Lost in Death Valley

I have been working a lot recently and feeling a little stressed and overwhelmed. I have been craving a little adventure. I love the desert and Death Valley had been on my list for awhile so I thought it would be the perfect little roadtrip that I needed to reset. And I am so grateful that I finally got the opportunity to visit!

Death Valley is a far drive (5 hrs from LA) and there’s even more driving once you get there, but it’s totally worth it. I advise staying within the park (we stayed at The Ranch at Death Valley) to limit the amount of driving you would need to do and packing lots of snacks and food (and wine or whiskey) for your day trips, hikes, and picnics. Death Valley is so unique in that it has many contrasting sites and terrain. We walked along the rim of Ubehebe crater, hiked through Mosaic slot canyons, walked over salt flats under the blazing sun, climbed up a giant rock along Golden Canyon to enjoy a little picnic with a view, trekked down a mountainside at Zabriskie Point to find the perfect isolated spot to enjoy whiskey and charcuterie while watching the sunset, stargazed in the middle of nowhere, drove through a long windy road to see the colorful mountains of Artist’s Palette, hiked to Darwin’s waterfall, attempted to sand surf (it didn’t work lol), and ran up and down the massive Mesquite sand dunes. There were so many more places in Death Valley that I would have loved to have seen or spent more time at but we couldn’t fit it all in with all the driving involved. But in the 2 nights and 3 days we spent there, we did manage to see a lot! I was definitely a little achy and exhausted by the end of the trip, but it was worth it. I had the best time!