California Bicycle Tours Death Valley
- Overview «
- Tour Itinerary
Tour Summary
We can't think of anything to improve the tour, we had a brilliant time! We loved the place, and the cycling and the company (and the heat!).
- Helen & Pete, Scotland
Duration
6 Days / 5 Nights5 Dinners
(Breakfast - Cont.)
Distance
422 milesElevation Gain
23,100 feet2012 Dates
March 11-16Nov 11-16
2012 Price
$2,495.00Single Room
$395.00Rider Limit
15 Rider LimitBike Rental
$245.00Highlights
Death Valley NPGiant Sand Dunes
Scotty's Castle
Lowest Point in U.S.
Devil's Golf Course
Armagosa Opera House
Park Map
Lodging
Furnace Creek RanchDining
Furnace Creek Inn
Start / Finish
Death Valley, CAAirport Shuttle
Las VegasSunday: 11:00am Friday: 3:00pm
We were both especially impressed with the way you managed to cater for both our unfit selves and superfit Bob and Cathy without making us feel awkward, or them being frustrated. We've recommended Cycling Escapes to several people already.
- Helen & Pete, Scotland
The ranch steakhouse was GREAT! The service was fast and very friendly, and the food was always very very good. The two hikes Diane and I did with the group were great, a real highlight of off the bike activities.
- Rich Freggiaro, CA
Cindy and I believe Cycling Escapes stands head and shoulders above the competition and we will continue to use Cycling Escapes exclusively.
- Don & Cindy Beurman, MA
Bicycle Tour of Death Valley
Day 1 - Shuttle / Meet in Death Valley
Our base camp for the week on this bicycle tour is the Furnace Creek Ranch Resort in Death Valley, California. Fly into Las Vegas where a shuttle will pick you up and take you to the park. After checking into our hotel we'll have a brief orientation, pass out route slips, set up the bikes, and go for a late afternoon ride up Artist's Palette, the most stunning road in Death Valley.
Artist's Palette
All our rides begin and end at the Furnace Creek Resort. After a short climb from the hotel, we'll drop down below sea level into a geological wonderland. Artist's Palette is a one lane road carved out of the side of the mountain. We climb up into the hills before diving down through canyons carved by flash-floods.
Fact - In July 1913 it hit 134°F (57°C) at what is now Furnace Creek Ranch. Although this was the world record at the time, it has since been exceeded by two degrees Fahrenheit at a weather station in Libya.
25 miles / 2,500 ft. elevation gain
Day 2 - Badwater
Where else can you ride below sea level all day long! We start our cycling vacation with an out and back from Furnace Creek that spends almost the entire ride below sea level. Ride either 89 or 100 miles.
We'll also ride by Devil's Golf Course, which is not actually a golf course at all, but rather an expansive salt field caused by evaporated bodies of water. You can actually see the crystallization process at work as you walk along the surface.
Fact - Badwater Basin, in Death Valley National Park, is the lowest place in North America and one of the lowest places in the world at 282 feet below sea level. The Dead Sea, between Israel and Jordon, is the lowest at 1371 feet below sea level.
89 miles / 2,500 ft. elevation gain
Day 3 - Dante's View
Today we ride from below sea level to 5,400' above it! Dante's View is a lookout that commands a view of the entire 140 mile long Death Valley basin. It's a 25 mile gradual climb up to the top, which means it's also a 25 mile downhill back to the hotel!
After the ride hike down Golden Canyon for a view of Death Valley's geological wonders. Or just relax in the pool or take afternoon tea on the balcony of the Furnace Creek Inn.
If you haven't already, after the ride take a short hike down Golden Canyon or hike the sand dunes, then perhaps sip cocktails on the terrace before dinner while watching the sunset.50 miles / 5,600 ft. elevation gain
Day 4 - Scotty's Castle
Death Valley Scotty told everyone he built this castle with the riches made off his secret gold mine. But that wasn't quite the truth! Albert Johnson, a Chicago businessman, built the castle and let his cowboy "mining partner", Scotty, live there as a guest.
Choose to ride 55 or 109 miles. We start north along the valley floor, gradually climbing up to this desert oasis. After lunch, we'll tour the castle, where guides dressed in period costume and with a 1930's
mindset show us around. Then it's a mostly downhill ride back to Furnace Creek.
55 or 109 miles / 4,400 ft. elevation gain
Day 5 - Panamint Range
Today we ride by the most photographed sand dunes in the world on our way to the west side of the valley. The Panamint Range is home to 11,049' Telescope Peak, but we'll only climb part way up this dramatic landscape. Along the way, Devil's Cornfield is named for the stalks of arroweed plants that seem to sprout straight up from the ground. Like our ride up to Dante's View, a big climb deserves a 19 mile downhill!
Fact - The highest mountain in Death Valley National Park is 11,049 foot Telescope Peak. The vertical drop from the peak to the Badwater Basin is twice the depth of Grand Canyon.
89 miles / 6,000 ft. elevation gain
Day 6 - Death Valley Junction
Today we ride out to Death Valley Junction, a busy railroad stop during the area's mining boom, and home to the world famous Armagosa Opera House, where Marta Becket has been performing live theater for 35 years.
Fact - In 1929, no rain was recorded in Death Valley, California. From 1931 through 1934, a 40 month period, only 0.64 inches of rain fell.45-60 miles / 4,000 ft. elevation gain
Return Shuttle to Las Vegas
After todays ride we shuttle back to Las Vegas, arriving late Friday afternoon around 3:00pm. Riders have the option of leaving Friday night, or staying over in Las Vegas.