We are staying in Las Vegas and we wanted to come to this great National Park before and not making it we knew we had to this time!!!
Well, it did not disappoint. It did take about 2 hours but it was a very good road. We went north and worked our way south through the park and it worked out good that way. We toured a ghost town called Rhyolite and that was neat but a quick stop. Then onto the park's natural features. You may have heard of borax being mined there years ago and it was and they have some old buildings you can visit where they refined it. Next we went to Stovepipe Wells,and then the visitor center at Furnace Creek. There is a very nice museum and a 20 minute movie there I recommend. From there we went to Artist's Point Drive. Wow, the colors of the rock are spectacular. Badwater is 282 feet below sea level and very interesting as there is salt right on the ground that has come out of the mountains.
At this time of year it was not busy which was wonderful and a nice way to get out of the bustle of Las Vegas.

I think we went to Death Valley at the right time. In February. It was warm, but it wasn't uncomfortable. We drove from Las Vegas, which took about 2 hours. The ride was smooth and easily marked.
We drive to Zabriskie point, and walked to the top area. It was so quiet here that you probably could have heard a pin drop. We didn't see a single person or animal, so it was cool, but also a little weird being from Chicago.
From there, we went to Badwater basin, I really liked that you could see the sign on the mountain that says where sea level is. At least here, we saw people, so things weren't too creepy.
Then we drove to artists point. WOW! The colors in those mountains were breathtaking. Definitely stop here. This is a really great place to visit if you have had enough with Vegas,but save some money to come over here as it's a $20 admission fee unless you have the national parks pass.

We did a day trip here from Las Vegas with a rental car. Well worth the drive. We were able to visit the highlights of the area and see spectacular scenery at every corner. Loved walking out on the saltflats at the lowest point in North America. We also went up to Dante's peak with a breathtaking view. On our way out of the park we stopped at the sand dunes - miles from the ocean. The visitor centre is where we started - a good place to get all the info you need. November was the perfect temp - about 70 degrees.

I went here for a day trip which was enough to get a brief look, but to really appreciate this place I think you need to stay for a couple of days and move outside of the paved roads. Dante's view, the Artist Drive, the Devils golf course and Badwater should be on the "mandatory" list of places to visit in Death Valley.