This Death Valley day tour itinerary assumes you start in the Furnace Creek Ranch area. It also assumes that you'll get an early start and won't spend too long in any one spot. Take a picnic lunch to make the most of your daylight hours.
The Valley, Badwater
From Furnace Creek, drive south on Hwy 178 toward Badwater.- A few miles south of the Furnace Creek junction, take a short side trip on West Side Road into the foreign landscape of the valley's salt pan.
- At the Devil's Golf Course, so-named because it's so rough that only Lucifer himself could play golf here, tread lightly and look carefully for delicate salt structures.
- Continue south to Badwater, the lowest place in western hemisphere at 292 feet below sea level. A short walk from the parking area will take you past the salt-laden, bad-tasting watering holes that inspired the place's name. Across the valley, Telescope Peak towers 11,039 feet above, twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. Don't miss the sea level sign on the cliff above the parking area.
- On the drive back north detour through Artist's Drive for the colorful view called Artist's Palette, a landscape smudged with pastel colors.
Zabriskie Point
Continue north back to the Furnace Creek Junction, then go south on the main road to Zabriskie Point. A short walk from the parking area will take you to one of the Death Valley's most popular views.
Scotty's Castle
Continue north to Scotty's Castle.Why is it called Scotty's Castle if businessman Albert Johnson owned it and Scotty lived elsewhere? Are the tales of hidden gold mines, shady deals and general trickery true? A living history tour of the Spanish-style home in the desert examines the unusual relationship between Scotty and Mr. Johnson that resulted in this magnificent structure.
