5-mile rim trail plus an optional additional 1/4 mile loop around Little Hebe. We opted to hike counter-clockwise, which I think is the preferred route. The first 1/4-1/3 is pretty steep uphill, but afterwards you get a gradual downhill completing the loop. The trail surface is loose volcanic gravel, which at times your feet will sink down quite a bit, so once again this is a bit of a workout and my hiking poles again came handy. It took us about an hour to complete the rim trail.
There is no service station at the Ubehebe crater parking lot (ie, no restrooms, no benches), so we drove a few minutes back to the Grapevine Ranger Station. Although the station is closed (it's a small building), there is a shaded area with ledges to sit on, plus restrooms with running water. We ate our picnic lunch there in the shade.
Refueled, it is time to leave Death Valley National Park; we left on a different route than we came in from. We came in on Rt 190 via Death Valley Junction. Heading out, we took Rt 374 and stopped at the ghost town Rhyolite. We checked out the Bottle House, the train depot, and drove past the other ghost buildings. Continuing on Rt 374 we headed for Beatty, NV, but not before a group of wild burros blocking the road requiring us to drive around them on the shoulder. Originally I was planning to stop in Beatty for lunch, but since we would be eating out that evening, I opted for our quick picnic sandwich instead (to save on $ and time). We did have to stop in Beatty to fill gas, and ran into 2 additional burros at the gas station rummaging the trash receptacles for food. Of note, we did not have to get gas during the 3 days inside DVNP where gas > $6/gallon.
From Beatty, it was a rather dull drive on Rt 95 all the way back to Las Vegas airport to return our rental car. At the rental car garage, I called our airport hotel and thankfully they are able to send the hotel shuttle straight to the rental car center to pick us up. On this Sunday afternoon, the lines for the airport shuttle between the rental car center and the airport terminal were 100s people deep. If we had to return to the terminal first to take the hotel shuttle, it would easily add another hour standing in line.
For our final night, we stayed at the newly-opened Hampton Inn Las Vegas Strip South on Giles Street. I picked this because I'm a Hilton Honors member, and this Hampton Inn is pretty close to the airport and provides 24-hr airport shuttle. Our flight home the next day is 7:30am so that is why I chose to return the rental car the day before, so all we need to do on departure morning is get on the hotel shuttle for the terminal.
Dinner that night was Bootlegger, which is a short walk from the hotel. What I hadn't anticipate was how popular the place is. We were told without a reservation, it would be a 45-min wait. Luckily, they have a take-out "counter" at the back of the building, and when we went there, it turns out the "counter" actually has a small table there (plus several outdoor tables but it is a bit chilly). We asked if we could eat at that table and the staff said not a problem, in fact, they were super nice to us. And our food was ready in < 10 minutes. We shared a house salad and a Pappardelle Bolognese, and it came with free garlic bread knots with marinara sauce ($48). We saved the garlic bread for next day. By the time we were done, it was about the time we would finally be seated if we were to wait in the main dining room.
Day 8 (Monday)
As I mentioned earlier, our flight home was at 7:30am. We booked the airport shuttle for 5:30am (it runs every 30 minutes but they ask you to "reserve" so they are sure there's enough room in the van). The shuttle services 3 Hilton properties within that block - the Garden Inn, Home 2 Suites, and the Hampton Inn. Us flying JetBlue from T3, we were first to disembark. The whole trip took just 10 minutes. We grabbed the to-go breakfast bags when we checked out, and had plenty of time to eat our breakfast by our gate. Unfortunately one of the FAs called out sick on so our flight was delayed 90 minutes until another FA got called in. Flight home was uneventful, and it took another 90 minutes for us to get home via public transit
~ that's all folks , and thank you for reading ~
I will post a bit more later on my thoughts, hotel reviews, and total costs etc.
I was really surprised my son agreed to wake up early for sunrise at Zabriskie Point this AM. When we visited Yellowstone last summer, he slept in every day or he would be a complete grump monster. We set the alarm for 5:45am and arrived at Zabriskie Point by 6:10am. Not only Zabriskie Point (IMHO) has the best views, it is also so close to Furnace Creek... it's only a 5-min drive. Sunrise that morning is around 6:30am, though with mountains and such, it's hard to know for sure so best to arrive early. Once again, we stayed for about 45 minutes, watching the first light hit the distant Panamint mountain range, and gradually spread over the badlands and eventually light up Manly Beacon.
