The house-baked date bread served at The Inn Dining Room and available in The Ranch’s General Store has remained a staple at the resort since the 1930s, while guests have happily sipped cooling, date shakes for decades.

The Oasis at Death Valley is all about a sense of place. Set in one of the world’s most dramatic landscapes, this historic resort connects guests both to the surrounding desert and the region’s unique Old West history.

Two of the resort’s full-service restaurants, The Inn Dining Room and The Last Kind Words Saloon, even let visitors taste the desert by incorporating ingredients native to or grown in the Southwest and California into a host of dishes. Here’s a look at the different ways dates, prickly pear, and pomegranates are used at the resort:

Dates

Before opening to guests in 1930 as a more affordable alternative to The Inn, the site of today’s Ranch at Death Valley was an agricultural operation named Greenland Ranch.

In the book Magnificent Oasis at Death Valley: The History of Furnace Creek Resort and its Evolution into the Oasis at Death Valley, David and Gayle Woodruff write that date production at The Ranch began in the early 1920s. According to David Woodruff, The Ranch received free date palm trees from a defunct U.S. Department of Agriculture project in Arizona. The government agency, he says, wanted to test Death Valley for date cultivation because of the absence of infesting insects in the area. But along with the lack of pests came a lack of bees, which meant the trees needed to be pollinated by hand.

Eventually 1,500 date palm trees at The Ranch produced 200 tons of fruit annually, primarily the Deglet Noor (which translates as “Date of Light”) variety. Woodruff says that commercial date production at The Ranch continued until 1996. But a date orchard planted below The Inn at Death Valley didn’t fare nearly as well and was abandoned in the 1940s during World War II.

Dates certainly have had a long and prominent presence at the resort. The house-baked date bread served at The Inn Dining Room and available in The Ranch’s General Store has remained a staple at the resort since the 1930s, says Woodruff, while guests have happily sipped cooling, date shakes for decades.

Dates also pop up on The Inn’s Dining Room menu. For breakfast, you can order delicious pancakes with Deglet Noor date butter!

Prickly Pear

Six different species of prickly pear, a common desert cactus, grow in Death Valley National Park. While there are variations between individual species, all prickly pear live up to their name thanks to paddle-like appendages covered with spines. Once the spines are removed, the paddles (known as nopales) are used in traditional Mexican cuisine.

At The Oasis at Death Valley, however, it’s prickly pear’s sweet fruit that adds flavor to a number of dishes and drinks. But even the fruit has to be handled gingerly because the skin has little nubs with sharp, needle-like spines.

Chefs at The Last Kind Words Saloon prepare a spinach salad with a prickly pear vinaigrette and the baby back ribs feature a prickly pear barbecue sauce. For a real treat, The Inn’s lobby bar, as well as the Inn pool café, mixes a margarita that gets its distinctive tang from prickly pear purée. And if you’re looking for gift items, the General Store carries a big range of prickly pear-based foods: gummy bears, tea, taffy, chocolate bars, and jelly.

Pomegranates

Though not native to California or the American Southwest, according to the Utah State University Cooperative Extension, pomegranates have thrived in the New World since arriving with Spanish missionaries during the early 16th century and California by 1769. The state now produces 90 percent of the pomegranates grown in the U.S.

One of the oldest cultivated fruits and dubbed “the Fruit of the Desert,” pomegranates are native to a region from Iran to northern India and thrive in semi-arid conditions, including lots of sun. So, not surprisingly, pomegranates have historically been cultivated at scattered spots in the Death Valley region, including the Barker Ranch at the base of the Panamint Range and in nearby southern Nevada.

Pomegranate seeds are typically used as a garnish, while the juice is often added as a flavoring to drinks. The Inn lobby bar’s signature cocktails include the Pomegranate Squeeze — made with Ketel One Citron Vodka, Pama (pomegranate) liqueur, and lemon juice.

For more travel experiences available from Xanterra Travel Collection® and its affiliated properties, visit xanterra.com/stories.

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The fact is that The Oasis at Death Valley can transform special occasions into unforgettable ones. A world-famous desert getaway, with its two hotels, fine dining, and diverse collection of event venues, can accommodate gatherings of all kinds — from executive retreats to lavish weddings.

Granted, when you hear the name Death Valley, you may think rough-and-ready, not rest-and-relaxation. But with the resort’s unique facilities and a dedicated events team to help with planning, The Oasis at Death Valley is the place you’ll want to be. Here are a few reasons why.

The Middle of Nowhere is Closer Than You Think

While much of Death Valley National Park is designated federal wilderness, the area can easily be reached by guests traveling from around the country, or even from distant parts of the globe. McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, which is just two hours from the resort, has direct service from numerous U.S. cities, as well as hubs in Asia and Europe. And from Los Angeles International Airport, it’s a beautiful drive of less than five hours through the California desert to the resort.

Under the Desert Sky

The Inn’s outdoor event spaces let you take full advantage of the valley’s wonderful weather and the desert’s incomparable starry nights in the country’s largest International Dark Sky National Park.

Part of the resort’s $250 million renovation, the Mission Gardens, a romantic and verdant space for outdoor weddings and other larger gatherings, was created from an unlikely source. The whitewashed stone walls that enclose the gardens date to the 1920s and were originally part of an adobe building that served as The Inn’s laundry facility. The building burned down in 2014 but the walls were salvaged and restored, and together with palm trees, fountains, and colorful bougainvillea give the Mission Gardens an atmosphere that evokes Old California.

Another great venue for a wedding, especially if you’re hosting a smaller party, is the lawn area below the main hotel and adjacent to the 22 Spanish-style casitas that were added to the property during the renovation. Or for cocktail receptions and other group functions, you can take your pick of two other outdoor areas: Stargazer’s Terrace, with its wraparound views of the valley and the surrounding mountains, and the Panamint Deck, which overlooks the valley and the hotel’s palm gardens.

The Gold Rush Room

More Venues: The Great Indoors

With distinctive indoor event spaces, The Inn at Death Valley can handle group occasions of all kinds and sizes. Ranging from the intimate boardroom, an ideal place for executive off-sites, to the 1,400-square-foot, 120-person capacity Gold Rush Room, which has two wood-burning fireplaces and overlooks The Inn’s famous spring-fed pool, you’ll find choices that combine a historic ambience and a distinct sense of Death Valley.

Several of the rooms feature vintage stonework, and in the Oasis Foyer and the Big Horn Room, the ponderosa pine ceiling timbers were once part of railroad trestles used by trains hauling borax out of the valley. No uninspired hotel ballrooms with giant room dividers here.

The Last Kind Words Saloon

Distinctive Dining

Maybe you’re planning a wedding rehearsal dinner or just want to get together for a special meal with a group of friends during a weekend getaway. But whatever your plans, The Oasis at Death Valley’s restaurants let you dine in style.

