Sunrise Zabriskie PointHerb loves the desert and I do too, but not in the summer. Fall in Death Valley is absolutely wonderful with temperatures in the 70s and 80s during the day and 50s and 60s at night. It’s a great time to enjoy the beautiful hikes that get a bit dangerous in the summer sun.

The disadvantage to Fall travel is the early nights, especially if you are thinking about camping out in a 4Runner - not much to do after the sun sets.

So now what we do at this time of year is day in lodges and hotels and use them as a base camp for the day’s activities. It’s been working out great for us.

The plan was to spend four nights in Death Valley, with a one night stop beforehand in Lee Vining by Mono Lake. After Death Valley we would spend four more nights in beautiful Bishop in the Eastern Sierra with our son and daughter-in-law who had moved here a few years ago.