Find Your Oasis

Visit Death Valley National Park and Stay at the Ranch

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. Sheep looking at camera in Hidden Villa Farm

    It Takes a Hidden Villa

    Adorable farm animals and peaceful hiking trails: Visit Hidden Villa in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, hike to South Bay vistas and see animal cuteness.

    View
  2. Woman hiker is climbing up the ladder in the Steep Ravine section of the Dipsea Loop Trail on Mount Tam

    Misty on Mount Tam

    Mount Tam’s 3.9-mile round-trip Steep Ravine and Dipsea Trail Loop weathers the wets and wilds with some confidence, sheltered in parts by redwoods, and wowing with a waterfall.

    View
  3. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View
  4. Up and Umunhum

    Early risers can experience one of the Bay Area’s best morning glory hikes on this 7.4-mile out-and-back up beautiful Mount Umunhum. In early spring if you arrive at the parking area right before sunrise, you’ll get a beautiful eastern view of the sun coming up between Bald Mountain and the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains. On days when fog settles into the valley, the colorful view is nothing short of magical.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Peace Labyrinth

    Hidden in LA’s historic West Adams district, the Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens is a welcome respite from the norms of urban noise.

    View
  2. Hikers sitting on a large rock slab next to Three Sisters Falls in Cleveland National Forest Southern California near Julian

    Three Sisters

    Good things come in threes at this hike to a lovely trio-tiered waterfall in Cleveland National Forest. The 4.25-mile out-and-back hike rambles among rolling hills, with rocky mountain views as switchbacks take you down to a lush canyon and the falls.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View