The elegant Inn Dining Room blends a Southwest décor that features historic paintings of the American West with a contemporary menu of desert-inspired dishes to create a culinary experience that is truly of Death Valley. Favorites include the Wagyu ribeye and the blue cheese-stuffed date appetizer.

As beautiful as the main dining room may be, for a truly memorable meal, there’s nothing like dining beneath the starry desert sky out on the restaurant’s terrace. And next to the dining room, The Inn’s elegant lobby bar is the place to catch up with friends over a nightcap.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, that is, The Ranch at Death Valley, The Last Kind Words Saloon has added an informal and atmospheric dining option to the resort. Meticulously designed with historic artifacts, Western artwork, and Native American crafts, the restaurant brings alive the world of a classic Old West saloon. It’s the perfect spot for a high-spirited gathering where everyone can don jeans and cowboy boots and dig into such classic Western fare as a bison strip loin or barbecue baby back ribs. And when it’s time for a toast, take your pick from the saloon’s impeccable collection of small-batch and boutique American whiskies.

The Furnace Creek Golf Course at Death Valley

Fun in the Sun

While Death Valley is justly famous for its desert hiking trails, the resort offers all sorts of activities if you want to host group outings during company retreats, family reunions, and weddings.

Saddle up for guided rides onto the floor of the desert or into the foothills, as well as memorable sunset adventures, with Furnace Creek Stables. Families also love the carriage and hay wagon rides. Organize your own tournament at the challenging and beautiful Furnace Creek Golf Course at Death Valley, the world’s lowest-elevation course at 214 feet below sea level. Or treat your maid of honor and best man, to a massage and a body wrap at The Inn’s Wellness Sancturary.

Then again, nothing beats just hanging out poolside with friends, family, or colleagues at the resort’s two spring-fed swimming pools, both of which stay consistently in the mid 80s. The Inn’s pool has cabanas and deck-side wood-burning fireplaces, which everyone will appreciate on one of Death Valley’s surprisingly chilly nights.

For more experiences available from Xanterra Travel Collection® and its affiliated properties, visit xanterra.com/stories.

The post Celebrate Your Special Occasion in Death Valley! first appeared on The Oasis at Death Valley.

His family camped over Memorial Day weekend and, not surprisingly, it was pretty darn hot.

“My mom was saying, ‘Gosh, if there were only a breath of air, just a bit of a wind for us,’” recalled the California historian who specializes in Death Valley. “We ate dinner and we’re all lying awake in the tent because it was so hot. Then, off in the distance, you could hear the winds coming toward us. The winds finally hit the tent after 20 minutes of roaring down the valley. Flattened it.”

They indeed proved to be ill winds for the family.

While driving to the ghost town of Skidoo on the high country road to the landmark Charcoal Kilns, “all of a sudden the engine on our Ford LTD station wagon started making a noise,” Woodruff says. “My dad turned off the engine and saw that the car was out of engine oil. Up on the Skidoo road. At the end of May.”

Apparently, the oil drain plug had been knocked loose when the car bottomed out in the campground. So Woodruff’s father pointed the station wagon downhill. Then, with the engine off and no power steering or brakes, he managed to coast all the way down to Stovepipe Wells. “It was harrowing,” says Woodruff.

Despite such a traumatic introduction, over the years Woodruff continued to visit Death Valley and eventually went to work at the Furnace Creek Inn, the original name of the historic Inn at Death Valley. As an avid hiker and backpacker, working at The Inn gave Woodruff and his wife Gayle the chance to get to know the area and also develop an expertise in its history. So in addition to guiding tours and delivering lectures, Woodruff, along with Gayle, eventually authored the book, Magnificent Oasis at Death Valley.

Here are some of Woodruff’s recollections of his years at The Inn, as well as his insights into the unique history of the resort.

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park

Q: Why did you move to Death Valley?

A: My wife Gayle and I were looking for places to go hiking and started taking winter vacations in Death Valley. We would camp at the campground during January and February and had just a glorious time, for maybe one-third of the price that our friends paid to go to Mexico or Hawaii.

That started our fondness for Death Valley. Gayle was enamored with the wonderful winter weather and the overall beauty that Death Valley offered. We vacationed there almost every winter during the early 80s.

Once our son was done with college, we were in a financial position to sell our house and semi-retire. We were familiar with Death Valley and knew they had a lot of seasonal jobs that would allow us to take our summers off. So in the early 90s, (we went) out to Death Valley for a job interview. We were hired as the oldest busboy and busgirl on the property.

In the winter Death Valley is a hiking paradise, and we were able to hike on our days off and in the morning before work. We had what we considered probably the best lives in the world.

Q: How did you uncover the history of The Inn?

A: Even though U.S. Borax (formed when the Pacific Borax Co., which built the original Inn, merged with United States Potash Corp. in 1956) had sold the hotel property in 1968, they still came up to Death Valley a lot. They would do retreats and corporate meetings at the resort.

By 2001 we had developed such an interest in the history (of the resort) that we started collecting old postcards and borax advertising. Because I was in charge of food and beverage by then, when I saw on the banquet calendar that the borax company was coming, I thought we would do something extra special. So I made some centerpieces for the borax folks for their (dinner) tables. Old borax advertisements and things such as that.

The president of the borax company was there and I remember he picked up the centerpiece on his table and asked the waiter, “Where’d these come from?” The waiter pointed at me and I went and talked to the president, and he was quite pleased that I had an interest in the company.

He said, “We have this storeroom of stuff that you might find interesting. You should come down and look at it sometime. It took us almost a year but we finally went. The room was about 15 feet long and 10 feet wide, with shelves all around. Boxes, notebooks, binders — all kinds of things.

The borax company had saved literally every correspondence from way back in 1888, then onto building the hotel and onto selling it to the Fred Harvey Co. And everything in between. Not to mention tens of thousands of pictures.

Now we had this wealth of information that really no one in the modern day had gone through or looked at… (about) the history of the resort itself and how the borax company built it and what the hotel evolved into. If I had never had the good fortune to meet the president of the borax company at that banquet, none of this would have ever come about.

Q: What do you think of the recent $100 million renovation of The Inn?

A: I think it’s incredible. They did a really great job of preserving the historical integrity. When I worked there, I used to worry, almost chronically, about the hotel being able to continue on. Because let’s face it, it was an old hotel, and I saw all of the inner workings that needed attention. It’s absolutely incredible that (the Xanterra Travel Collection®) actually spent the kind of money The Inn needed and enabled that hotel to carry on for probably another ten decades.

The overall improvements? I love them, I think they’re great. Before I ever worked there, being a camping guest who would go and have an adult beverage on the deck at The Inn and look at the sunset view, that was one of my favorite ways to spend the late afternoon and early evening in Death Valley. But even as a guest, I couldn’t believe that the parking lot used to be right in front of The Inn.

