

Death Valley Rally
Las Vegas to Death Valley and Beyond
Route Distance
Up to 370 mi
Suggested Time
3 or 4 Days
Nothing is more extreme than a road trip from Las Vegas to Death Valley National Park—or rather, nothing has more extremes. We’re talking the lowest point in North America and nearly 12,000-foot Mt. Charleston. Rugged biker bars and elegant wineries. Sprawling sand dunes and ancient bristlecone pines. Ghost towns and… well, Las Vegas. These are just a few of the mesmerizing contrasts you’ll attempt to wrap your mind around on this classic Nevada road trip but a kaleidoscopic stone’s throw from one another along the very same route. So pack your sunscreen, sandals, gloves, and sweater, and come get extreme on the Death Valley Rally.
Highlights
- Discover Death Valley: the hottest, driest, and lowest place in North America
- Ponder the past in Rhyolite, one of the West’s best ghost towns
- Hike (or even snowshoe) among 5,000-year-old bristlecone pine forests
Las Vegas to Death Valley National Park
From One Extreme To Another and Back Again
With its stark terrain, tenacious wildlife, and thermometer-shattering climate, Death Valley National Park is the perfect centerpiece for a route marked by more extremes than any other. You’ll kick off this Las Vegas to Death Valley road trip at an oasis and legendary hiker’s paradise—mere minutes from the wild, bustling Strip—before cruising through friendly, small-town Nevada on to one of the hottest and driest places on Earth. After exploring its world-famous features, including the lowest point on the continent, the Death Valley Rally carries you back to civilization by way of a camera-hogging ghost town, the Lower 48’s largest national wildlife refuge, and 11,916-ft Mt. Charleston, Nevada’s fifth-tallest peak.

COMMUNITIES ON THIS TRIP
Glovebox Essentials
Prepare for Your Adventure
Get ready to come chase some horizons with this handy tool kit. Here, you’ll find all the Death Valley Rally road trip essentials, including downloadable directions, maps, and podcasts, and tunes to complement your upcoming adventure.
Download Route
Death Valley Rally Playlist
Woman Road Warrior: Road Tripping the #DeathValleyRally
It’s Rally Time
Death Valley Rally: Take It to the Extreme
As full of surprises as Nevada always is, few road trips cover as many contrasts as three days on the Death Valley Rally. From 279 feet below sea level to 12,000-foot mountains, beautiful wineries to badass biker bars, ghost towns to one of the country’s biggest metros, and plenty in between, get warmed up for the most extreme ride of your life.
Leg 1
Blast Off Beyond the Neon
You could shoot from Las Vegas to Death Valley in under three hours. But you’d miss Red Rock Canyon, biker bars and wineries, and all the #WeirdNevada wonderment along the way.
Leg 2
Death Valley National Park: Hot Damn
Straddling the Nevada-California border, discover Death Valley, the largest national park in the Lower 48, and the hottest, driest, and lowest of in the entire country.
Leg 3
Mining Towns & Millions of Acres of Wilderness
Loop back to Las Vegas by way of Rhyolite Ghost Town, legendary Sagebrush Saloons, the Lower 48’s largest wildlife refuge, and ancient Bristlecone-studded mountains.

Leg 1
Las Vegas to Pahrump via Red Rock Canyon
Up to 130 miles
- Hike, bike or climb around Spring Mountain Ranch and Red Rock Canyon
- Savor Mexican food and ice-cold beers and at Mountain Springs Saloon
- Sample your way around Pahrump’s wineries and brand-new cidery/meadery
First stop: Spring Mountain Ranch State Park for lush, oasis-like scenery and tranquil walks. This gem lies within Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area—famously breathtaking, thanks to red-banded sandstone canyons, curious wildlife, and outdoor action galore. Break for biker bar beers on the way to Pahrump, home to all manner of amenities, two wineries and a meadery/cidery, and a lovably offbeat mom-and-pop coffin “shop.” Time it right and, before bedding down, you might catch a show at the historic and funky Amargosa Opera House.
Find plenty of pillows around Pahrump at a number of hotels and casino resorts. Park your rig at some swanky, amenity-packed RV resorts. Or get closer to Death Valley at funky, fun Longstreet Inn & Casino.

Saddle West Hotel and Casino
Pahrump

Longstreet Inn & Casino | Resort & Hotel
Amargosa Valley

Pahrump Nugget Hotel Casino
Pahrump

West Gate RV Park
Pahrump

RV Ranch Resort
Pahrump

Holiday Inn Express & Suites – Pahrump
Pahrump

Lakeside Casino & RV Resort
Pahrump

Wine Ridge RV Resort & Cottages
Pahrump
Hike around oasis-like Spring Mountain Ranch and splendorous Red Rock Canyon, discover the planet’s rarest fish at Ash Meadows, then crank up the #WeirdNevada vibes at Coffinwood and Amargosa Opera House.

Spring Mountain Ranch State Park
Blue Diamond

Pahrump Valley Museum
Pahrump

Amargosa Opera House
Death Valley

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Las Vegas

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Amargosa

Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club
Pahrump

Amargosa Big Dune Recreation Area
Amargosa Valley
Cold beers and an out-back Mexican food shack await at Mountain Springs Saloon. Taste your way around Pahrump at three wineries and Stonewise Mead & Cellars. Then cool off at Seemore’s, the World’s Tallest Ice Cream Stand.

