Article Summary
On a drive through the Mojave and Death Valley, GoTravelDaily discovers abandoned mining towns, strange wildflowers, and canyons that change colors in an instant.
Fact checked by Elizabeth MacLennan
Desert Drive Overview
Barreling down Nevada Highway 374 toward Death Valley National Park and a lemon drop of a sun, it became evident that the principal allure of the desert is that nothing typical survives there. Take the Goldwell Open Air Museum down the highway, just outside Beatty, Nevada. Here, on a lonely stretch of private land, for inexplicable reasons, rest half a dozen oversized sculptures, including a 24-foot oxidized steel miner, pick in hand, next to a penguin.
This was the first of many quirky sights we encountered over the course of a week as my wife and I embarked on the mother of all desert drives: an 800-mile loop taking us from Las Vegas northwest to Death Valley, then to the Mojave National Preserve and eventually back to Las Vegas.
Exploring Death Valley
After entering Death Valley four hours and 150 dusty miles later, we noticed an even more jarring example of anomalous survival: the vivid yellow-and-red spring wildflowers that erupted in clusters amid the desert holly and creosote bushes on either side of the road. This natural phenomenon is considered a high honor to witness and we were duly appreciative. As the old saying in these parts goes, Death Valley isn’t really dead and it isn’t truly a valley, which is why it is an essential drive for any dedicated road-tripper.
We settled in at the Oasis at Death Valley, which is centrally located within the national park. It is a remarkably well-managed establishment, considering that it has no competition for miles in every direction. The stucco buildings with orange tiled roofs sit around a lush garden of date and fan palms, near a warm-spring-fed pool.
We turned south the next morning on California Highway 190, a convenient route to follow for all your Death Valley sightseeing. In arid 70-degree temperatures (early spring is the best season for a visit, not only for the blooms but also for the moderate climate, as temperatures can soar to 120 degrees in summer and drop to 3 degrees in winter), we took a ranger-guided tour of Golden Canyon and marveled at the multicolored layers of sedimentary deposits that had begun forming millions of years ago. We then traveled farther south to Badwater, the lowest point in the U.S. at 282 feet below sea level, from which we clearly saw the park’s highest point, Telescope Peak. At 11,049 feet, it towers majestically over the surrounding landscape.
There is no moderation here—the valley’s Eureka sand dunes are among the tallest in the U.S. The extravagant, paradoxical, and unpredictable extremes of Death Valley seem inherently American. It is no surprise that the voices we heard belonged to visitors from all over the world, as a staff member at the Oasis informed me that a large percentage of visitors are European: “They even come in the summer when it’s 125 out,” he said. “They don’t seem to mind. To them, this is the Wild West, and the Wild West is America.”
Staying at the Oasis
The next day, we ventured to the Artist’s Palette, known as the pièce de résistance of Death Valley, just as the day was beginning to fade. Depending on your vantage point, this series of sharply angled cliffs, featuring bubblegum-pink granite, lava in shades of hunter-green and black, and vanilla-milkshake-white sandstone, does resemble a painter’s palette. In fact, it more closely resembles an ever-evolving digitalized O’Keeffe, identifying new variations of colors with the slightest shift of the sun or a cloud.
The following morning, we departed the park via route 190, heading north through Towne Pass in the Panamint Mountains. This was a twisting journey past razor-sharp peaks leading us to more typical desert scenery: flat, dusty, and hot. Eventually, we reached the small town of Trona. A local had described this desolate town as ideal for filming a post-apocalyptic movie, which was not an exaggeration. I swear, we did not encounter another soul as we passed the town’s golf course, two smoke-belching factories, and a deserted gas station.
Dining Options
Next, we stopped at the Calico Ghost Town, a restored 19th-century mining town-turned-tourist attraction. The train ride around the park provided a nostalgic glimpse of the Old West, but nothing quite compared to what awaited us at our final stop, 55 miles north on I-15: Baker (population 914) and the Mojave National Preserve. Baker maintained the Twilight Zone theme beautifully. The only hotels in town—Royal Hawaiian, Wills Fargo, and Bun Boy—have all closed since our visit.
The friendly lady at the Bun Boy who checked me in offered to sell me a lotto ticket along with the room, but I declined. Later, I heard that this single motel/convenience store had the most lotto winners in the state. Inside room No. 103, we found an oversized bed, a TV with limited cable, and an enchanting view of nearby I-15, with a hand-printed sign on the back of the front door that read: “Please keep door closed. Snake spotted.”
Activities and Attractions
Nothing in the Mojave National Preserve could quite match our experience at the Bun Boy. However, the nation’s largest Joshua tree forest came close. A strenuous trek up and down the preserve’s 45-square-mile Kelso Dunes, one of the largest dune fields in the country, provided an unforgettable adventure. We capped the day at the Mad Greek Café, located across from the Bun Boy Motel, enjoying two delightful Greek salads in the shadow of a plastic statue of Hercules situated in a restaurant amid the California desert.
The anticipated snake never appeared. By the next morning, we were ready to leave the Mojave as quietly as possible. However, the desert has its own rules. When the clerk at the Bun Boy took my key back, she once more inquired if I was interested in a lotto ticket. I hesitated but found myself answering, “Sure. What the heck?” The true reward of a road trip through the Mojave is that one cannot leave without carrying a piece of its essence with them.
When to Go
February and March are cooler than most months and are the best time to see desert wildflowers.
Stay
The Oasis at Death Valley (formerly Furnace Creek Resort) Hwy. 190, Death Valley, Calif.; 800/236-7916. The stucco buildings with orange tiled roofs are set around a lush garden of date and fan palms near a warm-spring-fed pool.
Eat
Mad Greek Café 72112 Baker Blvd., Baker, Calif.; 760/733-4354. Watch for the whimsically gaudy billboards for the Mad Greek. This delightfully quirky Greek restaurant is surrounded by plaster statues, with the stars being its delicious lamb dishes and fresh strawberry shakes.
Do
Mojave National Preserve 760/252-6100; free admission. Take a scenic drive through the Joshua Tree Forest and hike up the preserve’s 45-square-mile Kelso Dunes, one of the largest dune fields in the U.S.
Calico Ghost Town 36600 Ghost Town Rd., Yermo, Calif.; 760/254-1123; train tickets $5. Pan for gold and ride the mining train.
Death Valley National Park 760/786-3200; entrance fee $30 per vehicle. Death Valley is the hottest and driest national park in the U.S. and the largest in the contiguous 48 states. More than one million visitors come annually, many to spot over 100 bird species known to inhabit the area.
Goldwell Open Air Museum 1 Golden St., Beatty, Nev.; 702/870-9946; free admission. This unique museum features half a dozen oversized sculptures, including a 24-foot oxidized steel miner, pick in hand, standing beside a penguin.
