Time needed: LV to Lone Pine/Bishop via Death Valley

Hi

I have read the guides and FAQs about routes through the Death Valley, but what I%26#39;m unsure about is how much time is needed so I can plan when I need to leave Las Vegas.

I%26#39;m going to try to get to Yosemite (Tioga Pass) from Las Vegas by late midday on day 2. What I%26#39;m planning to see is primarily Dante%26#39;s View, Devil%26#39;s Golf Course, Artist%26#39;s Palette, and optionally Blackwater and other interesting sights.

How much time would I need to visits those locations and getting to Lone Pine in one day in July? Will the roads heavy traffic so I need to take extra time into account? I guess I won%26#39;t get out of the car for too long at a time because of the temperature, but I want to take pictures along the trip.

Time needed: LV to Lone Pine/Bishop via Death Valley

Hi

It app. takes 2 hours to drive from Las Vegas to Death Valley Junction. From Death Valley junction it%26#39;s a good 30 minutes to drive up to Dante%26#39;s View.. From Dante%26#39;s view to Devils Golf Course app. is a 45 minutes drive and to Badwater another 15 from Devils Golfcourse. Then drive back via Artist Drive (one way from the Badwater direction) and to Furnace Creek Visitor Center. Count on another 30 minutes. From Furnace Creek to Lone Pine count on at least 2 hours. These traveltimes are without stops and you will make some sidetrip along Artist drive. Count on an extra 30 minutes for that. Maybe 15 minutes at Badwater, 15 minutes at Devils Golfcourse and 15 minutes at Dante%26#39;s View. Don%26#39;t forget to visit Zabriskie Point just before Furnace Creek coming from Dante%26#39;s View and a must stop also is near Stovepipe Wells Dunes in the Lone Pine direction.

If want to see it all and just make short photo stops count on an 8 hour journey. No hiking.

Almost sure, the roads will be empty.

Tet

Time needed: LV to Lone Pine/Bishop via Death Valley

Thank you very much. Will the roads be empty in the middle of the tourist season in July? Sounds strange to me. I guess it could be because of the heat?

If so, I can also test the top speed of the rental car.

July is not high season in DV. Most of the visitors are from Europe, like you-lol- High season is winter and even then roads won%26#39;t be crowded not to say very quiet. You are going to visit one of the most fantastic places in the Usa, unfortunately ';wrong'; time of year. Try to be at Dante%26#39;s View as early as possible (bit ';cooler'; there too). Mind your speed, enforced by radar and from the air, and for good reasons. It%26#39;s not the heat that%26#39;s the most dangerous thing, it%26#39;s speeding and distraction from the roads in the heat. Count on 125+F and always carry water in the car. Always....A cooler also is recommendable. This definitely is not the place for speeding. Try an interstate.

Tet

I guess not, thank you for the advice. I%26#39;m glad the roads aren%26#39;t too crowded, makes the trip more relaxing for me.

I didn%26#39;t know they monitor traffic from air and I thought it was too hot for rangers to stand along the roadside using radars or lasers. I%26#39;d better be careful then, there is no way to spot a helicopter sneaking up.

I%26#39;m planning on buying a 12v cooler to keep drinks cool in the car.

Like Jackie Gleason in Smokey and the Bandit with the laser gun. No they%26#39;re in the car and the moment you%26#39;ll see them it%26#39;s too late. Have a great trip and also enjoy Lone Pine at the foot of Mount Whitney.

Tet

Just FYI, the most common cause of visitor deaths in Death Valley is not heatstroke, heart attack, or hiking accidents. It is traffic accidents--and the #1 category is single-vehicle wrecks.

There is almost never enough traffic in the park to have traffic jams. Most of the time, traffic is light enough that there is no excuse for hitting someone else. There are these beautiful scenic roads, and not a eingle traffic signal in the park, so speeding is a strong temptation. But it%26#39;s risky on many roads because there are curves or dips that sneak up on people and cause them to lose control. Animals may be on the roads, and people may run into them or lose control trying to avoid them.

During the summers, many car manufacturers bring vehicles to DV for testing. If they can say their car survived Death Valley in July and the Yukon Territory in January, anyone will buy it. You%26#39;ll see these cars passing you at high speeds, or torturing their tires, brakes, or suspensions, but be aware that these are professional test drivers and they have permits from the National Park Service to scare the stuffings out of visitors.

Thanks for useful information, and don%26#39;t worry about the driving :) . Roads cannot get worse than they are here in Norway.

Any advice on the best Ghost Town to visit along the route? Rhyolite is a detour, but how long is it going to take?

Any alternatives to Rhyolite?

mxim asked 芦Will the roads be empty in the middle of the tourist season in July?禄

Probably. That%26#39;s when we go through there and we see very few other cars on The Road.

芦I guess it could be because of the heat?禄

Probably.

芦If so, I can also test the top speed of the rental car.禄

There are portions of the Death Valley roads where it%26#39;s extremely difficult to abide by the speed limit. There are portions of Death Valley roads where I have driven considerable distances around 120kph. I do not recommend doing so, of course.

You might find the report ';A Trip to Las Vegas鈥?quot; linked to the TouringSFO site at http://geocities.com/touringsfo/ worth your time to read.

Rhyolite is very interesting and worth a visit but it%26#39;s not a ghosttown you probably remember from the ';Old West'; pictures. If you want to see one of those try to visit Bodie Ghosttown. It%26#39;s north of Lee Vining off us395 and it%26#39;s one of the best. Takes some 3 extra hours (drives and visit) on your way to Yosemite though.

And yes, I also did my 120 km/h speeding through DV and probably also FR did.........but don%26#39;t!

Tet

Thank you for the tips about the ghost town, however it takes a bit too much time since it%26#39;s not in my original route. Are there any ok ghost towns in or around Death Valley?