Here you’re looking out on what I used to call a billion-dollar view and yet in the foreground were all of these cars. Car alarms and brake lights. (Guests) yelling at the kids when unloading the luggage. I found it disruptive the entire time I worked there. I thought that should be someplace else. Now you drive up and offload and there are no (parked) cars anymore. I love that.

And certainly all of the improvements at the pool. The pool has always been the centerpiece and now they have a real spa facility. Though I’m not a spa guy myself, I think that’s really nice.

Q: Can you share some of the hidden history of The Inn?

A: The room underneath The Inn, the Oasis Room, was a lounge and a restaurant at one time until it got converted into a banquet and meeting room space in 1996. It was the last structure and part of the hotel built in 1937.

The dining room and the entire building up above was already complete and done. But when Prohibition ended, they needed a bar and made a small makeshift thing in the back. It was extremely small, just enough space to have drinks. So they wanted a bigger lounge and they also wanted a second restaurant by the time the hotel got up to 66 rooms. They got the idea to put the new bar and second restaurant directly underneath the existing dining room and excavate the hillside out during the construction work. Someone got the idea that they were going to have to hold the upstairs up while they did the excavation, so they decided to dismantle the old railroad trestle that was about 16 miles to the east of the hotel.

The borax train used to run on it, hauling borax in the 1910s and early 1920s. It was made of beautiful Western white pine, ponderosa pine that came from Mt. Charleston near Las Vegas. They dismantled the bridge and brought these massive timbers to The Inn and stuck them under the building as they excavated. They did such a great job that they left the timbers there and incorporated them into the structure of the downstairs.

The timbers in the ceiling of the Oasis Room have been covered, but are still visible framing the doors. But the timbers are more visible in the Oasis foyer and the Big Horn Room. All three of these rooms were built at the same time and incorporated the same excavation and support method with the railroad trestle timbers. And the walls in one room are lined with colemanite, which was the most popular form of borax that they mined in Death Valley.

For more travel experiences available from Xanterra Travel Collection® and its affiliated properties, visit xanterra.com/stories.

The post Behind the Scenes with the Historian of the Oasis at Death Valley first appeared on The Oasis at Death Valley.

While you can definitely get a nice workout at The Inn at Death Valley’s new and improved exercise room (or in the spring-fed pool), it’s no secret that walking is an essential part of any fitness regimen. Whether you’re out for an easy stroll or a more rigorous hike, walking is the perfect way to get your heart pumping without putting too much stress on the joints. Not only is it beneficial to the body, enhancing cardiovascular fitness and limiting weight gain, walking is good for our minds too.

So during a stay at The Oasis at Death Valley, challenge your body and give your brain a workout, too, on hikes that lead to close-up looks of Death Valley’s remarkable geology and incomparable panoramas of the country’s most dramatic desert landscape.

Here are five hikes that show off the diversity of Death Valley’s terrain. Be sure to carry adequate water and snacks for each hiker and before heading out, check at the National Park Service’s visitor center for current conditions.

Wake Up and Walk the Badlands

One of the highlights of any Death Valley trip is to catch sunrise at Zabriskie Point, the famed overlook less than 10 minutes south of The Oasis at Death Valley.

Once you’ve watched the starkly beautiful badlands turn violet, pink, and gold with the dawn, it’s time to go down and explore this dramatically eroded terrain. The 2.7-mile Badlands Loop descends from the point and leads through a labyrinth of water- and wind-carved sediments, originally laid down as part of an ancient lakebed (yes, Death Valley was once covered by water). The slopes are virtually devoid of vegetation but especially under the soft morning light, this is one of the national park’s most stunning places for a hike.

A Canyon With Polish

The hike into Mosaic Canyon leads through areas of exposed marble and breccia (the mosaic-like embedded rock fragments in breccia give the canyon its name). While not super hard, these rocks are far more substantial than the loose sediments of the badlands below Zabriskie Point.

The hike begins at the end of an unpaved road just beyond Stovepipe Wells and about 30 miles from The Oasis at Death Valley. There’s no formal trail but just follow the footprints through the wash and the route soon narrows down to an area of rock polished to a remarkable smoothness by gravel and small stones that course through the canyon during flash floods. You can head about two miles into the canyon by either climbing or working your way up or around a few dryfalls along the way. Eventually you’ll reach a dryfall that’s impassable; turn around from here for a roughly four-mile round-trip hike.

Sunrise colors on Telescope peak reflected in pond at Badwater

Valley Low, Mountain High

Although many tourists come to Death Valley to visit Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level, most of them have no idea that the park also encompasses high-country areas that climb to more than 11,000 feet.

But that prominent snow-capped summit that you can see across the valley from the inn is 11,049-foot Telescope Peak, the park’s highest point. You won’t want to hike Telescope Peak in winter. However, once the snow melts, the challenging 14-mile round trip to the summit is a bucket list-worthy experience.

The trail begins from Mahagony Flat Campground, a good 2-1/2 hours from the inn (like we said, this is a big park). The route ascends 3,000 feet through both forested areas and exposed, unshaded slopes on the way to the peak. The payoffs for all of your efforts are many and varied: incomparable views of Death Valley, glimpses of ancient bristlecone pines (among the world’s oldest living things), and bragging rights. After all, you’ve made it to the top of a mountain more than two miles above the valley floor.

Atop the Volcano

You don’t have to be a geology nerd to understand and appreciate Ubehebe Crater, about 75 minutes north of the resort. With its round shape and defined rim, not to mention the half-mile-wide crater’s craggy, 600-foot maw, you would never mistake Ubehebe for anything other than a volcano.

Part of a field of 13 craters in the northern part of the park, Ubehebe was created about 2,100 years ago as rising magma came into contact with groundwater and set off a massive steam eruption that sent debris over a 15-mile area. A 1-1/2-mile trail follows the rim, offering great views into the crater’s depths and of the surrounding desert terrain.

No Mirage: A Desert Waterfall

Although it’s a good 60 miles from the Oasis at Death Valley, Darwin Falls in the park’s Panamint Springs area on State Highway 190 is well worth the drive. After all, there aren’t many places in the Mojave Desert where you can see a waterfall.
But fed by a spring, this modest cascade flows year-round, plunging down a mossy rock face and into a most undesert-like grotto fringed by willows. The waterfall that you can see is actually just a small section of a much taller waterfall that begins higher up. The two-mile round-trip hike isn’t especially challenging but does involve several crossings of the shallow, narrow stream.

How to Explore

The Oasis at Death Valley is situated in a lush oasis surrounded by the vast and arid desert of Death Valley National Park — just 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas and 275 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The resort encompasses two hotels — the historic AAA Four Diamond, 88-room Inn at Death Valley and the family-oriented, 224-room Ranch at Death Valley. The entire resort went through a complete renaissance with an extensive renovation in 2018. It includes natural spring-fed pools, an 18-hole golf course, horse and carriage rides, world-renowned stargazing, and is surrounded by Death Valley National Park’s main attractions. For information and reservations, visit The Oasis at Death Valley or call 800-236-7916.

