In November, Cameron (Cami) was going to turn 16, and we wanted to do something special to celebrate. After discussing various destinations, we decided on returning to Death Valley—for a third time. This trip was planned as a full family affair, including Cat, Cameron, Collin, and myself. We also invited our friends Aaron, Veronica, and their son Nate. To make the trip even more special, we planned to head out a few days early, arriving in Las Vegas—the nearest major airport to Death Valley—the night before her birthday to spend her special day in the city before venturing into the park.
For this special occasion, I booked a pair of rooms at The Venetian in Las Vegas. This hotel is familiar to me, as it’s where many of my work conferences are held. It’s also conveniently located near most of the activities we planned. We landed very late, but not too late for a must-do stop at In-N-Out Burger—because that’s what you do when you’re from the East Coast and find yourself hungry out West, especially just before midnight.
The rooms at The Venetian were stunning, and everyone was thrilled. The next day, Cameron’s birthday, we packed with family-friendly activities. We started with a delightful breakfast with all seven of us before heading to the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. More than just a minor casino attraction, this aquarium stands on par with other large aquariums across major cities. Its main tank holds 1,300,000 gallons, making it one of the largest in North America, and features an impressive array of marine life including sharks, rays, fish, reptiles, and marine invertebrates. One of the highlights is the Shark Tunnel, allowing you to watch as sharks swim above and around you.
Post-aquarium, we wandered through the mall at The Venetian and ventured across the street to the Wynn, celebrated for its spectacular indoor floral displays that include a life-sized carousel made entirely of flowers. For lunch, we grabbed a slice of New York at Grimaldi’s.
Later in the afternoon, we headed over to The Sphere to watch the show “Postcards from Earth.” If you’re in Vegas and have the opportunity, I can’t recommend seeing a show at The Sphere enough. It’s an all-encompassing experience, complete with immersive video, sound, and even the projection of air and scents, making it feel as real as possible while seated in a theater.
After the show, we dressed up for a fantastic birthday dinner at Tao. From there, we headed to the High Roller—a 550-foot-tall Ferris wheel. Taking this half-hour ride at night and seeing the city from above was truly spectacular. Everyone in our group had a blast.
To cap off the night, instead of traditional cake, we opted for the famous and massive milkshakes at Black Tap Craft Burgers and Beer, which features a bar/kitchen setup just for milkshakes. Cami reported that it was a way better treat than any birthday cake.
The next day, we headed out to Death Valley National Park. Although it wasn’t the first visit for most of us, it was the first for Collin, Nate, and Veronica. On our way to the park, we stopped at the ghost town of Rhyolite, which blossomed in 1905 during the gold rush, peaking with a population of between 3,500 and 5,000. By 1920, it was nearly deserted. We enjoyed exploring the area on a chilly morning before continuing our journey.
Entering Death Valley through the Daylight Pass offers a dramatic first impression. The pass reveals a panoramic view of layered mountain ranges, the main valley below, and a glimpse of the salt flats at Badwater Basin in the distance.
Our accommodations were at Stovepipe Wells, a historic site first settled in 1906. The area provides some of the best dining options in the Valley, particularly at the local saloon.
Death Valley is the largest national park in the lower 48 states, known for its vast, remote stretches of desert and mountain valleys. Cell service is limited to a few developed areas. Since we had two families on this trip, Aaron and I made sure everyone had radios, which were essential for communication.
We started our explorations at the Harmony Borax Works, where borax was discovered near Furnace Creek. William T. Coleman built the Harmony plant in the late 1880s, and today, you can tour the remains, including the massive wagons once pulled by 20-mule teams.
After visiting the visitor center at Furnace Creek where everyone picked up souvenirs, we took a drive around the Artists Drive Scenic Loop. This route is famous for its colorful hills—red, orange, yellow, blue, pink, and green hues shine brightly due to the volcanic deposits rich in various minerals. The Artists Palette, in particular, is a highlight, where these vibrant colors are displayed most vividly against the backdrop of the Black Mountains and white salt flats.
As the days are short in November, we headed to Zabriskie Point for sunset, one of the park’s most famous viewpoints. Named after Christian Zabriskie, an important figure in the history of the Pacific Coast Borax Company, the point provides breathtaking views of the badlands, salt flats, and the Panamint Mountains beyond. The most distinctive feature from this viewpoint is Manly Beacon, rising sharply to an elevation of 823 feet and named after one of the pioneering 49ers.
