We were supposed to go to Death Valley for New Years, but opted to stay home because of the California stay at home order. When things finally opened back up again, we jumped at the chance to go. One of my favorite things about Death Valley was its remoteness, you can easily find solitude and truly get lost (in a good way). Here is a rough three day itinerary for your long weekend in Death Valley National Park with details on how to bring an electric vehicle.
Day 1
Drive to Death Valley
We left San Diego around 9am and arrived to Death Valley around 4pm. We went back and forth on whether or not to bring the Tesla. There are no superchargers in the park or very close to it. The closest superchargers are in Baker, Ridgecrest or Lone Pine. Eventually we read somewhere that one of the hotels in the park, The Ranch at Death Valley, has four free charging stations. They are powered by the hotels solar panels, taking advantage of that strong desert sun. Keep in mind that these are not supercharges and a full charge will take about eight hours. Once we found that out we decided to just go for it and bring the Tesla. We stopped in Baker for a full charge before heading into the park from the southeast end towards Furnace Creek. Once through the entrance of The Ranch at Death Valley, the chargers will be on the corner of Date Grove Road and Greenland Blvd across from the Borax Museum and the post office (see map below). There were never none available, so don’t worry about that.
Get a campsite at Texas Springs or Sunset campground
Texas Springs campground is supposed to be the best campground in the park. The campgrounds aren’t very glamorous here, they are mostly just gravel parking lots, but the bathrooms are nice and clean though. We read that Texas Springs would fill up by 7pm on Friday and overflow would go to Sunset campground. We arrived at 4pm and Texas Springs was already full, much to our disappointment. It worked in our favor though because Sunset campground was much closer to the hotel across the street where our car would be charging overnight.
This came in handy later that night when the wind picked up at midnight, waking us up. It was whipping our tent around and made it almost impossible to sleep. We knew the car would be fully charged by 1am, so at 1am my husband ran across the street to get the car. We quickly broke down the tent and set up our crash pad in the car. This was our first time car camping and we were thrilled to see that our double crash pad fit almost perfectly in the back of our Tesla Model Y. We even discovered that the car has a camping mode and regulates the temperature while you are sleeping. Camping mode used anywhere from 5-10% charge if used through the night.
Sunset at Artist’s Palette
After quickly setting up our tent and paying the campground fee, we booked it to Artist’s Palette for golden hour and sunset. Millions of years ago, repeated volcanic eruptions covered this area with ash and minerals. The colors of Artist’s Palette come from minerals that were chemically altered by heat and water, with the presence of oxygen and other elements. The vibrancy of the colors depends greatly on the lighting. The colors at Artist’s Palette are most vibrant in the hour leading up to sunset or at sunrise.
Day 2
Sunrise at Zabriskie Point or Dante’s View
We opted for sunrise at Zabriskie Point because we didn’t sleep great the night before (thank you wind) and it was closer to our campground. It was really cool to catch the full moon setting before the sun rose and lit up the mountain range and formations in front of us.
Hike Badwater Basin
The salt flats of Badwater Basin are a must-see when visiting Death Valley for the first time. You must leave the boardwalk and walk straight out to see the polygon salt formations. Go at sunrise or shortly after to beat the crowds and the heat. At 282 feet below sea level, Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America. One of my favorite things here was the sea level sign wedged into the mountainside (see above right picture). You could really get a feel for how low you really were.
Hike Golden Canyon or Sidewinder Canyon
Golden Canyon is a very popular hike in Death Valley, for this reason we opted for Sidewinder Canyon. It is a ways past Badwater Basin heading south. When we arrived at the parking lot it was a bit confusing as to where the trailhead was, so we just headed up into a canyon. So, we are not even sure if we really hiked Sidewinder Canyon. I would definitely download the trail map on AllTrails if you want to hike this one. On our way out a guy came up and asked us where the trail was, we couldn’t help him much, but at least we know we weren’t the only ones a little confused.
After this we headed back to The Ranch to rest and charge the car. While the car was charging we played cards, read a book, made lunch and had a few adult beverages. After charging our original plan was to backpack to Panamint Dunes and spend a night camping and stargazing on the dunes. But, because of the wind the night before, we decided to stop at the Visitor Center to ask about the wind forecast for the night. It was not good, gusts up to 45mph predicted, so we decided not to backpack. It would have been impossible to set up or break down a tent in strong winds. So instead, we car camped near the trailhead and hiked it early in the morning. Moral of the story, don’t rely on everything going as planned and always have a backup plan.
Day 3
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes or Panamint Dunes
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are the most popular dunes to visit in Death Valley National Park. They are right off the main road and very easy to get to. Always in search of no crowds, we opted to go to Panamint Dunes instead. To get there you need to drive 5 miles down a dirt road and hike 4 miles to the dunes. For the dirt road leading to the trailhead, it says you need a high-clearance car. After doing some research beforehand and reading stories of people doing it in a regular old sedan, we decided to go for it. It was totally doable in our Model Y, just at a slower pace with the off-road assist setting on. We had some people pass us on the dirt road and I think they were amused to see us off-roading in a Tesla.
We hiked in just after sunrise and much to my delight, we had the dunes all to ourselves! Panamint Dunes may seem small from far away, but once you get there you will be the one feeling small. Climbing the dunes is no easy task, but totally worth it when you reach the top! In the parking lot on our way out we ran into people who had backpacked it the night before. They said it was miserable, so we were pretty glad we didn’t do it.
Drive home
We headed out the west side of the park and charged the car in a small town right outside of Ridgecrest. Overall, I really loved Death Valley and definitely want to go back to explore more. It also felt pretty cool to have done it in an electric vehicle. We had some concerns that the Tesla might hold us back from seeing more of the park, but I’m happy to say that we had no regrets in bringing it and would definitely do it again!
When to go
Death Valley is one of the hottest places on Earth. The best time to visit is from fall to spring. Summer will be too hot in the basin, but is okay if you want to hike Telescope Peak. We went at the end of February, the high during the day was 73 and the low at night was 45. Be sure to bring plenty of water and stay hydrated.
If you plan on backpacking, be sure to get a free backcountry permit online or from a visitors center. There are also rules as to where you can car camp, for more information please visit the National Park Service website. Remember when visiting national parks to leave no trace.
If you liked this blog post, be sure to check out My Guide to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park! Don’t forget to book your trip with your favorite travel planner, yours truly.