For more travel experiences to Beautiful Places on Earth available from Xanterra Travel Collection® and its affiliated properties, visit xanterra.com/stories.

The post 5 Death Valley Hikes That Should Be on Your Bucket List Now first appeared on The Oasis at Death Valley.

Death Valley is fantastic; this is like a dream come true for me. It’s everything I love. I love nature, I love the changing light, I love the desert air here. The rocks, and the water. The spring that feeds this resort is just phenomenal.

Even on a chilly November morning, as an early winter storm moves across Death Valley National Park, a mix of serious photographers and selfie-seeking tourists gather before dawn for sunrise at Zabriskie Point. Drizzle drifts through the air as the rising sun fights through the overcast and begins to light up the valley and the snow-dusted summit of 11,043-foot Telescope Peak in the Panamint Mountains. A rainbow forms over the mountains and the cameras click away.

There’s a familiar face in the crowd at the overlook: 6-foot-11-inch-tall basketball Hall of Famer and broadcaster Bill Walton. After discovering the area 2 decades ago, the two-time NBA world champion and twice a national champion at UCLA, has become an acolyte of all things Death Valley, as well a regular at The Inn at Death Valley. No way would he miss sunrise at Zabriskie Point. And, despite the blustery conditions, later in the morning, he would go on a long bike ride along Highway 190 toward Dante’s View.

“This is the life that I love,” says Walton. “I do not spend my days sitting on the couch and watching television and waiting for the telephone to ring. I’m out there. It’s all about the possibilities. Death Valley epitomizes my biggest dream in life, which is all I want is more. Here I am — 66 years old, healthy, madly in love, and in Death Valley. What more could you ask for? I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

Now a college basketball analyst with ESPN and the Pac-12 Network, the garrulous Walton is renowned both for the depth of his hoops knowledge, as well as an infectious, unorthodox approach to broadcasting. Not only is Walton one of basketball’s all-time greats, he’s also a Hall of Fame talker, who never met a superlative that he didn’t like. Or love.

So we sat down with Walton over date shakes at the 224-room Ranch at Death Valley to better understand his deep connection with Death Valley. “This is just heaven on Earth,” he says. “We try and come out here as often as we can.”

Discovering the Desert

Our family culture was one of curiosity, exploration, and experimentation. My dad loved the outdoors and loved California — my dad is a California native — but he did not like the desert. He grew up in the Central Valley and liked the running water. He liked the ocean.

We did not have enough money to stay in a hotel, so we were campers. And I love camping. We spent our youth and childhood, every summer on both sides of the Sierra Nevada and on the coast. Northern California and the rivers. Lake Tahoe. And the mountains with the big rivers — Lassen and Shasta.

But then I went out on my own, when I was 16 or 17, and I just fell in love with the desert. In the early days, Palm Springs and the mountains there. Mount San Jacinto and the Santa Rosa Mountains, and then Joshua Tree.

His First Visit to Death Valley

It was 17 years ago after I had my second ankle fusion. I was riding my bike and someone just came up to me and said, “Hey man, there’s going to be a big group ride in Death Valley. You should go, it’s going to be really cool.”

So I came up here and we stayed for four days that first time. Before we left, we made a reservation at the hotel for the next year. For two weeks. Then we came back the next year for two weeks. And before we left that year, we made a reservation for a month. Then we came every year for a month.

It’s fantastic, this is like a dream come true for me. It’s everything I love. I love nature, I love the changing light, I love the desert air here. The rocks, and the water. The spring that feeds this resort is just phenomenal. The quality of the water. You been in the pool yet? The water’s 85 degrees every day. And they’ve got those fireplaces going right next to the pool.

The Inn’s spring-fed pool at night

Why He Loves The Inn at Death Valley

They took paradise and they made it better. It’s better than perfect. Every time I come here, it’s such a healing place, it’s such an inspiring place. An empowering place, an enabling place. And the people who come here, people who are here for the first time, their eyes light up and they say, ‘Oh my gosh, I just had no idea.”

The quality — you look at all of the things that Philip Anschutz (owner of The Oasis at Death Valley) does. And you look at all of the things that his company AEG does. And what (his travel company) Xanterra does. You look at all of the projects that they have going on. All of them epitomize quality.

Now they’ve made the hotel even nicer while maintaining the culture and the tradition and the history. The architecture and the stonework. And then what tops it off are the people who work here.

This hotel has everything: the pool, the restaurant, and we stay in the same room every year, 227. Perfect access for the bike rider. You’re on the ground level, so you can go straight out.

This is a land of extremes and you’re out there on your bike all day. But you’re also in the pool, early morning or evening. You just get healthy and feel so good that you say, “I can do anything.”

The Meaning of Death Valley

It’s a very spiritual place, a place of enlightenment. A place of passion. A place of imagination and creativity. Death Valley heals every part of my being. Physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, psychologically.

It’s also a place of empathy. Because when you’re here, you get an incredible grasp of how fragile everything is and how tenuous everything is. The need — while we enjoy the risks of living on the edge — the need to be cautious and not to get too close to that edge. Because this is a place that anything can, does, and will happen. Death Valley teaches you a lot of lessons. And one of those lessons is the power of nature.

You’re just awestruck by the magnificence and the grandeur of nature in Death Valley. Every aspect of it is here. I’m so glad that the people who are visiting for the first time got to see the rain this morning. That they got to see the rainbows. Because for so much of the time, it’s pure sun.

Ubehebe Crater

Favorite Death Valley Places

We have four children, so I try not to get into ranking and rating favorites. There are so many different places to see in Death Valley. Whether it’s Ubehebe Crater or Marble Canyon, whether it’s Golden Canyon, Scotty’s Castle when it’s open.

And then the bike riding. The bike riding is superb. There are endless and dizzying possibilities for what to do here, whether it’s the bike ride you took to Badwater or Mormon Point. Jubilee Pass, Salisbury Pass. Towne’s Pass. Death Valley is Mother Nature’s greatest sports arena. And how appropriate that this whole resort is from Phil Anschutz — Mr. Sports Arena.

There are countless, fantastic adventures and experiences. And you just keep going. The days — there’s sadly never enough time. You want to be back by dark so you can get in that swimming pool. Work it all out, scrape the day off, get a hot shower and then go into the dining room. Because the food is spectacular!

For more travel experiences available from Xanterra Travel Collection® and its affiliated properties, visit xanterra.com/stories.

The post Why Basketball Icon Bill Walton Loves The Oasis at Death Valley first appeared on The Oasis at Death Valley.

With wagon wheel chandeliers and a ceiling made from ornate stamped tin panels, The Last Kind Words Saloon resembles a saloon straight out of a classic Western.

Every desert oasis needs a good watering hole. And The Oasis at Death Valley has a watering hole that rivals the very best bars and restaurants in America’s national parks, The Last Kind Words Saloon.

