Death Valley National Park is known to be the hottest national park in the United States, with a record high of 134°F or 57°C. However, this doesn't deter over a million visitors from visiting the park each year. For me, Death Valley is my favorite national park because of its natural beauty. It's like visiting several national parks all in one go. From waterfalls to rivers with pupfish, to blooming flowers, tall sand dunes, and colorful mountains, the park has so much to offer. As a native Floridian, I always appreciate the heat, so naturally, it was a perfect destination for me.
Since I sold my car last year, I was grateful to have a friend who volunteered to drive his Model X for the trip. However, as most EV drivers know, range anxiety is real. Luckily for my friend group, Death Valley installed 2 free chargers at the Inn and 4 at the Ranch at Furnace Creek back in 2019. I hope this blog helps you boost your confidence about doing a weekend trip to Death Valley in an EV.
We choose to stay in the cottages near Furnace Creek at the Ranch, since they were the closest to the charging stations. The cottages are cozy and offer a perfect retreat after a long day of exploring. The Ranch has an abundance of activities, including a spring-fed pool, the world's lowest golf course, a convenience store, and several restaurants to choose from.
Day 1: Driving in
Our last stop to charge up before entering Death Valley was at Inyokern which was still 134 miles from Furnace Creek. It took us about 2.5 hours to finish the drive from Inyokern, which was a bit spooky in the dark.
We arrived in Death Valley excited to explore all that the park had to offer. However, we quickly realized that charging the car was not as easy as we had thought it would be. When we arrived, there were zero charging stations available. The front desk said it's very rare for all chargers to be taken, but this quickly made us realize that we were going to have to be flexible with our plans.
Although booking to stay at the Ranch or the Inn can be pricey, it's worth it if it enables you to take an EV since charging is free. Another way we were able to save money was to bring our own alcohol and store other food items in the mini-fridge chilled. However, beware that there's no microwave in the rooms. I would recommend bringing some cup noodles to make yourself a backup snack since you can get some hot water from the convenience store. I skipped the buffet dinner, but my friends reported back that the buffet was not good and definitely not worth the price of $34 per adult. There is a sit-down restaurant called "The Last Kind Words Saloon" which was completely packed when we went and required reservations at least a day in advance.
Day 2: Badwater Basin, Dantes View, Sand Dunes
The next morning, when we woke up we had to move the car to an available charging station. These chargers only allowed us to draw 30 Amps, which gave us about 20 miles per hour. We were only able to add an additional 30 miles to our car, before heading out for the day.
Our first stop was at Badwater Basin, which got its name from a surveyor whose mule refused to drink out of the salty water. From the parking lot, we took a short hike out to the Salt Flats and admired the beautiful landscape. What was spectacular about the view was the view of snow lingering in the mountains even though it was 90+ where I was standing. When we got back to the car we realized that we hadn't purchased a National Park pass on our way in since it was already 1 AM when we arrived. Luckily there are several automated ticket stands at popular locations including Badwater Basin, so remember to pay for your pass which will last you 7 days.
We then drove to Artist Palette to see the colorful mountains, where we even tested the full self-driving capabilities of the Tesla Model X. We were impressed with the car's performance, especially when navigating the winding roads of the national park.
Next, we made our way to Dante's View. We had set a hard limit of 50 miles of range before turning back, but we didn't anticipate losing 5 miles on the steep quarter-mile climb to the top. We parked the car at the top of the viewpoint with only 48 miles left on our battery. We were delighted with the view, and we took plenty of pictures before starting our descent.
On our way back, we were able to regain some range and made it to our cottage at the Ranch with about 60 miles left in the car's battery. We immediately put the car on charge and hit the pool and ice cream parlor to cool down from the heat around 3PM. We were able to skirt the hottest part of the day and put another 60 miles back on the car by taking a 3-hour long break.
We drove out to the sand dunes to watch the sunset and after that, we went back to the Ranch to secure a charging spot. Luckily we were able to get a spot so we were able to leave the car to charge overnight.
Day 2
When we woke up the car was at 90% fully charged since the charger did slow down as the battery reached max capacity.
We knew we were being a bit risky but we really wanted to go to the Ubehebe Crater. Throughout the winter of 2023, California received record-breaking rain, and I was fortunate enough to witness the beautiful bloom of flowers in Death Valley.
Death Valley National Park is a must-visit for anyone who loves natural beauty and adventure. It has something to offer for everyone, from hikers to photographers and families to solo travelers. I highly recommend visiting the park, especially during the wildflower bloom season. It was an experience of a lifetime, and I can't wait to visit again.
Planning Tips
When planning a trip to Death Valley in an EV, it's important to keep a few things in mind.
Be Flexible
One of the most important things we learned on our recent trip was to be flexible with our plans. If you're trying to see every inch of the park or if you're on a tight schedule, it might be best to consider a different vehicle. We were able to make the situation work because we only drove to attractions closer to Furnace Creek and we shuffled around our schedule based on charger availability.
Calculate your range
Another tip we found useful was to calculate the range before leaving and set a point where you'll turn back to the charger. This helps to reduce range anxiety and gives you the freedom to make on-the-fly decisions like for us, visiting the Artist's Palette.
Stay at the Cottages
We also recommend staying at the cottages at the Ranch because they're closest to the chargers. This meant that every time we walked around to the ice cream shop, the pool, or dinner, we could easily peek at the parking lot to check to see if there were any open chargers to move the car to. Throughout our stay, one of the most frustrating things about pulling up to completely full chargers was when we saw hybrid cars plugged in. While at no fault to them (I actually think it's awesome when people try to reduce their carbon emissions) I did wish that they would leave the chargers to cars that literally have no other way of getting around the park. Luckily the hybrid cars never stay long and since we were in the area so frequently, we would be able to move into a spot when it opened up.
Take the Shuttle
There are shuttles available from the Inn to the Ranch that are on-demand and have a very short wait time. This is a good backup option to have in case you get to the Ranch and find that there are no charging spots available.
Bring a Tesla Adapter
If you're driving a Tesla, don't forget to bring the Tesla adapter. We were lucky enough that at least one person in our group remembered to pack it!
By following these tips, you can enjoy all that Death Valley has to offer with minimal worry about range anxiety or charger availability. Happy travels!