Death Valley Hiking – Hotel Based
6 days
From $ 2999
Duration6 days

Six days in the largest national park in the contiguous United States takes us through peaks and valleys and across unforgettable scenery. Death Valley's rarely-traveled backcountry holds vast beauty. Experience staggering altitude changes and extensive swaths of desert. Explore winding slot canyons with soaring walls of limestone and marble. Take in views of both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States. Discover some of the park’s best sights with the guidance of expert, local guides. Over 90% of Death Valley's 3.3 million acres are designated as wilderness. This amounts to an enormous playground of exquisite desert terrain. On our spring departures, we are fortunate to encounter annual wildflower and blooming cactus as they flourish cheerfully along our hike. During the day, we hike between 5 and 10 miles. At night, we retire comfortably to the well-appointed Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel. Hike through the Funeral Mountains, explore hidden narrows, climb a remote desert peak, and so much more. Death Valley's dramatic vistas are incomparable, making for a trip you won't soon forget. We also offer a camping-based itinerary of this trip in the spring, which takes advantage of temperate weather and blooming wildflowers. Voted as one of Outside Magazine's "25 Trips of a Lifetime" - March 2002.

This tour is operated by

  • Duration: 6 days
    Service level: Standard
  • Physical Grading: Average
  • Ends in: Sundial Beach & Golf Resort
    Ages: 18+
Death Valley Hiking – Hotel Based - Tour Map

Itinerary

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Day 1: Enjoy dinner and an orientation with your guides and fellow hikers.
Arrive into Las Vegas, Nevada by 8:30am today. From the McCarran Airport, transfer on your own to rendezvous with your fellow travelers and guides at a nearby hotel. The group will meet at 10am and then transfer three hours to our hotel in Death Valley National Park. We have free time to settle into our rooms before we meet for dinner and talk about the upcoming week's itinerary. On our spring (February and March) departures we'll walk a short distance out onto the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes for a sunset picnic dinner. Dinner included.
Meals: D
Day 2: Hike through the Funeral Mountains to colorful badlands.
After breakfast, we hike across the foothills of the Funeral Mountains to the multi-colored badlands of Twenty Mule Team Canyon and Golden Canyon. We begin at 1,800' and descend to below sea level through a maze of canyons to a viewpoint overlooking the Death Valley saltpan. Our guides take the time to point out the landscape's fascinating geological features and enlighten us on the natural history of this unique ecosystem. All meals included.
Hiking: 10 miles. Terrain: cross-country through open desert and narrow canyons; some rock scrambling. Elev. gain/loss: 300'/1,900'.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 3: Explore colorful marble narrows; hike on a canyon rim trail.
Today we drive to a deep, narrow canyon carved into polished marble and colorful mosaics of dolomite. We hike through several sections of narrows before scrambling out of the canyon to a rim trail that takes us around an unclimbable 25' dry waterfall. The rim trail is the gateway to a deep, twisted gorge and another tall, dry fall and grotto. We follow the rim trail high above the canyon as we head back to the trailhead, stopping to take in the expansive view across Mesquite Flat and Death Valley. All meals included.
Hiking: 5 miles. Terrain: primitive hiking trail and gravel wash bottom; some rock scrambling. Elev. gain/loss: 1,500'.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 4: Hike at Dante's View gazing down at Badwater and up at Telescope Peak.
We'll drive to Dante's View at 5,500' and strike off cross-country along the spine of the Black Mountains, with amazing views on both sides. To the west, we'll look down a vertical mile to Badwater and the Death Valley saltpan, with the snow-covered summit of Telescope Peak (11,049') directly across the valley. To the east, we'll look out over range after range of mountains spilling across the California-Nevada border. (Note: if the weather is too chilly, an excellent alternate hike from the Devil's Cornfield to Salt Creek across the floor of Death Valley will be substituted.) All meals included.
Hiking: 5 miles. Terrain: cross-country, primitive hiking trail. Elev. gain/loss: 1,200'.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 5: Travel through Titus Canyon to Death Valley; sunset picnic on sand dunes.
A drive of 50 miles over a mostly paved road transports us to Red Pass, where we descend (by van) over 5,000' through the Grapevine Mountains to Death Valley proper. Along the way we stop to climb a stunning desert peak, scrambling up a rocky ridge for an incredible 360 degree view of the surrounding desert, then hike the Titus Canyon narrows – an impressive, deeply entrenched slot canyon. Note: If the weather is too chilly for our peak climb, an alternate lower elevation hike through the Titus Canyon narrows will be substituted. All meals included.
Hiking to peak: 5 miles. Terrain: moderately steep, primitive hiking trail plus cross-country; rock scrambling required for optional summit climb. Elev. gain/loss: 1,800'. Hiking Titus Canyon: 2 miles. Terrain: dirt and gravel primitive road. Elev. loss: 500'.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 6: Visit Badwater and the Devil's Golf Course before departing.
We finish our exploration of Death Valley appropriately with a visit to Badwater and the Devil's Golf Course. Badwater, at 280' below sea level, is just a few miles from the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and quite possibly the hottest spot on earth during the summer months. Nearby, the short, jagged salt pinnacles clustered together to form the Devil's Golf Course shape a bizarre landscape that stretches as far as the eye can see. After returning to the van, we say our goodbyes to this awe-inspiring national park and set out on our 3-hour ride back to Las Vegas. For those flying home today, please do not schedule a flight out of Las Vegas prior to 7pm. Breakfast and lunch included.

End place: Sundial Beach & Golf Resort

Meals: B, L

Inclusions

Included

  • Five nights hotel accommodations based on double occupancy
  • meals from dinner on Day 1 through lunch on Day 6
  • roundtrip transportation between the group meeting point in Las Vegas and Death Valley national Park
  • van support
  • expert guide leadership
  • park entrance fees
  • Accommodation

    Hotel, 5 nights

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