With wagon wheel chandeliers and a ceiling made from ornate stamped tin panels, The Last Kind Words Saloon resembles a saloon straight out of a classic Western. Walk through the swinging doors and you enter a soaring space where a balustraded wooden staircase leads to a loft that wraps around two sides of the interior. Authentic Navajo rugs and saddles dating to the 1920s hang along the railings, while longhorn skulls peer out from above the bar.

The Last Kind Words Saloon

The saloon’s design emerged from the vision of owner Philip Anschutz, the famed entrepreneur and historian of the West whose holdings include Xanterra Travel Collection®, the parent company of The Oasis at Death Valley. He brought in the Englewood, Colorado, firm of Johnson David Interiors, headed by Cynthia Johnson and her husband David Fritz, which has also worked on The Broadmoor, Anschutz’s landmark Colorado Springs resort.

“He has a very deep passion for the American West. His art collection certainly speaks to that,” says Johnson.

As part of the reinvention of the 224-room The Ranch at Death Valley, Anschutz wanted to create the atmosphere of a classic Western town. And what’s a Western town without a saloon?

“Many people that come here are Europeans who are doing the Grand Canyon and the whole Western circuit,” says Johnson. “He wanted them to have the experience of an Old West saloon. And that was our directive. So that everyone would have a good understanding of what a true, authentic Western saloon felt like.”

With three arched alcoves, two with big screens typically tuned in to sporting events, the large cherry wood bar is The Last Kind Words Saloons’ visual centerpiece and main gathering place. Belly up to the bar, set your cowboy boots along the brass rail, then take your pick of craft beers on tap, small batch American whiskies, and signature cocktails, some featuring that that Old West favorite: sarsaparilla.

Tomahawk Steak, one of the signature dishes

The dinner menu is every bit as Western as the décor. There’s a bison New York strip loin and the Tomahawk, a giant 36-ounce bone-in ribeye. Other entrees incorporate ingredients from the desert, including salmon with prickly pear butter and baby back ribs in a prickly pear barbecue sauce.

The Last Kind Words Saloon gets its name from Larry McMurtry’s 2014 novel about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. You’ll see quotes on the wall from McMurtry, as well as his singer-songwriter son James, although you just might miss their words. That’s because the saloon is so richly decorated.

It’s an absolute visual feast of old maps, signage, historic photographs, and Western artwork, including a painting depicting one of Death Valley’s iconic 20-mule teams hauling borax. While several works come from Anschutz’s art collection, the mule team painting previously hung in the ranch’s Corkscrew Saloon. “When we saw that painting, we told them to absolutely make sure they didn’t throw it away,” says Johnson.

Promotional posters and advertisements appear prominently.

You’ll also see wanted posters and authentic Western apparel, from white riding gloves embroidered with red roses to a pair of flouncy bloomers. In tribute to Death Valley’s long mining tradition, there are gold pans, lanterns, pick axes, and shovels, as well as a set of framed mule shoes. “He wanted the walls full, he wanted them very full,” says Johnson. “Not just full of his paintings and taxidermy, but also to show the history of the Old West.”

From the time Anschutz first outlined his vision, it took three years for the saloon’s décor to come together. Johnson and Fritz found many of the 1,200 items adorning the walls themselves but there were plenty of surprises when crates arrived from Anschutz’s collection.

“When we opened up the crates from the owner, we really didn’t know what we were going to get,” says Johnson. “We had a good idea of what paintings were coming from him but when the crates arrived with the taxidermy, it took about five days to install all of those things on the wall. Even with lifts in there, some of them were not easy to hang. Like the moose (head). It took five guys to hang that. But the team definitely had a whole lot of fun on this project.”

For more travel experiences available from Xanterra Travel Collection® and its affiliated properties, visit xanterra.com/stories.

The post Cheers! A Classic Western Bar in Death Valley first appeared on The Oasis at Death Valley.

With a little planning, you can catch many of the park’s highlights while leaving yourself enough time to bask in the silence of the desert and pamper yourself at the resort.

So here you are, staying for a long weekend at The Oasis at Death Valley, a world-class resort surrounded by Death Valley National Park. A vast expanse that’s bigger than two states and the District of Columbia, Death Valley is the lower 48’s largest national park, and you’ll no doubt want to explore as much of its diverse and rugged desert terrain as possible. But you probably also hope to kick back and relax on the grounds of the resort’s two recently renovated hotels: the luxurious and historic Four Diamond Inn at Death Valley and the family-friendly Ranch at Death Valley.

The reality is that it would take a lifetime to see all of Death Valley, a park that ranges in elevation from Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level, to the snowcapped heights of 11,049-foot Telescope Peak in the Panamint Range. There are expansive salt flats and intimate, serpentine canyons, plus geological features from volcanic craters to sand dunes. And given the right conditions, Death Valley can put on spectacular displays of spring wildflowers.

That’s a lot of ground to cover. But with a little planning, you can catch many of the park’s highlights while leaving yourself enough time to bask in the serenity of the desert and pamper yourself at the resort. Here’s how:

Day One

Morning

Less than a 10-minute drive from the resort, Zabriskie Point might just transform even the most stubborn of night owls into a morning person. That’s because this overlook offers the definitive sunrise view in the park as the badlands below the point come aglow with the first light of day and the Panamint Range across the valley fires with pinks and reds.

Watch the display and then take a short drive on an unpaved road (suitable for standard vehicles) through the jagged badlands of nearby 20 Mule Team Canyon. From the end of the one-way road, it’s a quick hop back to the beautifully restored Inn Dining Room, where you’ll find historic Western art and a breakfast menu of regionally inspired specialties — from huevos rancheros to 49’er flapjacks served with Deglet Noor date butter.

Over at the national park’s Furnace Creek Visitor Center, you can learn about the region’s natural and human history and also catch a beautifully produced 20-minute film narrated by actor Donald Sutherland that illuminates Death Valley’s grandeur. For more history, stop at The Ranch to visit the Borax Museum. Housed in the valley’s oldest structure, which dates to 1883, the museum exhibits an impressive mineral collection and looks at the role that borax, a mineral used in ceramics and a host of cleaning supplies, played in Death Valley’s development. Behind the museum, you’ll also find historic mining equipment, wagons, and locomotives on display.

While you’re at The Ranch, pick up a cup of coffee and enjoy the park-like setting of its reimagined town square. Built in a Spanish Colonial Revival style with beautifully landscaped gardens, the square is lined by newly constructed buildings that house the resort’s general store, a Western-style restaurant, a brand new tavern, and The Last Kind Words Saloon.

Lunch

Hang out by The Inn’s landmark spring-fed pool, which maintains a steady temperature in the mid-80s, and enjoy the serene setting as you dine on sandwiches, crudité, and cheeseboards at the Inn Pool Café in a beautiful cabana with spectacular views.