Back to our room for breakfast then loaded up our luaggage in the car. Our first stop is the Furnace Creek Visitors Center (8a-5p)so that my son can hand in his junior ranger booklet in exchange for his Jr Ranger badge (no. 52 he has collected!). In the VC park store, they have a small selection of sandwiches for sale. They are exactly the same ones as you can get at the General Store (7a-9p) but the prices are 1/3 cheaper at the visitors center ($7.50 vs $11). We picked up a sandwich for lunch later.
From there, we made the one-hr drive north to visit Ubehebe crater. I'm not sure if I've ever stared down into a volcanic crater (maybe when I visited Hawaii as a kid?) but definitely the first for my son. There is a 1.5-mile rim trail plus an optional additional 1/4 mile loop around Little Hebe. We opted to hike counter-clockwise, which I think is the preferred route. The first 1/4-1/3 is pretty steep uphill, but afterwards you get a gradual downhill completing the loop. The trail surface is loose volcanic gravel, which at times your feet will sink down quite a bit, so once again this is a bit of a workout and my hiking poles again came handy. It took us about an hour to complete the rim trail.
There is no service station at the Ubehebe crater parking lot (ie, no restrooms, no benches), so we drove a few minutes back to the Grapevine Ranger Station. Although the station is closed (it's a small building), there is a shaded area with ledges to sit on, plus restrooms with running water. We ate our picnic lunch there in the shade.
Refueled, it is time to leave Death Valley National Park; we left on a different route than we came in from. We came in on Rt 190 via Death Valley Junction. Heading out, we took Rt 374 and stopped at the ghost town Rhyolite. We checked out the Bottle House, the train depot, and drove past the other ghost buildings. Continuing on Rt 374 we headed for Beatty, NV, but not before a group of wild burros blocking the road requiring us to drive around them on the shoulder. Originally I was planning to stop in Beatty for lunch, but since we would be eating out that evening, I opted for our quick picnic sandwich instead (to save on $ and time). We did have to stop in Beatty to fill gas, and ran into 2 additional burros at the gas station rummaging the trash receptacles for food. Of note, we did not have to get gas during the 3 days inside DVNP where gas > $6/gallon.
From Beatty, it was a rather dull drive on Rt 95 all the way back to Las Vegas airport to return our rental car. At the rental car garage, I called our airport hotel and thankfully they are able to send the hotel shuttle straight to the rental car center to pick us up. On this Sunday afternoon, the lines for the airport shuttle between the rental car center and the airport terminal were 100s people deep. If we had to return to the terminal first to take the hotel shuttle, it would easily add another hour standing in line.
For our final night, we stayed at the newly-opened Hampton Inn Las Vegas Strip South on Giles Street. I picked this because I'm a Hilton Honors member, and this Hampton Inn is pretty close to the airport and provides 24-hr airport shuttle. Our flight home the next day is 7:30am so that is why I chose to return the rental car the day before, so all we need to do on departure morning is get on the hotel shuttle for the terminal.
Dinner that night was Bootlegger, which is a short walk from the hotel. What I hadn't anticipate was how popular the place is. We were told without a reservation, it would be a 45-min wait. Luckily, they have a take-out "counter" at the back of the building, and when we went there, it turns out the "counter" actually has a small table there (plus several outdoor tables but it is a bit chilly). We asked if we could eat at that table and the staff said not a problem, in fact, they were super nice to us. And our food was ready in < 10 minutes. We shared a house salad and a Pappardelle Bolognese, and it came with free garlic bread knots with marinara sauce ($48). We saved the garlic bread for next day. By the time we were done, it was about the time we would finally be seated if we were to wait in the main dining room.
