Mickey Jetpur Loc: California

My photography group is planning a photo trip to Death Valley. The place is huge and I have been looking for a place to start from. Also where to stay. Some will want better accommodations and some lesser. Is there a place that can suit both? All ideas and help are very much appreciated. Also would like to know where to visit for some good views and photography. Thanks.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

I haven't been there since I wore a MUCH younger mans clothes.
I think my last time, I was in my early 20's.
Ancient history.

I lived in Lone Pine, CA in those years.
I'd suggest Macro to Wide angle up to telephoto. You might catch the wildflowers this time of the year.

Have Fun!

gmcase Loc: Galt's Gulch

The nearest big city is Las Vegas. There is a small town, Pahrump, about half way between Vegas and one entrance into DV. There are a few hotels there but make reservations early as the mining activity consumes a lot of rooms especially in weekends. There are some accommodations in Beatty also which is very close to the north Eastern entrance into DV.

Keep in mind that mid day light is very harsh and washes out the beautiful colors in the surrounding mountains as is the case in most desert locations. The desert is full of colors but you need either ends of the daylight hours or even broken clouds (rare).

You will not find any high end lodging closer than Vegas.

Chris F. Loc: San Francisco

I concur with gmcase, we drove to DV from Vegas and back in a day in September one year. It was a long, hot, boring drive until reaching the sites.

Chris

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

You might also consider Baker, Ca. It is toward the south end of Death Valley, but there are some motels there. Also restaurants, food stores and gas stations. The gas won't be cheap, but it is on I 15.

mjmoore17 Loc: Philadelphia, PA area

As far as sites, there are several: Racetrack Playa, The Devil's golf course, Furnace Creek, Zabriskie Point and Panamint Valey. Lightening storms are a plus and full moon is great unless you want Night Skies of Milky Way.

M

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

I love Death Valley and was heartbroken when illness forced me to cancel my trip last month.

There are accommodations in the park. Reasonable rates at Furnace Creek resort (the hotel is pretty fancy/pricey but the other options are more reasonable) and Stovepipe Wells, typical national park cabin/motel offerings with easy access to food and supplies. Stovepipe is right by the dunes which makes it easy to get sunrise shots there before everybody tracks them up. I like Panamint Springs but it is a bit more spartan in the accommodations, still with food though, and a great view (also quite cheap). If time allows, include a few days in nearby Lone Pine (wonderful old 1950's motels with very reasonable rates and good restaurants) to explore the Alabama Hills and Movie Set road which any older member of your troupe will quickly recognize from 100's of cowboy shows and movies.

Great locations in Death Valley: Dante's View, Badwater Basin, Ubehebe Crater, the Mesquite Flats dunes, Harmony Borax works, Rhyolite ghost town, and Zabriskie Point. They are doing some work on Zabriskie so you may have to scout around for a good access point while the viewing platform is reconstructed . All are better early and late like all landscapes, but you can find plenty to photograph even during harshly lit mid-days. Racetrack is fascinating but I would recommend paying for the ride rather than trying to drive it yourself, the road is very troublesome.

gmcase Loc: Galt's Gulch

I don't know how long it has been since you were in Baker but it seems to be dying a slow death. Many properties are boarded up and are deteriorating badly. I drove through there several times a year. It is about 60 miles south of Shoshone and from Shoshone you have another 30 to 40 miles to get into the park. Pahrump is closer and has a lot more lodging. The fast food places seem to be doing OK in Baker plus a few gas stations but the hotels are a dying breed.

tsilva Loc: Arizona

You might want to pick up a copy of Roger Naylor's excellent book on Death Valley sights and surroundings.

http://www.amazon.com/Death-Valley-Hottest-Place-Earth/dp/1933855878

Above all else, stay safe and plan ahead. It is not a place you want to make a mistake in.

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

The last time I was thru there was in 2009. SHEESH!!!!! That's 6 years. I guess a lot has changed.

gmcase Loc: Galt's Gulch

The recession really hurt Baker as it depends primarily on the traffic trade between LA and Vegas and probably DV traffic from southern Cal. Most of the hotels and motels there were really old and probably on the verge of closing even if the recession hadn't hit. The last several years have certainly changed a lot due to the incredible hit on the economy from late 2008 forward.

Photoplex Loc: Paradise, CA

Near Stovepipe Wells, there are the sand dunes. Early morning is the best time to shoot because the lighting will highlight the waves the sand has blown into and it's before all the other photog's. and visitors go tramping all over them. Good luck.

warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

Scottys Castle

warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

Photoplex Loc: Paradise, CA

For relative inexpensive lodging nearby in Nevada is a hotel / Casino in Nevada, about 10 miles outside the park. I travel by motorhome, so there is not only a hotel but full hookups including cable TV and a laundromat, two restaurants, and a small store. We usually stay at Furnace Creek for a week, then go to Longstreet for a couple of days then drive back to Stovepipe Wells for another week, every February. Once we left the motorhome at home and went in our car. We stayed at the Longstreet and were delighted to spend more time in the Amargosa Valley of Nevada and see some springs and caves and learn more history of the region. Most of those roads are dirt, but passable by passenger car.