Everyone enjoyed the sunset, which added some spectacular colors to the sky. We then returned to Stovepipe Wells for dinner at the saloon.
The next morning, I snuck out with Cameron to catch sunrise at Zabriskie Point again. We avoided the main viewing area, opting instead for a lesser-known trail to the right of the badlands. From there, we captured unique views of the area that made for excellent photographs.
Today’s adventures brought us to Emigrant Canyon Road and the several notable sites in the area. One of our main goals was to visit the Charcoal Kilns, remnants from the park’s mining days. These structures, astonishingly built almost entirely by hand in such a remote and rugged environment, stand as a testament to the ingenuity necessitated by isolation.
The road to the Kilns is unpaved, and while we had no trouble navigating it (a stark contrast to our previous visit in December when it was icy), there was still a bit of snow at the very highest elevations, though not on the road itself.
We also made stops at a few old mining sites and even explored a small ghost town, once a mining camp for workers. In the afternoon, we returned to the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Cameron and I had been here many times before, and we showed the rest of the group an unusual path we take to reach the far side of the dunes. The trick with dune photography is to find an area without footprints, which also makes for a peaceful walk.
After enjoying a stunning red sunset, we went back to—you guessed it—the saloon for dinner.
The next morning, I skipped the sunrise photo op because we had a big day ahead of us. We rented a pair of off-road jeeps to head out to The Racetrack, known for its moving rocks. However, to get there, one must navigate the long drive up to Ubehebe Crater, then 27 miles of off-road travel. The National Park Service advises that a full 4×4 with high clearance is necessary, which is why we opted for the off-road jeeps. However, we saw people in what were clearly rented SUVs, and under the conditions we had, if you were cautious and experienced in off-road driving, you might manage as well. That said, road conditions can change rapidly; if it rains, for example, conditions can deteriorate to the point of becoming impassable very quickly.
We had a great time driving out to The Racetrack. Our first stop was the Grandstand, an outcrop of massive rocks in the middle of the old lake bed. We all enjoyed exploring and climbing around this area. We then made our way to the main section of the lake bed and walked across it, with Cat finding several fish fossils.
On the drive back, we made time to stop at the crater and complete the hike around it—Aaron, V, and the kids did this while I stayed behind to take a large panorama photo of the crater.
Since we had to drive all the way back down to the Furnace Creek area to return our jeeps, we decided to have dinner down there to mix things up. We stopped off at our hotel, picked up the other two cars, and headed off to return the jeeps and for dinner. Furnace Creek has changed a lot since my first visit to Death Valley. It always had a little shop and a couple of restaurants, but it now seems to have been fully remodeled with new restaurants, a new large store, and even an ice cream parlor. We ate at the steakhouse and had a nice meal.
The next day would be our last full day in the park. I went out with Cat, leaving the kids behind to sleep, for sunrise again. The same spot—never too scary, never too steep, just right for capturing the light as it bathed the badlands in a warm glow.
After sunrise, we headed back for breakfast and had a long day ahead to check off the remaining items on our list. Aaron, Veronica, Nate, and my daughter went to hike one of the park’s many canyons. Cat, Collin, and I set out to explore some of the areas we found while driving back from The Racetrack the previous day. These spots weren’t marked on any map, but we had fun stopping by the side of the road and exploring on our own.
After meeting back up, we drove down the main park road, stopping at the Devil’s Golf Course and later at Badwater Basin. I’ve been here many times, but the recent rains had cleaned all the salt flats, and I had never seen it look so white.
After that, we once again found ourselves on a dirt road, driving up to the parking area for the Natural Bridge. It’s a short hike, though it’s all uphill on the way there. It was super fun to explore the canyon and see the bridge itself.
Our last stop of the day was Dante’s View. This is a long but interesting drive to a high vantage point that allows for views across the entire valley and all the mountain chains that lead on.
Dante’s View is a challenging place to photograph, and whenever I’m there, it’s always windy and freezing. This day was no exception. Not many people wanted to stay outside with me while I waited for the sunset. However, I came away with two great photos, so I’ll say it was worth it.
After the long drive back to Stovepipe Wells, we had our final dinner at the Saloon, and the next day, we headed back early in the morning to Las Vegas for our flights home.
Even after all my trips to the park, we still have a long list of places yet to see. Each visit brings new adventures and unforgettable memories, and this trip was no exception. It was the perfect way to celebrate Cameron’s milestone birthday.
