Death Valley Tour

The Death Valley Tour is a full-day, guided road trip from Las Vegas into Death Valley National Park, the largest national park in the contiguous United States and one of the hottest, lowest and driest places on earth. A professional driver-guide handles the roughly two-hour drive each way in a custom Tour Trekker vehicle, with hotel pickup around 7 AM and small-group numbers.

The day threads together the park's signature stops: Badwater Basin, the salt-crusted lowest point in North America; the jagged salt pinnacles of the Devil's Golf Course, where lunch is served; the mineral-streaked hills of Artist's Palette along Artists Drive; the ridge-top panorama at Dantes View, more than 5,500 feet above the salt flats; and a mild off-road run through the badlands of Twenty Mule Team Canyon. Park entrance fees, bottled water and a boxed lunch are included, and the guide fills the long transfers with the region's mining and geology history.

Go in with clear expectations: this is a long day with a lot of time in the vehicle, and each stop is a fairly brief photo-and-stroll rather than a hike. There is almost no shade, the boxed lunch is not a sit-down meal, and the tour stops running for the height of summer because ground temperatures can exceed 120°F. Those caveats aside, it is the easiest way to see Death Valley's greatest hits in one day without renting a car, and it suits first-time visitors and photographers far more than serious hikers.