Day 8 (Monday)
As I mentioned earlier, our flight home was at 7:30am. We booked the airport shuttle for 5:30am (it runs every 30 minutes but they ask you to "reserve" so they are sure there's enough room in the van). The shuttle services 3 Hilton properties within that block - the Garden Inn, Home 2 Suites, and the Hampton Inn. Us flying JetBlue from T3, we were first to disembark. The whole trip took just 10 minutes. We grabbed the to-go breakfast bags when we checked out, and had plenty of time to eat our breakfast by our gate. Unfortunately one of the FAs called out sick on so our flight was delayed 90 minutes until another FA got called in. Flight home was uneventful, and it took another 90 minutes for us to get home via public transit
~ that's all folks , and thank you for reading ~
I will post a bit more later on my thoughts, hotel reviews, and total costs etc.
Mar 6th, 2025 | 09:21 PM
#29
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,007
Likes: 0
A wonderful TR and beautiful photos. We visited the national park last year at the same time because the Night Sky Festival was also occurring. You brought back lots of great memories and reminded me how much we really liked the park. Although I'm not sure we've convinced some people, who say "Really?" when we describe DV, we thought it was truly amazing and beautiful. Glad you and your son enjoyed it, too.
Mar 6th, 2025 | 09:35 PM
#30
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,007
Likes: 0
Oops~ forgot to mention that your description and photos of Valley of Fire SP were also great. We spent a day there after we returned to Vegas for our last two nights. Unfortunately, we didn't get a very early start and ran out of time to hike as much s we would have liked. I think this is another under the radar park as people seem to mention Red Rocks more often.
Mar 7th, 2025 | 06:54 AM
#31
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 26,984
Likes: 0
Thoughts & hotel reviews
Thoughts
Overall, I am very happy with our choice of vacation for Feb, and am very pleased with how it worked out. The half-Lake Mead and half-Death Valley is a good balance for our 1-week trip. I was a bit hesitant WRT staying 3 nights in Boulder City ("is there enough to do there?") but it was just right. Do I regret not taking the Lake Mead cruise? Probably not much... I'm sure it is a pleasant outing, but I'm also happy to save $84. Another place we skipped in Boulder City is the Nevada Railroad Museum. From what I read, it's pretty small, and we possibly could have squeezed it in, given that my son is interested in trains. But I also think we didn't miss much by skipping it.
As for Death Valley, I also think 3 days/3 nights is a good duration, esp given Scotty's Castle is still closed, and Salt Creek is also closed atm. Without a 4x4, high clearance vehicle, there is a big swath of DV you can't get to. I think we hit majority of the easily-accessible spots. Even though I had read about DV, seen lots of photos and blogs about it, being there in person and seeing the colors and the landscape is still awe-inspiring. I can understand why some folks think there's "not much to see" in DV; it can be the case if you are just visiting it from inside a vehicle. The hikes we took added much more depth to our experience, and staying there and seeing the nightsky as well as sunrise and sunsets are all memorable. The Night Sky Festival we coincided with, didn't add too much to our trip, given that we skipped all its programming apart from the star party at night. The Festival drew a lot more visitors to DV that week, but we never felt "crowded" except at the Visitors Center parking lot. We had no trouble finding parking spots at all the sights and the trails never felt crowded. I actually like the fact that there are other hikers along the trail, so they can take photos of us, and also just making sure we are on the right track. It's just something I think about when I go alone with my son; I worry less about it when my husband comes along with us.
Hotel reviews are posted on Tripadvisor:
Best Western in Boulder City
Ranch at Furnace Creek
Hampton Inn South Strip Las Vegas
Overall, I am very happy with our choice of vacation for Feb, and am very pleased with how it worked out. The half-Lake Mead and half-Death Valley is a good balance for our 1-week trip. I was a bit hesitant WRT staying 3 nights in Boulder City ("is there enough to do there?") but it was just right. Do I regret not taking the Lake Mead cruise? Probably not much... I'm sure it is a pleasant outing, but I'm also happy to save $84. Another place we skipped in Boulder City is the Nevada Railroad Museum. From what I read, it's pretty small, and we possibly could have squeezed it in, given that my son is interested in trains. But I also think we didn't miss much by skipping it.
