 |
| The road through the desert... |
These days social media, particularly Instagram, is filled with things like Throwback Thursdays (#tbt), Flashback Fridays, Travel Tuesdays and so on. All these inspire people to take a look back at their favourite travel moments - sometimes trips dating far back and other times just to reminisce the more recent ones - with the goal of sharing them with their audience. As a big fan of all travel related inspirations, I also love looking back at all the trips we've taken, and in particular the ones we made before it became rather a norm to blog or share real-time visualisations about them.
So, in the name of all this, let's take a trip down memory lane to our American road trip (dating back to September 2009) that took us through a vast desert, changing mountain landscapes and eventually the seaside - I can't even remember the final mileage but let's just say it was a big number.
So, in the name of all this, let's take a trip down memory lane to our American road trip (dating back to September 2009) that took us through a vast desert, changing mountain landscapes and eventually the seaside - I can't even remember the final mileage but let's just say it was a big number.
Also, let's raise a glass to the good old Chevy that got us around safely, to that highway patrol that decided not to charge us for speeding just because my dad was getting grey hair as it is (!?) and to all the stunning landscapes we got to wonder along some of the classic roads like the Route 66 and the Highway 1.
That being said, here's the part of our road trip that took us through the hottest desert in North America and with 3.4 million acres the biggest national park outside Alaska!
{Other parts will follow...But for now, off we go - Tips & links at the bottom of the page!}
SHOSHONE
 |
| A literal ghost town we spent a night in... |
ENTRANCE TO DEATH VALLEY
BADWATER BASIN
DEVILS GOLF COURSE
GOLDEN CANYON
ZABRISKIE POINT
SAND DUNES
WEST-END OF THE NATIONAL PARK
{All pictures @ Voyages of Discovery}
TIPS & LINKS
Some practical tips:
- Make sure you have plenty of water (we stacked about 4-5 gallons in the trunk) - you'll drink it eventually anyway. Also, it's good to have some spare food too, because even if you're able to male purchases in some places like the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, it can still come in handy.
- Depending on what time of the year you travel, but generally it gets very hot during the day so start your day early. In September we still reached some 115F (a good 46°C) around the noon. Especially if you're thinking of doing any hiking! The "best" hiking season is from October to April. Keep in mind that this kind of hot deserts have an extreme climate; days are hot and nights can be very cold.
- Protect your skin, always carry a hat and other clothing in your vehicle. Even if you wouldn't be doing any extreme hiking, you ought to have proper shoes with you.
- Enjoy the amazing scenery of this 3.4 million acres wilderness, respectfully.
Our Route
Crossing Death Valley from southeast to west, total mileage about 160 miles, 260 km.
Approach: Coming from Las Vegas on Freeway 15 (Barstow/Mojave Fwy), turning at the Baker junction to Death Valley Road (127) and continuing till Shoshone.
Entering the National Park: Just after Shoshone take a left turn on Jubilee Pass Rd (178). It's a beautiful drive and it takes you right to the Badwater Basin, which makes a good first stop. Continuing the same road (now called Badwater Rd) you reach the Devils Golf Course next, followed by the Golden Canyon. They are all located a few kilometers from each other and you can't really miss them! Shortly after leaving the Golden Canyon the Badwater Rd comes to an end and merges with the 190. At this crossroad you need to make a right turn in order to get to the Zabriskie Point - it makes a small drive back and forth but it's definitely worth it. Afterwards following the 190 takes you to Furnace Creek Visitor Center where you can find restaurants, shops, accommodation, camp ground, gas station, post office etc. - This is the place to fill up on anything you might be missing at this point.
Western exit: A small drive along the 190 from Furnace Creek takes you to the Sand Dunes, and further along the same road you follow a little mountain pass to exit the National Park to Lone Pine (in case you need a town) or straight to the U.S. Highway 395.
Another scenic road tip: We continued crossing the Sierras the same day so we drove the 395 south till Indian Dwells where we took a right turn on 178 towards Lake Isabella. It's such a scenic drive and the lake area is a delight itself! From Lake Isabella we got on the narrower 155 via Wofford Hights and continued through the Greenhorn Mountain Park. Somewhere around Glennville and Woody the landscape had already changed so many times that this drive had become one of our favourites! We followed the 155 all the way till Delano where we then continued to our destination, Visalia - Our base camp for Sequoia National Forest.
Read more about Death Valley National Park here.
0 comments