Death Valley is a legend when it comes to extreme summers. Every July and August, hundreds of thousands of visitors gather at this Californian desert, braving the mid-day heat to take photos with the famous — or infamous — digital thermometer at Furnace Creek, where the record of the highest air temperature on earth has stood for over a century.
But what is winter like at the hottest place on the planet?
According to the National Park’s website, winter is “very pleasant” with night temperature generally above freezing. That’s a stark contrast to summer. But in our Bostonian standards, it does seem like a mild condition, so we decided to pay a visit last December for a different experience. With easy stargazing in mind and the added benefit of saving money on holiday lodging, we booked a canvas wall tent with cots at Panamint Springs RV Resort, just within the west entrance to the park.
TLDR: the stars were absolutely gorgeous, and the tent was a good value for the dollar. BUT, that was not a mild winter experience at all!
We arrived shortly after sunset on the 26th. The holiday season wasn’t too busy at the park, and we were greeted with a tranquil scene of the Milky Way arched across the twinkling sky right as we pulled in to our ring. The air was crisp and clear, perfect for our first attempt photographing the night sky.
One hour passed quickly and before we knew it, the temperature had dropped to the low 40s and our fingertips were starting to grow numb. Time to curl up in a nice, warm sleeping bag.
Unfortunately, that didn’t end up as well as planned. The weather forecast that night was a low of 38° F and an average wind of 8 mph. Since our sleeping bags were rated for 35° F and the tent walls seemed sufficiently thick, we didn’t expect any issues with keeping the cold out. However, we way underestimated the power of windchill. The walls were insulating indeed, but their bottom portions were not attached to the ground and could not stop icy gusts from filling up all the empty space around us. We kept adding layers of jackets and fleeces trying to stay warm, but the chills were all over the surface of the bags, the bottom of the cots, and of course, our exposed faces. It was a long night, and probably the first one in my life where I couldn’t fall asleep at all.
I have to admit, however, that watching the world turn from dark to blue and then golden in the wake of light, and hearing the howls of the wind gradually muffled by sounds of people unzipping tents and revving up RVs, was a strangely beautiful experience. I also have to admit that the restaurant at Panamint Springs makes surprisingly decent food. After a frigid night, all I wanted to do when the day finally broke was to sit by a fireplace and devour a heavenly plate of scrambled eggs with bacon, and the breakfast buffet at the restaurant did not disappoint.
Panamint Springs is not much of a town, consisting entirely of the resort which includes the campgrounds, the restaurant, a motel, a gas station, and a small general store. Facilities are adequate and clean, although with a couple of dysfunctional shower stalls, and free satellite wifi can be had if you prefer very slow internet to no internet. The general store also provides camping equipment rentals, which we never thought we’d need before the trip but turned out to be a lifesaver.
High winds at Death Valley is no joke. Just for reference, here’s what it was like later that day at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes:
Thank goodness we weren’t at the campground over there. I admire those who were!
After a full day of zombie walking and canceling most of our hiking plans, we decided to sacrifice our second chance at photographing the Milky Way that evening and opted instead for a wood-fired pizza at the restaurant to charge up before the cold night. Having learned our lesson the hard way, we also laid out all our heavy gear as weights on the bottom flaps of the tent walls to stop them from leaking air. The forecast that night was an even lower temperature and higher wind, but with the extra precautions and double-layered sleeping bags and blankets, we were optimistic that there would be good sleep ahead of us.
But we were yet to discover the true story of 11 mph wind with gusts. The first half of the night passed peacefully, but we woke up shortly after midnight only to find… the wall swinging into our face?! The wind blew against the walls so hard that the center of the canvas, which was only held loosely between the poles, stretched out like a balloon and started hitting our cots. I got seriously skeptical at some point of the tent’s ability to remain in one piece — needless to say that our weights on the bottom flaps had shifted long ago, and the wind easily found its way through two sleeping bags and into our carefully woven cocoon.
On the bright side, doubled sleeping bags made a whole world of difference, and we were able to sleep through a good portion of the night despite feeling like we were on a boat rocking in a storm. However, our third and last night was forecasted at an even lower 31° F. Could we make it?
My husband looking all solemn in our armed-up tent. Not really because of the unexpected adventure and gloomy outlook, but rather because his lips dried up so much from the weather that he couldn’t make out a smile anymore ☹️
It seems though that our karma paid off in the end. Much to our surprise and tremendous joy, the wind subsided on the last night just before we went to sleep. Everything was so quiet — no wind lifting, tilting, or collapsing the tent, and it was the perfect experience that we had hoped for. I fell asleep almost immediately and didn’t open my eyes again until the first ray of light already hit the campgrounds, and for the first time preferred to stay in my cozy sleeping bag rather than rushing to breakfast.
So, how is winter camping at Death Valley? Well, maybe not “very pleasant” if you are unprepared like us. Make sure to pack for the worst, as high winds are common and often unpredictable. Just keep in mind that the freezing night temperatures aren’t representative of Death Valley’s overall winter climate: ironically, we even had an incidence of engine overheating while driving at a low speed on a dirt road and had to pull over to cool off. One could wish that the weather was more consistent throughout the day in a desert 😊 But hey, it’s all part of a unique adventure on its own!
