24 Hours in Death Valley National Park

Are you ready for the ultimate national park-adox? Death Valley brought us back to life!

We took a much needed retreat to the hottest, lowest place in North America over the last weekend of February (‘22) and came away with a whole different perspective on one of the country’s most often overlooked national parks. This was our first trip to a national park of the year, and now that James is back to his fully capable ambulating we were finally able to get out on the trails a bit, too. Late winter/early spring is an ideal time to go to the Valley, as you’ll be able to avoid the 1. heat and 2. crowds, but you’ll also have a chance to 3. see the flowers in full bloom before the deathly heat comes to fry them in their place.

If you come in on the western side of the valley like us, you’ll be driving through Stovepipe Wells to pay the entrance fee or grab a map (if you’re already carrying your annual NP Pass), then making your way on to the Mesquite Dunes. We felt like little kids running around the Dunes nearing sunset. When you get there, go ahead and take your shoes off, bring a little snack and your journal, and head out for the furthest dune - it’ll only take you about 45 minutes to get to your own peak with no other humans anywhere near. With almost no wind chill and the sun bouncing its setting rays off of the white sand, this is a perfect spot for some evening bliss.

Once we’d packed in for the night after visiting the dunes, we found our campsite up the road and off of Daylight Pass Road, just outside of the park to the north. One of the best parts about showing up to a campsite after dark is the total surprise we’re afforded when we pop our head out of the tent for the first time in the morning.

Right after wake-up stretches, we headed for Devil’s Course, an epically serene scene perfectly situated in the middle of the valley. Not to mention, this is one of the least trafficked spots in the park, despite its proximity to Furnace Creek and the other main tourist attractions. We took a few moments, stumbled out into the crystal rock/salt formations, and meditated on the silent surroundings. The silence in Death Valley is a different one than you’ve ever heard or felt before - it’s as if you’ve suddenly found yourself in a vacuum of sound. Unless who you’re trying to hear is facing you directly, chances are you probably won’t hear them.

Another thing we noted when we were standing there, in awe, was just how other-worldly this place is. When we go to places as unique as Death Valley, this is often the first thought on our mind: “It feels like we’re on another planet!” We just aren’t accustomed to surroundings like this is most of our daily human lives. In another world, we certainly were… until another sedan pulled up to the parking stop for Devil’s Golf Course and we were lassoed back down to reality.

Energized by a highly memorable meditation moment, we kept moving onward toward the continent’s absolute lowest point - Badwater Basin (282 ft. below sea level). This is one of the more heavily trafficked areas of the park, but well worth the extra few steps to make it out past where the salty “path” ends and where the tectonic-plate-like earth formations begin to take over. This also happens to be where everyone else starts to turn back toward their car. The peace and solitude we felt walking out into the true deepest depths of land in the entirety of North America will be hard to duplicate.

Deeper and deeper, happier and happier.

Our last stop on the 24-Hour Train was to a photographer’s wet dream, an Instagrammer’s delight, an aesthetically invigorating adult playground - the Artist’s Palette. Like Badwater Basin, this is a fairly heavily trafficked area compared to others, though the park in its entirety is one of the least trafficked we’ve been to thus far. Rather than settling for a picture from the parking lot’s nearby perch of the pastel walls of mountain, we decided to venture up into the crags and crevices to see if we could some more of that playful bliss we’d been running into. We took our seat on top of a giant purple hill overlooking the car lot and all the colorful formations beneath us. We found more silence. We also began to realize how little wildlife there is to be seen or heard in the Valley. Many of the insects and birds we’re so used to recognizing in the greener locales we’ve visited were simply nowhere to be found. One could imagine how desolate and difficult it might be to survive more than a couple of hours in the heat of a sweltering July day, for any living being.

Overall, we had an incredible full day in Death Valley National Park- one we’ll likely never forget. Number 11 checked off the list, and we’re only just beginning this year of exploration and adventure!

If you haven’t already, check out the newest line of products which we launched in conjunction with our trip out to the Valley. We put our heart and soul into these designs, made sure their ecological footprint was minimal, and think they’re cute as sh*t, too. Plus, every one of your purchases plants a tree with the National Forest Foundation! A win-win-win-win. Thank you for supporting us. We love y’all.

Last but certainly not least, check out our TikToks from this trip to Death Valley. We regularly upload new, fun footage from our travels there, so make sure you’re following us there, as well as on our Instagram.