Located within the desolate land of the northern Mojave Desert, Death Valley National Park shows off a history of extreme geologic forces that land, sea, volcano, and fault lines have modified over time. This park has some extremes – from the salt flats of Badwater Basin at 282 feet below sea level, to the Telescope Peak which measures 11,049 feet in elevation, and everything in between – sand dunes, colorful canyons, rock formations, and waterfalls.
Our family visited Death Valley National Park in November of 2019, enjoying this park over 3 days of our Thanksgiving Break. During our time exploring the park, our family stayed in the Stovepipe Wells area of the park, at the Stovepipe Wells Village. Although the accommodations were sparse, we enjoyed the clean space and restaurant on site, as well as the property’s convenient location within the park
On our first full day in Death Valley National Park, we first set out to explore the saltwater flats at Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. The kids loved touching the salt there, and we were all able to walk out on the flats to experience them first-hand.
Our next destination in Death Valley National Park was “Devil’s Golf Course,” which is not, in fact, a real golf course, but instead an amazing expanse of spiky salt crystals formed into jagged pinnacles. This is an other-worldly sight to behold.
We continued on our way, driving through the park, and even spotted a coyote up close. The kids loved heckling this poor animal as we cruised by. We drove Artist’s Drive, stopping at Artist’s Palette and taking the short walk to an incredible viewpoint that really showed off the array of colors within the rock of the park.
Our family continued on through the national park, to our next destination, the trailhead for the hike to “Golden Canyon.” At just a little less than 3 miles roundtrip, this hike was one of our favorites in Death Valley. We headed first into the mouth of a side canyon of the valley and along a gravel wash and, eventually, the canyon opened to the badlands.
Finally, as the day closed, we headed to Zabriskie Point to enjoy sunset there. The views are incredible, and we would definitely recommend trying to visit during sunrise or sunset to get the full experience of this breathtaking panorama.
The next morning, we woke up and headed to the trailhead to Mosaic Canyon, where we planned to hike for the morning. This trail, at 3.5 miles roundtrip, is a great hike for all ages, and takes you through the beautiful rock formations of a gorgeous canyon. If your kids like to climb, this is your spot, as there are many rocks along the way that are perfect for rock scrambling.
That evening, after a crazy sandstorm in the late afternoon, we headed out to catch the sunset, and to explore the Mesquite Sand Dunes, located near the Stovepipe Wells Village where we were staying. The kids had aspirations of “sledding” on the dunes, which didn’t work out as they had hoped, especially using only cardboard. This was such a fun memory, regardless, and we were all laughing hysterically watching the kids sled on the dunes. By sundown, they were absolutely COVERED in sand. It was a wonderful night to close out our time in this stunning park.
