Frugal Fieldtrip: Camping 3 Days/2 Nights in Death Valley National Park on a Budget

Spent 2 days and 2 nights camping in Death Valley National Park, California with my two girlfriends. Did a vlog money diary of my frugal travels. Watch it below!

Here is a more detailed breakdown and itinerary of our entire trip.

Friday

4 PM - The Drive

We hit the road from Los Angeles, California and embarked on the 5-hour drive to Death Valley National Park. To pass the time we started asking the 36 Questions That Lead to Love (NYT Article). Now we’re basically in love haha.

8 PM - Pit Stop

Finally getting hungry for dinner, we pulled over for a quick pit stop. I got a sandwich and mac & cheese from Panera Bread, $12.05. Then we fueled up at a gas station $33.24/3= $11.08.

9 PM - We Made It!

After a long a$$ drive we made it to the park. Both Emily & I are America the Beautiful Annual Passholders, so national park entrance fees are $FREE.99. Definitely a deal if you do more than 3 a year.

We quickly set up camp and hit the hay since we had an early start in the morning planned for tomorrow. During the night we could hear coyotes howling at the full moon. One sounded like it was maybe a few feet outside of our tent.

Saturday

5:30 A.M. - Riiiiise & Shine

We got up super early this morning to watch the sunrise a Zabriski Point. It was a quick 0.4 miles to get from the parking lot to the lookout. SO beautiful–I highly recommend it! It was amazing watching the colors of the landscape change over 40 minutes. And as a “Do it for the Gram” kinda gal, I recommend you get pics of you/your group before the sun fully rises otherwise the lighting is pretty harsh.

7 AM - Zabriskie Point > Badlands Loop > Golden Canyon Trail > Gower Gulch Loop (6.1 miles)

After chugging coffee we started our first hike of the day, which totaled about 6.1 miles. The elevation wasn’t too bad so even though it was long I wasn’t dying. My favorite part was seeing the Red Cathedrals and Zabriskie Point from the back. The only major downside was coming back up the Gower Gulch Loop which was essential trekking through loose gravel and very uncomfortable.

12 PM - Lunch O’Clock

Post morning hike, we headed back to our campsite for check-in and to make Turkey Sandwiches. Split between two people, the total cost was ~$10.

1 PM - Artists Drive

We refilled our water bottles and headed out on an afternoon drive to Artist’s Palette, a mountainous spot with very colorful rocks! We only stopped at the second overlook, which was more scenic and colorful.

2 PM - Desolation Canyon (3.6 miles)

One of my favorite hikes of the trip took us up into a rocky slot canyon. At the top the views were amazing. I recommend trekking up the sandy slope to a little bit higher outcrop of rocks to get a good view of the valley. It was gorgeous! We ate a few snacks at the top (Hike snacks for the whole trip, ~$6) before heading back out.

4 PM - Badwater Basin (2 miles)

For our last stop of the day, we went to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the western hemisphere at 279 feet below sea level. The white salt flats made ornate patterns on the ground and made the perfect backdrop to watch the sunset over the mountains.

6 PM - Dinner & S’Mores

Of course what would camping be without a campfire and s’mores. We got some firewood & a lighter at the Furnace Creek General store ($11/3=$3.67). We cooked sausages and veggies and tater tots over the campfire and ended the night with the classic marshmallow treat, ~$12. (Camp food expenses are divided by 2, since our other friend is doing Whole 30 and brought her own meals.) We watched the full moon come out, which made it hard to see the stars, and were in bed by an early 8:30 PM.

SUNDAY

8 AM - Breakfast Tacos

I slept soundly for almost 12 hours and woke up the sorest I’ve been in a long, long time. Probably should work out more. I proceeded to whip up my favorite camp food, bacon and egg breakfast tacos, ~$10. We even had some leftover tots and onions we threw in from the last night.

After that we broke down the camp and packed up the car so we could head out for the day.

10:30 AM - Visitor’s Center

I collect national park pins everywhere, so I got a Death Valley one. While checking out, I saw a person with a passport book. You can get them stamped at visitors centers for each park you go to which I though was a more economical thing to collect and to stop spending money on these pins, which I really never know where to put, $16.11. You’re supposed to buy the stickers that go in them too, but I don’t think I’m going to do that since that would defeat the purpose of this book. I think honestly I could make a better printable to do this, but I’m not sure if they’ll only stamp the official passport book. Need to look into this.

11 AM - Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes (2 mi)

We drove out west to the large sand dunes of Mesquite Flats. It went from dry seas to the Saharan desert. I could just picture camels crossing the sand as Aladdin and Jasmine came flying by. Afterwards we stopped for our second fuel up of the trip, $39.03/3= $13.01.

12:30 PM - Darwin Falls (2 mi)

Before making our way out of the park, we drove to the western edge to see a waterfall. In stark contrast to the barren valley, this little hike down to a waterfall was lush and green. It’s crazy how quickly the landscape can change! We stopped at the waterfall to eat some snacks before heading home.

5:30 PM - In N Out

We finished the last of the 36 Questions that Lead to Love as we made the 5 hour drive home. Of course, no California road trip is complete without a stop at In N Out for some burgers and animal fries, $8.84. I dropped off the girls in Pasadena and by 8 PM I was back at home. The perfect quick weekend getaway.

See you on the next frugal fieldtrip!