Death Valley: New Friends in the Van
With a name like Death Valley you know just how important it is to visit at the right time. As a hater of heat, I chose to go in winter so I could enjoy the absolutely beautiful landscape in the comfort of a cozy sweatshirt. My friend Sarah (we’ve been besties for 13 years now!!) isn’t entirely into the full time “vanlife” thing, but she still wanted me to show her the ropes so we planned a little weekend friend-cation for just the two of us.
One of my BIGGEST concerns when I was first entertaining the idea of vanlife was finding places to stay. I’m not interested in paying for pricey campgrounds every night when I have built a little home on wheels that can function anywhere (HOORAY for solar panels). However, I am not fully opposed to paying for a reservation every once in awhile, especially if it is an easy and safe option.
For example, Sarah and I started the 5 hour journey to Death Valley in the evening which meant we wouldn’t be getting to the park until after dark, so we decided it was probably best to book a spot to avoid finding ourselves frustrated in the desert darkness with no cell service and no place to park. I am beyond happy we made this decision!
The reservation was $22. I chose a tent spot to save some money because, as mentioned before, I don’t need any hookups thanks to solar power and sunshine. I know that at some locations this is not allowed, but no one bothered us about it here! We pulled into our site, covered our windows, kept our noise level down, and settled in after a quick stop at the clean bathrooms.
We were awakened the next morning by the muffled sounds of car trunks shutting, bags bustling, hydroflasks clanking, and bicycle gears humming as everyone prepared for their adventurous day ahead. Sarah and I decided to take it slow and we began the day by making coffee, eggs, and toast for breakfast in the van. We waved to the security guards who drove by and they didn’t say anything about our van being parked in the tent camping area so that eased any remaining anxiety surrounding that decision.
When we were ready to go out we purposefully drove aimlessly in the park because we are just those kinds of gals. I also haven’t mentioned yet that my bestie was 4 months pregnant at the time so we weren’t exactly seeking out any extreme activities on this trip. While driving we came across the Salt Creek Interpretive Trail. This easy 0.8 mile hike was a wooden footbridge over a small salt creek (I can’t imagine how they chose the name), full of pupfish. They were difficult to spot, but once we got a tip of where to look from a friendly fellow explorer it became really exciting any time we could spot them swimming. There were only a few other people on the trail and the sun was a toasty warm. This walk was exactly what we needed to get us moving.
PRO TIP: The best time to enjoy this trail is from February-April when the water is flowing and the Pupfish are spawning.
Next, we ventured on towards the famous Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. We parked in the lot to make a delicious lunch of veggie spring rolls with homemade peanut sauce then laced up our hiking boots and went for a walk.
Sidebar - This was my 7 year old yorkie Petey’s first overnight trip in the van. Petey loves being toted around town in the car with me, but I hadn’t taken him on any big trips yet. Petey was my mom’s dog until 2.5 years ago when she just wasn’t in the position to take good care of him, so I brought him home with me. My mom is a homebody and had a backyard so Petey wasn’t really used to going on walks or interacting with new people or other dogs. This past year, I really made it a priority to take him with me as much as possible to get him more socialized and it is still a work in progress.
The dunes were very crowded and there were dogs everywhere! I decided it was best if he stayed in the van so he wouldn’t bother other visitors. However, we could hear him barking the entire time we were walking and finally the fear of his barking being disruptive and Petey overexerting himself took over so we cut our hike short to go back to him.
By this time we wanted to sort out our camping location for the night. While doing some research before the trip I found a free camping spot in the park called Emigrant Campground. Other vanlifers who had visited this spot previously said to arrive early as it filled up pretty quick, especially on Saturdays. There were already two other groups of campers when we arrived. Each spot had a picnic table and there were clean bathrooms and potable water and to top it all off the view of the valley was INCREDIBLE. We made our dinner and sat at the picnic table to enjoy the fresh air and each other’s company. The temperature dropped as the sun went down so we bundled up and waited for nightfall and that’s when the magic happened.
Around 10pm the sky was clear and it felt like we could see every star in space. I am not great at nighttime photography (yet), so I didn’t quite capture how immaculate the scene was, but wow it was breathtaking. If you choose to visit Death Valley, make sure stargazing is on your list of to-dos.
FUN FACT: Death Valley National Park is an International Dark Sky Park and has some of the darkest skies in the United States.
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