Stateline Saloon
Amargosa Valley

Desert Cane Distillery
Pahrump

Stonewise Mead & Cider
Pahrump

Sanders Family Winery
Pahrump

O Happy Bread French Bakery
Pahrump

Seemoore’s Ice Cream
Pahrump

Mountain Springs Saloon
Las Vegas
Share plenty of hot air at the colorful Pahrump Balloon Festival, let out your inner Lucy-and-Ethel at Pahrump Valley Winery’s Stompapalooza, or have yourself a scary little “X-mess” during Christmas at Coffinwood.

Leg 2
Pahrump to Death Valley to Beatty NV
170+ mi
- Follow Artist’s Drive to breathtakingly technicolor Artist’s Palette
- Stand tall on the lowest point in North America at Badwater Basin (-282 ft)
- Gaze at distant 14,505-ft Mount Whitney from Dante’s View
Despite that ominous name, Death Valley National Park is a landscape alive with incredible beauty. Enter from Highway 190 and get the lay of the land from Dante’s View and gaze 5,760 feet down to Badwater Basin salt flats and, on clear days, out to Mt. Whitney—the highest and lowest points in the Lower 48. Hit Furnace Creek Visitor Center, then spend the day exploring landmarks like kaleidoscopic Artist’s Palette, sea level-defying Badwater Basin, Star Wars fan faves Golden Canyon and Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, and more, before bedding down in Beatty.
Give yourself some space at the funky, retro, alien-friendly Atomic Inn; hit up the pool at the Death Valley Inn & RV Park; or keep things classically cozy at the Exchange Club and Motel 6.

Exchange Club Motel
Beatty

Atomic Inn
Beatty

Death Valley Inn and RV Park
Beatty

Motel 6 – Beatty & Death Valley
Beatty
It’s been a century since Death Valley hit Earth’s hottest verified temperature ever—134° F (56.7° C)—but it still routinely tops “hottest monthly temperature” charts. Summer visitors: protect your bodies and your vehicles.

Goldwell Open Air Museum
Beatty

Amargosa Opera House
Death Valley

Death Valley National Park
Furnace Creek

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Amargosa

Spicer Ranch
Beatty

Beatty Burros
Beatty
In a town where burros happily roam the streets, Beatty’s human visitors (as well as the Beatty Cowboys) love pulling up stools at Happy Burro Chili & Beer, an old saloon serving, well, homemade chili and ice-cold beer.

Gema’s Café
Beatty

Death Valley Nut & Candy Co.
Beatty

Happy Burro Chili & Beer
Beatty

Smokin’ J’s Barbecue
Beatty

Leg 3
Home Stretch: Beatty NV to Las Vegas
170+ mi
- Get ghosted at Rhyolite ghost town & Goldwell Open Air Museum
- Happily scarf chili, sip beer, and watch for wild burros at…Happy Burro Chili & Beer
- Spy desert bighorn sheep at 1.5 million-acre Desert National Wildlife Refuge
Dig into literally rich history at the Beatty Museum and Historical Society, then see it in person at Rhyolite, one of the West’s best-preserved (and most photographed) ghost towns. On your way out, stop at adjacent Goldwell Open Air Museum to wander an avant-garde array of other-wordly art installations. Grab lunch at rustically Wild Western Happy Burro Chili & Beer before exploring wildlife-packed Desert National Wildlife Refuge or mountainous Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. Then it’s back to the Strip to complete your trip!
Before blasting back to Vegas, escape to a 6,700′ mountain lodge for stargazing, drinks by the fire, and panoramic views at the Retreat on Charleston Peak. If that neon glow beckons, go retro in Downtown Las Vegas.

Oasis at Gold Spike
Las Vegas

El Cortez Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas

The Retreat on Charleston Peak
Las Vegas
There’s a lot to see on the road from Beatty to Las Vegas. Take your pick of museums, a ghost town and unconventional sculpture park, or parks and wild lands packed with recreational activities and unique flora and fauna.

Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument
North Las Vegas

Goldwell Open Air Museum
Beatty

Desert National Wildlife Refuge
Las Vegas

Spring Mountains National Recreation Area
Las Vegas

Beatty Cowboys
Beatty

Beatty Museum & Historical Society
Beatty

Nevada National Security Site Tour
Las Vegas

Area 51 Alien Travel Center & Brothel
Amargosa Valley

Rhyolite Ghost Town
Beatty

Lee Canyon
Las Vegas
Head back to Happy Burro for a chili burger breakfast, or cruise up to 6,700 feet for “elevated” eats, from butternut squash soup to tomahawk steaks, in the Canyon Restaurant & Tavern Bar at the Retreat on Charleston Peak.

Area 51 Alien Travel Center & Brothel
Amargosa Valley

Happy Burro Chili & Beer
Beatty
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#DeathValleyRally
You’ll have an extremely awesome time sightseeing this scenic slice of Nevada life. And don’t forget to tag #DeathValleyRally so we (and everyone else) can see how you conquer this lively expedition.










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