, An Insider's Guide on California Travel - by Sacha McKee, I also remember hiking down a big hole in the ground, called Ubehebe Crater. But look at the drop in March 2020 – around 30%. Thanksgiving weekend is sort of considered "opening day" of desert season. Whenever you decide to come, we have plenty for you to see and do. The deepest. Thanks again for all the advice. LAS VEGAS one-day turnaround trips - what can we see? Typically in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? What maps to use? Depending on state mandates and/or guidelines, what Inyo County decides (that’s where all the Death Valley park resorts are located), and public demand, the October opening of the Inn may or may not happen exactly as scheduled, So do check with whatever resort you pick, to be sure. It’s no golf course, though! Unless something changes in November, Thanksgiving week travel, normally very popular, might also see less visitors. Yes you can do this in Death Valley. You can take an extensive tour of this impressive castle. The Inn has a beautiful, naturally fed, warm spring pool. Visiting Ubehebe Crater is a must do in Death Valley! While we’re not golfers, we certainly are horse back riders. Required fields are marked *. Thursday, Nov 22. Home to moving boulders and has left scientists baffled by this crazy, unexplained phenomenon. Ubehebe Crater is a half mile wide and 777 feet deep. Darkest skies in the United States provides the best stargazing ever! Let me start  by sharing with you some reasons why Death Valley should be on your bucket list…. You can stand at the lowest point of the continent, called Badwater. All in all, either time should be comfortable for folks from northern climates. December 7, 2016; Story By Lori Carey; We had such a great time exploring trails in Panamint Valley over the Thanksgiving holiday last year that it was hard to wait an entire year for Cal4Wheel’s Panamint Valley Days event. Death Valley. Each time we’ve gone to Eureka Dunes, there has been less than 10 cars there. The biggest annual event, the Death Valley ‘49ers Encampment, is held the first week of November, just before the Veterans’ Day weekend which is a 3-day weekend in the U.S. Much of the attendance overlaps. While the name isn’t inviting and most people think of Death Valley as just a scorching hot desert. This is a sidebar, but might interest some folks. A few seconds later, and the desert appears from the dark. Located on a lake bed, in northeastern Death Valley, these rocks appear to move by themselves and have scientists mystified. Once the edit period has expired, authors may update their posts by removing and reposting them. Some of our favorites hikes are  Fall Canyon, Titus Canyon Narrows, Desolation Canyon, Golden Canyon, Grotto Canyon, The Grandstand. My worry is the snow. Canyons, sand dunes, salt flats, dry lake beds, craters..a geological amazement! The highest of these is Townes Pass at close to 5000 feet above sea level. Wow, thank you all for the helpful responses! Last year everyone came to Haiti for Thanksgiving. Death Valley Adventure What an adventure we had the last few days! The driest. This has been very well received by local, regulars and visitors. Good morning sunshine! I love your thought on bringing in the New Year at (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Why? One can hope they'll still be cautious during flu season. So, there you have my summary of Death Valley, a Thanksgiving Tradition! We always like to plan a hike ahead of time. December will be cooler of course, but end of Nov should be pleasant too. AUTUMN Arrives in late October, with warm but pleasant temperatures and generally clear skies. Half of us are in San Francisco and the other half in Philadelphia - which airport should we meet at, LAX or Las Vegas, for the easiest commute to the park? Thursday, we ran up to Rhyolite, an old ghost town, and checked out the old buildings and glass bottle house before heading over to Titus Canyon. Death Valley National Park is at its least crowded between Thanksgiving and before Christmas but it will be at its peak from Christmas to New Year’s, on MLK Day weekend in January, and on Presidents’ Day weekend in February. Built by a Chicago millionaire & conman Walter E. Scott. Reply to: Death Valley- Thanksgiving or New Years Trip? Panamint Springs Resort is a small, rustic, western-style, resort located in beautiful Panamint Valley in Death Valley National Park that provides lodging, camping and RV services, a restaurant and bar, and a gas station with a well stocked general store. Located in the north end of Death Valley. Some say that Eureka Dunes are the tallest dunes in the United States. roadrunners, coyotes, lizards, ravens and so much more! We usually stay at the Furnace Creek Inn or Furnace Creek Ranch. Are Americans starting to worry about Covid because of the cruise ship outbreaks, maybe delaying overseas travel and going to Las Vegas (and Death Valley) instead? Related: What are the most popular tours in Death Valley National Park? If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Is Death Valley wildlife dangerous? I wasn’t all that excited about going. You can spend the afternoon exploring both craters. They’re Considered to be fairly easy for the whole family to do, with the hike down the crater being a moderate hike. It’s 282 feet below sea level. Named for the hardships that westbound settlers suffered in the 19th century, the thinly populated, 3.4-million-acre Death Valley National Park reaches across the California-Nevada border. Let me just say, they’re right…but only some of the time. I led a group of friends through parts of Panamint Valley and Death Valley over the holiday weekend. Other truly amazing wonders of Death Valley include Devil’s Cornfield, Devil’s Golf Course and the astonishing Devil’s Racetrack. This 44 acre property has several restaurants. The year before, we all met at Zion National Park. Generator hours: From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., unless otherwise posted. Recreational visits exclude park personnel or other official travelers, vendors, contractors, or delivery services like FedEx or USPS. Both are so cool to visit! There are many theories. To make a same day reservation at The Oasis at Death Valley, please call (760) 786-2345. It depends on what you would classify as winter. Get answers to your questions about Death Valley National... WINTER - does it exist in Death Valley, or does summer last forever? We had a few goals in mind, but no explicit itinerary. The winter months are another great time to visit Death Valley. The historic Furnace Creek Inn first opened in 1927. November 21, 2017 | 9:00AM. The Devil’s Cornfield isn’t corn at all, it’s actually arrow weed. It was Thanksgiving 1974 and Wayne, Diane, and I (miraculously in my case) were recent college graduates. I hope you enjoyed this blog, with my pictures of my family’s Death Valley trips from the past 10 years! I also remember saying “I’m going to bring  my own family here, when I grow up!”  And so I did…. But the Encampment has been cancelled for this year, which I imagine will affect the holiday weekend travel. The Furnace Creek Inn dining room is where you’ll find us for Thanksgiving Dinner! By now, NYC is already short on hospital beds, morgue space, funeral services, and graves, and U.S. Navy hospital ships are sent there and to Los Angeles. There are huge green lawns between the rooms, where you can kick around a ball or stargaze on, at night. It doesn’t  happen all too often in Death Valley, it turns out. Death Valley Explorer Tour by Tour Trekker, Death Valley National Park - Private, Custom Adventure w/ Pro Photography, Private Tour: Death Valley Day Tour with Evening Milky Way Viewing, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, http://www.tripadvisor.com/help/how_to_edit_your_posts. JAVASCRIPT IS DISABLED. We’ll walk miles out, until we there’s no one in sight. If it's a toss up, then will likely base it on airfare prices and hotel prices. The rest of Death Valley National Park has a 30-day per calendar year camping limit. Learn how your comment data is processed. My family spent the Thanksgiving week-end in Death Valley National Park, the ancentral homeland of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe and the largest American park outside of Alaska.Since DV is located midway between Las Vegas/Henderson, where I live now, and Bishop, California, where my children live, I have either traveled to or through this park for the past eight years. 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