Afternoon

Head south from the resort for the classic drive down Badwater Road. Take your pick of short hikes just off the road, including the easy 1-mile round trip to Natural Bridge, an eroded stone formation that spans a narrow canyon. For a slightly longer trek, explore the starkly beautiful terrain of Golden Canyon, where a 3-mile round trip leads to Red Cathedral, a spectacular ruddy-hued natural amphitheater tucked into a side canyon.

Most people make the drive to visit Badwater Basin for the novelty of visiting the continent’s lowest point. For perspective on how low Badwater actually is, look up on the towering cliffs opposite the parking lot for a small sign that marks sea level. And give yourself time at Badwater to walk out on the boardwalk that traverses the salt flats.

Try to time your return drive to the resort for late afternoon. That’s the best time of day to take a detour along 9-mile Artist’s Drive to see the most colorful spot in the entire park: Artist’s Palette. With red, pink, purple, and turquoise hues coloring the rock, this remarkable formation definitely lives up to its name.

The Inn Dining Room

Dinner and Evening

Savor an elegant dinner at The Inn Dining Room, where you’ll face tough decisions not only between such entrees as port-braised prime beef short ribs and grilled salmon in a yuzu soy reduction, but also about where you want to sit. While the Southwest-style dining room certainly has a relaxed and romantic elegance, a table out along the veranda on a perfect Death Valley night with beautiful views is positively unforgettable.

Day Two

Morning

Along with sunrise at Zabriskie Point, the other classic Death Valley morning experience is a walk in the billowing Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes near Stovepipe Wells. The morning light paints the sands with delicate golds and pinks and also accents the ripples etched into the slopes by the wind. It’s also fun to look for animal tracks pressed into the dunes by an assortment of Death Valley creatures including coyotes, desert kit foxes, and kangaroo rats.

On the way back to the resort for breakfast, take a detour for a walk along the boardwalk at the Salt Creek Interpretive Trail. Look into the spring-fed creek’s waters, where, especially during the spring mating season, you’ll see tiny Salt Creek pupfish, rare creatures that survive from the days when water covered Death Valley.

Afternoon

After lunch at The Wild Rose Tavern, the newest dining option at The Ranch at Death Valley, head north to see three classic Death Valley sites.

Reopened after a nine-year safety-related closure, the restored Keane Wonder Mine off the Beatty Cutoff preserves a major gold mining operation that dates to the early 1900s. In addition to seeing remnants from mining days, you can follow a trail that steeply climbs past the towers of the mostly intact aerial tramway.

Back on the main Death Valley road, drive up to Ubehebe Crater in the northern reaches of the park for your chance to walk along the rim of a 600-foot-deep volcano that erupted about 2,100 years ago.

Dinner and Evening

Before enjoying dinner at The Inn Dining Room or at The Ranch, savor every last minute of the day on a sunset or moonlight horseback ride along the valley floor with Furnace Creek Stables. For a nightcap, the lobby bar at The Inn is an elegant spot to toast another great Death Valley day.

Day Three

Morning

The panorama is positively heavenly from Dante’s View, an overlook about 40 minutes south of the resort. At 5,475 feet in the Black Mountains, Dante’s View is literally more than a mile above the salt flats and takes in a spectacular vista looking north across the full sweep of the valley. Hike along the network of trails to get different perspectives for photographs.

The morning is also an ideal time to test your game on The Furnace Creek Golf Course at Death Valley, the world’s lowest-elevation golf course at 214 feet below sea level. The challenging course earned a spot on Golf Digest’s list of America’s Toughest Courses. And not only are there birdies, but there are also birds: The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System designated the eco-friendly course as a certified natural sanctuary.

Afternoon

After lunch, you’ll have to decide just how ambitious you want to be. By this time in the trip, you’ve no doubt spent time behind the wheel. If you’d rather leave the driving to someone else and still get out to some of the park’s more rugged and remote destinations, Farabee’s Jeep Tours leads guided outings to such spots as Racetrack Playa.

Of course, you also have the option of indulging in a little rest and relaxation. For the ultimate in pampering, settle into a poolside cabana at The Inn and treat yourself to a desert hot stone massage in one of the spa’s two treatment rooms overlooking Xanadu Gardens.

Evening

Enjoy your final dinner at The Inn Dining Room, then find a spot away from any lights for stargazing and you’ll soon discover why Death Valley earned recognition as the country’s largest International Dark Park from DarkSky International. You won’t need any special optics (binoculars are fine) to bear witness to the brilliance of the Death Valley sky. But in winter and spring, park rangers and experts from local astronomy organizations conduct stargazing events with high-powered telescopes.

For more travel experiences available from Xanterra Travel Collection® and its affiliated properties, visit xanterra.com/stories.

Written by: Matt Jaffe

Specializing in California, the Southwest, and Hawaii, Matt Jaffe is an award-winning former senior writer at Sunset magazine and contributes to a variety of publications, including Los Angeles, Arizona Highways, and Westways. His books include The Santa Monica Mountains: Range on the Edge and Oaxaca: The Spirit of Mexico.

The post 3 Perfect Days: The Oasis at Death Valley first appeared on The Oasis at Death Valley.

But you may only have a couple of days to see it all during your visit to The Oasis at Death Valley. Here’s a look at five of the don’t-miss icons you’ll want to experience at America’s incomparable desert national park.

1. Zabriskie Point at Sunrise

Even if you’re not a morning person, drag yourself out of bed and get out to Zabriskie Point for sunrise. The good news is that this overlook is only a six-minute drive from the recently renovated, historic Four Diamond Inn at Death Valley, which can serve as your base, so you won’t lose much shut-eye.

Nor will you have any regrets as the first light of day begins to illuminate the golden badlands below the point, including the prominent triangular spire of Manly Beacon, while the towering Panamint Range across the valley takes on a pinkish-red glow.

2. Badwater Basin

How low can you go? In Death Valley you can drop all the way to 282 feet below sea level at Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America. About 20 minutes south of The Inn along Badwater Road, the basin is a 200-square-mile area of salt flats on the valley floor that you can reach from the parking lot via an easy boardwalk trail.

Most of the time there’s only a small amount of water here, making it possible to walk out on the salt flats. But in 2005, so much rain fell that a lake formed at Badwater and visitors were actually able to kayak on the floor of Death Valley.

Back at the parking lot after the mile-long round-trip walk, look for a small sign high on the cliffs across the road. That sign indicates just how far up you would have to climb just to reach sea level.

3. Ubehebe Crater

If geology is typically a science of silence, that certainly wasn’t the case one day 2,100 years ago when Ubehebe Crater formed. As magma from deep within the Earth came into contact with deposits of groundwater, a massive volcanic steam eruption resulted. After that first big blast, a series of smaller eruptions ensued, covering an area within 15 miles of Ubehebe with debris.