As for Death Valley, I also think 3 days/3 nights is a good duration, esp given Scotty's Castle is still closed, and Salt Creek is also closed atm. Without a 4x4, high clearance vehicle, there is a big swath of DV you can't get to. I think we hit majority of the easily-accessible spots. Even though I had read about DV, seen lots of photos and blogs about it, being there in person and seeing the colors and the landscape is still awe-inspiring. I can understand why some folks think there's "not much to see" in DV; it can be the case if you are just visiting it from inside a vehicle. The hikes we took added much more depth to our experience, and staying there and seeing the nightsky as well as sunrise and sunsets are all memorable. The Night Sky Festival we coincided with, didn't add too much to our trip, given that we skipped all its programming apart from the star party at night. The Festival drew a lot more visitors to DV that week, but we never felt "crowded" except at the Visitors Center parking lot. We had no trouble finding parking spots at all the sights and the trails never felt crowded. I actually like the fact that there are other hikers along the trail, so they can take photos of us, and also just making sure we are on the right track. It's just something I think about when I go alone with my son; I worry less about it when my husband comes along with us.
Hotel reviews are posted on Tripadvisor:
Best Western in Boulder City
Ranch at Furnace Creek
Hampton Inn South Strip Las Vegas
Mar 7th, 2025 | 01:31 PM
#33
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 26,984
Likes: 0
Costs
Thank you for all your kind comments!
Costs
Airfare: $738
Rental Car + Gas: $350
Lodging (7 nights): $1150
Sightseeing/tours: $330
Food: $400
Total: just under $3000
(in comparison, for Feb 2024, our 1-week trip to Tucson AZ was $3500 for the 2 of us. Feb 2023, a 5-day trip to Charleston SC was $2500.
and last Nov, a 3-d weekend trip to NYC for 3 of us was $3000)
Costs
Airfare: $738
Rental Car + Gas: $350
Lodging (7 nights): $1150
Sightseeing/tours: $330
Food: $400
Total: just under $3000
(in comparison, for Feb 2024, our 1-week trip to Tucson AZ was $3500 for the 2 of us. Feb 2023, a 5-day trip to Charleston SC was $2500.
and last Nov, a 3-d weekend trip to NYC for 3 of us was $3000)
Last edited by yk; Mar 7th, 2025 at 01:34 PM.
Mar 7th, 2025 | 08:58 PM
#34
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,331
Likes: 8
Fabulous TR yk. This is so cooool that you and your son do these trips together. It's Impressive, as is your research, which clearly pays off.
Really fabulous photos, makes me want to get back to DV. We spent a week there during a super-bloom and about 7 or 8 years ago. Really amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Really fabulous photos, makes me want to get back to DV. We spent a week there during a super-bloom and about 7 or 8 years ago. Really amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Mar 9th, 2025 | 11:50 AM
#37
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 66,354
Likes: 0
Mar 10th, 2025 | 06:16 AM
#38
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 26,984
Likes: 0
Thanks again for all the comments!
Wow, a superbloom would definitely be a sight to behold! Lucky you got to witness it.
I feel majority of Dark Sky Festival events are geared for (amateur) astronomers. There are lectures, and talks around the park. If you check out the website, you can see the day-to-day schedule (N.B. make a note of the schedule; they usually take it off line after some time. eg, last Fall, I wasn't able to find any schedule for 2024 as a reference)
https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvis...kyfestival.htm
We opted out of all the events except the star party. With out limited time in DV, we had barely enough time to do all our own exploring, so we wouldn't be able to fit in any of their daytime programs.
Fabulous TR yk. This is so cooool that you and your son do these trips together. It's Impressive, as is your research, which clearly pays off.
Really fabulous photos, makes me want to get back to DV. We spent a week there during a super-bloom and about 7 or 8 years ago. Really amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Really fabulous photos, makes me want to get back to DV. We spent a week there during a super-bloom and about 7 or 8 years ago. Really amazing. Thanks for sharing.
https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvis...kyfestival.htm
We opted out of all the events except the star party. With out limited time in DV, we had barely enough time to do all our own exploring, so we wouldn't be able to fit in any of their daytime programs.
