Death Valley (DV) Weekend Itinerary

My 48-hour itinerary roadtrip from Los Angeles to Death Valley! EV driving tips included.

NOTE: taking an electric vehicle is NOT my recommendation - I would actually avoid it, if possible. We were going to take our gas car after researching the charging situation in DV but, at the last minute, the 'Check Engine Light' went on!

Day 1: En route to DV, Mesquite Sand Dunes, Mosaic Canyon, Devil's Golf Course, Sunset at Badwater Basin, (Haunted) Stay at a Historic Opera House

• Leave Los Angeles/Orange County 630am - Drive 5h, 271mi to Death Valley

• Stop 1: Charging at Walmart Hesperia (Electrify America) - 70-100mi, 1.5h from LA/OC

  • Charging to 80% is OK

• Stop 2: Charging at Baker (Electrify America, ChargePoint, EVgo, Tesla Supercharger)- 103mi, 1.5h from Stop 1

  • Absolutely charge to 100% here

• Stop 3: Entrance into the park

• Stop 3: The Oasis at Death Valley for charging - 115mi, 2h from Stop 2

• Stop 4: Mesquite Sand Dunes - 23 mi, 25-30min from Oasis DV

• Stop 5: Mosaic Canyon - 4.5mi, 15min from Mesquite Sand Dunes

• Stop 6: Devil's Golf Course, Badwater Basin - 45mi, 56min from Mosaic Canyon

• Stop 7: Dinner and more EV charging at The Oasis - 2 hours

• Stay for the night - camping (cheapest option), stay inside the park ($200-400/night), stay outside the park (~$100/night)

  • My vote would either be to camp or stay inside the park!

Day 2: Wake up from your hotel/stay, sunrise destination, hike, Artist Palette/Drive, sunset at Dante's View, dark&scary drive back to Los Angeles

• Wake-up call at 5am, 30 mile (40 min) drive back into the park - depending where you stay, you MAY be able to sleep in a tad more

• Stop 1: Sunrise at Zabriskie Point

• Stop 2: Zabriskie Point - Loop with Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch Loop

• Stop 3: Back to charging for us, lunch/coffee/beer back at Oasis

• Stop 4: Artist Drive (showcase: Artist's Palette)

• Stop 5: Back to charging again

• Stop 6: Sunset at Dante's View

• Drive back from Dante's View to LA/OC (same stops as day 1)

Recommendations:

1. Stay at least 2 nights in Desert Valley to truly take in everything at a leisurely pace - I would even argue 3 nights if you want to do all the hikes at an enjoyable pace, go to the Ubehebe crater, and other less tourist things (one thing that was on my list was the Kilns)

2. Please, please, please take a gas car if you have one! Unless your car is an ultra-long range EV and you drive incredibly slow, you will waste a lot of time charging/ waiting for a charger.

3. Bring adequate water! It's still quite sunny and dry in the wintertime, so you NEED to stay hydrated. I recommend a water bladder (CamelBak) for hiking, so it's accessible and easy -- here is my affordable option from Amazon!

4. The most affordable and convenient way to stay in the park is camping. In the park, it's $350+ a night - but hey, I'd argue it's worth it for convenience.

5. Bring food in a cooler! Even if you are willing to pay for the food... it's not so great. But, we were limited to the Oasis and the restaurant was booked (so we ate at the buffet for dinner - which was filling but disappointing). HIGHLY recommend bringing as much you can in a cooler.