Except for the often-gusty winds, Ubehebe Crater is quiet these days. From the overlook, you can gaze down into the 600-foot-deep crater (which was originally 800 feet deep before rock and gravel partially refilled it). The crater is a half-mile across and to best appreciate its scale, follow the 1 ½-mile trail along the rim, where the views extend out over the surrounding volcanic field.

4. Artist’s Palette

For anyone who thinks of the desert as drab and colorless, just detour onto Artist’s Drive and spend a few minutes at Artist’s Palette late in the afternoon.

As its name suggests, Artist’s Palette is like a painting. The green and turquoise hues, as well as the violets and reds, almost don’t look real, appearing to be painted onto the tawny face of the Black Mountains. Give yourself time to watch as the colors deepen, then fade with the changing light. And don’t be shy about coming back on another day: Artist’s Palette is always different.

5. Desert Wildflowers

This is the tricky one. Death Valley’s unforgettable ephemeral wildflower displays are dependent on the amount, timing, and intensity of the rains that occasionally reach the California desert, as well as the right sun and wind conditions.

In some winters and springs, the wildflowers remain largely dormant. But in the years of so-called super blooms, like those in 2005 and 2016, Death Valley comes alive with an unimaginable beauty. Desert golds blanket huge expanses of the park, while bear poppies add their vivid oranges and western mariposa lilies sprinkle areas with violet.

When conditions are right, Death Valley blooms from mid-February into April with displays climbing into higher elevation as the spring progresses.

For more travel experiences available from Xanterra Travel Collection® and its affiliated properties, visit xanterra.com/stories.

Written by: Matt Jaffe

Specializing in California, the Southwest, and Hawaii, Matt Jaffe is an award-winning former senior writer at Sunset magazine and contributes to a variety of publications, including Los Angeles, Arizona Highways, and Westways. His books include The Santa Monica Mountains: Range on the Edge and Oaxaca: The Spirit of Mexico.

The post 5 Iconic Sites in Death Valley You Don’t Want to Miss first appeared on The Oasis at Death Valley.

While the Inn’s history and Wild West flavor are a big part of its appeal, it offers more than just ambience.

Where can you find the perfect balance between the historic romance of a vintage hotel and the pampering amenities of a contemporary luxury resort — in the middle of the desert? At The Inn at Death Valley, thanks to its biggest renovation in decades.

The completion of the multi-million project is a remarkable achievement for the 66-room inn, which opened in 1927 at a time when Death Valley was still as much a part of the Old West as it was the 20th century. Mining reigned, and with only a few primitive roads, Death Valley remained a rugged frontier largely cut off from the outside. Death Valley National Monument wouldn’t be established until 1933, and here, at the hottest place on Earth, air conditioning was decades away.

As one joking advertisement put it, Death Valley “…has all the advantages of hell without the inconveniences.” So why bother building a hotel in such an isolated and seemingly inhospitable spot?

Front Entrance – The Inn at the Death Valley

Origins of a Desert Icon

A gradual decline in mining meant that the operators of the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad and the Death Valley Railroad needed to find new customers for their trains and turned to tourism for the solution.

In 1926, local Paiute and Shoshone Indians went to work onsite making adobe bricks, and construction only lasted a few months before the hotel opened. Then known as the Furnace Creek Inn, the hotel embodied the history of California and the Old West. Designed in the Mission style, with red-tile roofs, a tower, arcades, and walls made of desert stone, the building evokes California’s Spanish past.

Rather than obscure the inn’s history, the renovations have helped to bring out more of the hotel’s traditional character. In the lobby, a combination of terra cotta and decorative tile adds to the Spanish atmosphere, while classic artwork depicting scenes of the American West link the hotel to its frontier past. In the dining room, a beamed ceiling and newly installed dark plank-wood floor, as well as more pieces of Western-themed art, create a setting of rustic elegance.

It’s easy to immerse yourself in the ambiance of the Old West here: Saddle up for a trail ride to spot roadrunners, coyotes, bobcats and jackrabbits. Marvel at a genuine desert oasis with towering date palms and a spring-fed pool. Hike the breathtaking terrain and discover old ghost towns and abandoned mining pits. Visit a historic museum that documents the region’s traditional borax mining. And experience a classic Western atmosphere with stables, wagon rides, and real cowboy spirit.

Gorgeous sunsets are the norm at The Inn’s pool

Modern Luxuries

While the inn’s history and Wild West flavor are a big part of its appeal, it offers more than just ambience. Especially after the renovations, the AAA Four Diamond Inn at Death Valley delivers the creature comforts discerning guests expect.

Exercise and Recreation. Always an ideal spot to pass a couple of hours on one of Death Valley’s frequent warm, sunny days, the historic spring-fed swimming pool, perpetually in the mid-80s, now has cabanas you can enjoy for an added measure of luxury and privacy.

While hiking is the main fitness activity in Death Valley, if it’s a hot day, the improved exercise room overlooking the pool gives you an alternative way to get your workout in.

Many visitors are surprised to discover that they can golf at such a dry, remote location. But the beautiful and recently improved Furnace Creek at Death Valley Golf Course challenges players with a design that earned it a place on Golf Digest’s honor roll of “America’s 50 Toughest Courses.” That’s in part because it’s the lowest elevation course in the world — at 214 feet below sea level.

Then, when you need a little pampering after an intense workout or difficult golf round, take your pick of such wonderfully indulgent treatments as a desert hot-stone massage or an exfoliating sea-salt scrub in one of the brand new spa rooms by the pool.

Luxury Casitas. Although all of the inn’s newly renovated rooms offer such touches as remodeled bathrooms, the fall debut of its 22 casita units will give guests an additional upscale option for their stays. Lush gardens edge the duplex units, which include separate living rooms and private patios. There’s no question that these casitas will become a popular choice for honeymooners and the occasional celebrity coming to the inn in search of a discreet getaway.

Fine Dining. In addition to its Old West charm, the inn dining room serves up an inventive gourmet menu inspired by the desert. Many items incorporate dates, pomegranates, prickly pear, and other ingredients grown or sourced locally. Vegetarian and seafood dishes are available for guests looking for lighter, healthier eating, and a thoughtfully curated wine list rivals the quality in fine restaurants.

Relax and Refresh in Rooms You’ll Love

How to Explore

The Oasis at Death Valley in Furnace Creek is situated in a lush oasis surrounded by the vast and arid desert of Death Valley National Park — just 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas and 275 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The resort encompasses two hotels — the historic Inn at Death Valley and the family-oriented, 224-room Ranch at Death Valley. The entire resort is undergoing a complete renaissance with an extensive renovation to be completed in the spring of 2018. The resort includes natural spring-fed pools, an 18-hole golf course, horse and carriage rides, world-renowned stargazing, and is surrounded by Death Valley National Park’s main attractions. For information and reservations, visit The Oasis at Death Valley or call 800-236-7916.

For more travel experiences to Beautiful Places on Earth available from Xanterra Travel Collection® and its affiliated properties, visit xanterra.com/stories.

