Death Valley is located in the south eastern part of
California, nestled right up against the Nevada border. Its the largest
National Park in the lower 48 states and you can get to it a variety of
ways.
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If you fly, your closest major airport is Las Vegas's McCarran
International Airport about 100 miles away from the eastern/southern
park entrance. You can rent a car in Las Vegas and then drive. Death
Valley is about 10 hours from the San Francisco Bay Area and about 5
hours from the Los Angeles area.
If you enter the park from the eastern Sierra Nevada coming down
the 395 you will take the turnoff to Death Valley just south of
Lone Pine. From
this junction its about 104 miles to the actual park.
This is highway 136 which meets up with and turns into highway
190 which goes through Panamint Springs which is the "false"
Death Valley. |
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The
high point on this road is about 5000 feet at Towne Pass. From this pass
its mostly downhill to Death Valley - culminating in a very long stretch
of downhill section to Stove Pipe wells, which is the park entrance. The
road from Lone Pine is a very good road - there are several windy
sections closer to Death Valley but also many long straight sections.
One some of the windy sections be careful as sometimes there can be rock
fall in the road.
If it is a very warm day you will really start noticing the extremely
hot weather when you reach Panamint Springs. There are signs on several
sections of the 190 highway recommending you turn off your air
conditioning to avoid overheating. Radiator water is also located in
several sections closer to the actual Stove Pipe Wells park entrance.
Another entrance to the park is from the south through the small town of
Shoshone. From Shoshone its about a 2.5 hour drive to Las Vegas.
At press time it costs $10 to get into Death Valley. There are self pay
kiosks at the ranger station at Stove Pipe wells (on the north side of
the road), at the Furnace Creek Visitors Center (which is on the west
side of Highway 190, at the Beatty Ranger Station, on the south side of
the Badwater parking lot next to the 2 bathrooms, and at Grapevine which
is the small entrance station before you get to Scotty's castle. These
kiosks accept cash and also major credit cards - they are designed to be
functional 24/7. Note, that Grapevine and Stovepipe Wells are well
within the park and often there will be a ranger at the Grapevine
entrance station located in the middle of the road.
As you drive throughout the park when you reach sea level you will see
signs marking that occasion, as well as signs when you reach -100 and
-200. |
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