Find Your Oasis

Visit Death Valley National Park and Stay at the Ranch

10.24.2019
Oasis at Death Valley

Don’t let the name fool you. Death Valley has a completely new lodging experience that’s all about being alive! Here are five amazing ways to find your oasis in the Lower 48’s largest national park.

1) One Resort, Two Unique Stays

The new Oasis at Death Valley offers two distinct accommodations: the elegant mission-style four-diamond Inn at Death Valley, and The Ranch at Death Valley—an adventure-focused charmer with a true American West ethos.

Ideally located next to the park’s visitor center, The Ranch has a classic town square with a new restaurant, ice cream and coffee bar, general store, and the iconic Last Kind Words Saloon (which feels straight out of a Western movie).

Sample Itinerary: Float in a muscle-relaxing 87-degree spring-fed pool, explore the park’s hiking trails, and be back for a sunset dinner at The Inn Dining Room, overlooking the mountains.

After dark, relax around fire pits while staring up at the stars. Book your stay at The Oasis at Death Valley by calling (800) 236-7916.

2) Your Lowest Round—Guaranteed

Got game? The Furnace Creek Golf Course at Death Valley sure does! At 214 feet below sea level, it’s the lowest-elevation golf course in the world. It’s also one of the most scenic, with palm and tamarisk trees framing fairways and mountain views all along its 18-hole, par 70 course. (Use promo code GOLF for a good deal on the Ultimate Golf Package.) Fore sure!

Golf Death Valley

3) Shutterbug Love

The sunrise light at Zabriskie Point will make even the average photographer look like a pro. Join other photo-happy revelers and watch the sun make its entrance, slowly washing over the golden badlands at Death Valley’s signature viewpoint. Afterwards, head to the northern end of the valley to check out Ubehebe Crater, a 770-foot-deep volcanic wonder in a moonscape environment. Hike down into it, walk a mile around it, or hike 1 mile to Little Hebe Crater (recommended).

Zabriskie Point

4) Just Dune It!

Enjoy one of the world’s premier picnic spots—the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes—just 2 miles east of Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley National Park. Park on the side of Highway 190 and start walking north. The tallest dune is about a mile away, with plenty of others rolling in the foreground. Pick a dune, climb its spine, and enjoy a picnic while waiting for the show: a sunset that colors the mountains in changing shades of rose and violet. Don’t leave too soon: This is a choice spot for stargazing or watching your moonshadow.

5) Canyon Hike

Take an afternoon hike through Golden Canyon, a giant slot canyon glowing with orange, yellow, and red shades of sandstone. After a mile, take the offshoot trail toward Gower Gulch (a map is available at the visitor center). Skirt below the Manly Beacon sandstone formation, where the texture resembles swirls of giant marble ice cream. The trail runs through the quiet and narrow Gower Gulch, which is filled with old borax—Death Valley’s signature export from the 20 Mule Teams of yore.

Golden Canyon hike Death Valley

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Man hiking up a trail at Montara Mountain, with a view of the Pacific and Grey Whale sand beach in the background

    From Beach to Summit

    No need to decide between a beach and a mountaintop—this hike includes both! Explore the stunning coastal scenery on this 6-mile out-and-back up Montara Mountain and into Rancho Corral de Tierra.

    View

  2. Picnic and a Pedal

    West Marin has all the right stuff for an afternoon getaway: bike paths, babbling brooks, canopy forests, and secluded picnic spots. Combine a picnic and a pedal at Samuel P. Taylor State Park by biking the easygoing Cross Marin Trail.

    View

  3. Most Peaceful Hike of All

    Is this the most peaceful one-hour hike in the Bay Area? It's got our vote! Lake Lagunitas is the smallest lake in a series of five found on the north side of Mount Tam, so it’s got that tiny but mighty charm. Do a 1.5-mile loop around the lake's shore-hugging trail.

    View

  4. Sebastopol Food & Wine Roll

    One apple farm, three charming towns, multiple wineries, and infinite natural beauty. Savor a perfect autumn day in Sonoma County by biking the West County Regional Trail from Sebastopol to Forestville via Graton. It’s a 17-mile (round-trip) adventure. 

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Woman walking in the Venice Canals of Los Angeles County

    Canal Contemplations

    With its incense-scented boardwalk, bohemian shops, skateparks, and abundance of body builders, Venice is happily eccentric, and artistic. Exhibit A: Its network of European-style canals with charming bridges, offering a tranquil tour of the town’s history.

    View

  2. Wine Down, Dine Out in Lake Chelan

    The fertile soil around Washington State's Lake Chelan is ripe for more than just the amazing apples. Vineyards here yield high quality grapes, and some of the country’s best less-discovered wineries. Locals know it, and you will too when you start choosing from the more than 30 wineries in the region.

    View

  3. What's Up, Winthrop!

    It’s not just its location close to Washington State’s spectacular and less visited national park (North Cascades) that makes Winthrop such a winsome mountain town. This lively enclave in the Methow Valley bristles with a whimsical blend of Wild West charms, contemporary culture, and a mosaic of outdoor adventures—from river to lake to waterfalls, and beyond.

    View
  4. Hike San Diego Volcan Mountain Wilderness

    Planet of the Oaks

    Let us count the number of oak tree species in the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve near Julian: coast, scrub, canyon, black, and Engelmann. Five! The preserve’s Five Oaks Trail is a 3.2-mile hike that boasts all five.

    View