Written by: Matt Jaffe

Specializing in California, the Southwest, and Hawaii, Matt Jaffe is an award-winning former senior writer at Sunset magazine and contributes to a variety of publications, including Los Angeles, Arizona Highways, and Westways. His books include The Santa Monica Mountains: Range on the Edge and Oaxaca: The Spirit of Mexico.

The post The Inn at Death Valley: Where the Old West Meets 21st Century Luxury first appeared on The Oasis at Death Valley.

Here, we debunk seven common misperceptions:

Myth 1: There’s Nothing to Do

Nothing to do? One of the biggest mistakes that visitors make is that they don’t give themselves enough time in Death Valley!

There are endless ways to explore Death Valley’s vastness, from hiking on established national park trails to mountain biking in rugged Titus Canyon. Cyclists also love Death Valley’s miles of relatively traffic free roads, with both easy and more challenging stretches along the way. And you can head out on horseback rides with Furnace Creek Stables or take a tour into remote parts of the park with Farabee Jeep Rentals.

For anyone who believes that learning is a lifelong pursuit, Death Valley is your kind of destination. The Borax Museum at The Ranch at Death Valley offers a unique look at local mining history, while the national park’s ranger-led talks and outings, including special paleontology tours, bring alive different aspects of this incomparable desert landscape.

Or simply relax and indulge in a massage or body treatment at The Inn’s recently remodeled spa!

Myth 2: It’s Always Hot

There’s no question that temperatures rise in Death Valley. But that’s just for part of the year. What many people don’t realize is that from fall into spring, Death Valley has nearly perfect weather — clear warm days and cool nights with infrequent rainstorms. In fact, during December and January, average Death Valley high temperatures stay in the 60s.

Myth 3: It’s Drab and Colorless

The fastest way to undercut this misconception is to take any doubters up to Zabriskie Point, just six minutes from The Inn at Death Valley, right around sunrise. As the morning light reaches Manley Beacon, the prominent triangular peak in the badlands below the point, the rock brightens to a brilliant gold. And across the valley, the towering Panamint Range comes aglow with pinks and reds.

While Death Valley is at its most colorful at dawn and sunset, in places the exposed geology reveals the vivid shades of rock formations throughout the park.

Head down Badwater Road south of the resort and hike into Golden Canyon (named for the rich color of its fine-grained sedimentary rock) and you’ll reach the elaborate Red Cathedral, a landmark that gets its rusty cast from the oxidized iron in the stone.

Or take a ride along Artist’s Drive and to reach the unforgettable Artist’s Palette. Death Valley colorless? Not at this geological masterpiece, where the badlands are dabbed with reds, purples, and even greens.

Myth 4: There’s No Water

Although Death Valley is notoriously dry, the occasional storms that reach the area can be powerful, resulting in flash floods that carve the park’s famous canyons. And with an especially rainy season in winter of 2023, Lake Manly was filled with so much water that kayakers could paddle for miles!

The big rain years and flooding events are rare. But if you know where to look during dry periods, you’ll find hundreds of modest spring-fed seeps scattered around the park. In fact, The Oasis at Death Valley is part of one of these natural oases; the resort depends on and carefully manages water from a subterranean aquifer between Furnace Creek and Zabriskie Point for its pools and golf course.

Myth 5: Nothing Grows Here

It’s true that Death Valley poses a challenging environment for most plants, especially along the valley floor’s barren saltpan. Even so, a number of species have found a way to survive the harsh conditions found in many parts of the national park, including pickleweed, the hardy denizen of marshy areas below sea level.

With elevations ranging from -282 feet at Badwater to 11,049 feet at Telescope Peak, the park is a surprisingly varied place. More than 1,000 plant species grow, from creosote at the lowest elevations to Joshua trees at Lee Flat and bristlecone pines in the higher mountains, which annually average 15 inches of rain.

In the right year with well-timed rainfall, Death Valley’s wildflowers can put on a spectacular show, as desert gold carpets sections of the valley floor, while orange bear poppy and pink sand verbena splash more color throughout the park.

Myth 6: It’s Lifeless

Go out to the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes early in the morning and you’ll see irrefutable evidence that a variety of wildlife has adapted to Death Valley’s climate.

All sorts of animals have etched fresh tracks into the soft sands of this Sahara-like expanse: coyotes, kit foxes, jackrabbits, and kangaroo rats. The kangaroo rats are so uniquely adapted to the arid conditions that they can survive on the moisture from seeds and plants. These tough little creatures may go their entire lives without ever drinking water!

At the park’s higher elevations, you might spot desert bighorn sheep deftly working their way up steep, rocky slopes, while mountain lions, though present, are more reclusive.

Amazingly, Death Valley also supports populations of amphibians, including the Pacific treefrog, which lives in areas with water sources, including around the resort. Survivors of the days when Death Valley was covered by water, five different species of tiny pupfish are hanging on during these decidedly drier times. Less surprisingly, Death Valley is also a reptile paradise, where nearly 40 species thrive, including Mojave Desert sidewinder snakes and desert iguanas.

With both numerous resident birds and hundreds of other species passing through during migratory seasons, savvy birders know that Death Valley offers all sorts of spotting opportunities. Even casual observers are bound to see plenty of roadrunners. The Oasis at Death Valley does its part to support the area’s bird populations and other wildlife. The environmental efforts at The Furnace Creek Golf Course earned the facility designation as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary from the Audubon Society.

Myth 7: There’s No Human History

Just as a diverse assortment of wildlife has managed to figure out survival strategies in the desert, an eclectic group of people have lived and worked in Death Valley.

Some folks, like the pioneers in wagon trains, arrived here accidentally and suffered great tragedy. But miners and prospectors came to the valley in search of treasure, while plenty of desert rats appreciated the solitude that the area provided.

Indeed, eccentrics just seem to come with the territory, none more so than Walter (Death Valley Scotty) Scott. He was the Wild West showman (and likely con man) who built Scotty’s Castle, the famous Mission Revival landmark in the northern part of the park that has been recently renovated following devastating flash floods in October 2015.

For a millennium before outsiders ventured here, the ancestors of today’s Death Valley Timbisha Shoshone Band of California called the area home. They carved out an existence, ranging from the valley and into the surrounding mountains to find food sources. Members of the tribe still live in a small village near The Oasis at Death Valley.

For more travel experiences available from Xanterra Travel Collection® and its affiliated properties, visit xanterra.com/stories.

Written by: Matt Jaffe

Specializing in California, the Southwest, and Hawaii, Matt Jaffe is an award-winning former senior writer at Sunset magazine and contributes to a variety of publications, including Los Angeles, Arizona Highways, and Westways. His books include The Santa Monica Mountains: Range on the Edge and Oaxaca: The Spirit of Mexico.

The post 7 Myths About Death Valley first appeared on The Oasis at Death Valley.