Death Valley National Park

Visit Badwater Salt Flats (282 feet below sea level) and enjoy a stunning panoramic view of all 11,049 feet of Telescope Peak. Hike amid surreal sand dune landscapes and between the multi-hued walls of Golden Canyon; experience sunrise at Zabriskie Point; and visit Ubehebe Crater.

Dates
Mar 12 - Mar 17, 2023  (6 Days)
Cost
from $3,695 per person, double occupancy
For more Information
travel@commonwealthclub.org

(415) 597-6720

    Sunday, March 12
    Arrive in Las Vegas

    Arrive in Las Vegas independently, and gather at 5:00 p.m. at the Hampton Inn Las Vegas Strip South for a welcome drink, introductions, and a trip orientation on the park by your guide. Dinner will follow near the hotel.
     Hampton Inn Las Vegas Strip South (D)

    Monday, March 13
    Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge & Death Valley National Park Visitor Center

    Transfer to Death Valley National Park. En route we stop at Ash Meadows for time at the visitor center to learn of the plight of the pupfish. We also take a walk along the the Crystal Spring boardwalk. We continue to the Oasis at Death Valley. Enjoy a welcome dinner.
    Ranch or Inn at the Oasis at Death Valley (B,L,D)

    Tuesday, March 14
    Dante’s View, Salt Creek & Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

    Experience Dante’s View, located at 5,475 feet, and take in a stunning panorama of all 11,049 feet of Telescope Peak. Learn about the creation of the park’s many alluvial fans, the product of millions of years of sporadic yet constant erosion. Later visit Salt Creek and learn about the amazing pupfish, endemic to Death Valley and uniquely adapted to survive in the desert’s harsh environment. End the day’s activities with the chance to walk among the picturesque sand dunes. After dinner enjoy the chance of some stargazing and see firsthand why Death Valley is an officially recognized “Gold Tier” Dark Sky Park.
    Ranch or Inn at the Oasis at Death Valley (B,L,D)

    Wednesday, March 15
    Zabriske Point, Titus Canyon & Ubehebe Crater

    Watch the warm morning sunlight slowly illuminate the badlands and Panamint Mountains from Zabriskie Point at sunrise. After our sunrise experience, we will return to the Inn for breakfast. We then head out to explore the Titus Canyon narrows and hike among the stratification of rock marking millions of years of geological history. The opening of the canyon affords the best chance to see a chuckwalla in its natural habitat. These sizable lizards have evolved to inflate their bodies to wedge themselves in the cracks in the rock they live in to deter predators. Marvel at Ubehebe Crater, site of a massive volcanic explosion leaving a pit in the earth over 500 feet deep and a half-mile across. If you feel up to it, enjoy a 2-mile hike around the rim of the crater.
    Ranch or Inn at the Oasis at Death Valley (B,L)

    Thursday, March 16
    Golden Canyon & Artist’s Palette

    This morning we hike through the multi-hued walls of Golden Canyon toward the Red Cathedral with the option to continue for a longer hike through Gower Gulch. After lunch, relax at the hotel. This evening enjoy the sunset at Artist’s Palette before our farewell dinner at the Inn.
    Ranch or Inn at the Oasis at Death Valley (B,D)  

    Friday, March 17
    Devil's Golf Course, Badwater, Shoreline Butte, Ashford Mill & Las Vegas
    As we make our way out of the park this morning we make several stops. Visit Devil’s Golf Course to admire the rugged salt formations,. We then shuttle over to Badwater Salt Flats; at 282 feet below sea level, this salt ­ flat is the lowest place in North America and the eighth lowest place on Earth. The dramatic depth is enhanced by the backdrop of the Panamint Range rising over 11,000 feet. We continue south through the valley stopping by Shoreline Butte, so called as the horizontal lines in its rock face testify to erosion of the waters of prehistoric Lake Manly that filled Death Valley tens of thousands of years ago. We make a short stop at Ashford Mill ruins, a historic site where gold ore was processed a hundred years ago. You can learn about the mill and search for spring wildflowers. Enjoy a picnic before heading back to Las Vegas arriving by 4:00 p.m. Take an evening flight or extend your stay in Vegas and the surrounding area including Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park. Please book your return ­flights for 6:00 pm or later. (B,L)

    Trip Cost:
    We are staying in deluxe rooms at the Oasis at Death Valley Ranch.
    $3,695 per person, double occupancy (at Oasis at Death Valley Ranch)
    $4,510 per person, single occupancy (at Oasis at Death Valley Ranch)
    (Prices are based on 8 guests minimum and 16 maximum.)

    Upgrade to the Oasis at Death Valley Inn (4 nights):
    $4,435 per person, double occupancy
    $5,990 single occupancy

    Included
    1 night at the Hampton Inn Las Vegas Strip South; 4 nights at the Oasis at Death Valley Ranch; 5 daily breakfasts at the hotel, 4 lunches and 4 dinners; welcome and farewell dinners with beer and wine; round-trip transfers from Las Vegas Airport to Death Valley National Park; tours, entrances, and events as specified in the itinerary; mini-bus transportation for all excursions; gratuities for guides, drivers, hotel and restaurant staff; expert guide; services of a professional tour manager; the camaraderie of the Club’s travelers.

    Not Included
    Air transportation to and from Las Vegas, Nevada; meals and beverages other than those specified as included; optional excursions and other activities done independently; trip cancellation/interruption and baggage insurance; personal items such as e-mail, telephone and fax calls, souvenirs, laundry and gratuities for non-group services.

    What to Expect

    Average temperatures during this time range from 53-80°. Our transportation around the park is by vans. Travelers should be in active good health to participate in this trip. Though walks are not too strenuous, they are over uneven terrain and may require the use of hands and feet to climb over obstructions. Our longest hike is about 2 miles, with approximately 500 feet in elevation gain. Almost all walks are “out and back” so participants can go as far as they like, and then wait for the group to return. For those who would like more active hiking, we can help arrange that during your free time.

    Trip Educators
    Fred Ackerman
    Tour Leader & Guide, Fred Ackerman

    The son of a National Park Ranger, Fred was born and raised in National Parks and spent much of his childhood exploring the great outdoors. A graduate of MIT, he has traveled in six continents, and lived and worked in four of them. After working some years in a promising management consulting career, Fred decided to follow his passion for travel and outdoor adventure. He entered the adventure travel industry over 20 years ago to design and lead trips throughout the US, Europe and Latin America. In 2002 he founded his own tour operation, Black Sheep Adventures. Death Valley has a special significance to him having been born when his family lived there and having spent the first two years of his life in park service housing at Furnace Creek. The park is also the first place he brought guests after starting Black Sheep Adventures. This trip has been carefully crafted by him with almost 20 years of guiding experience in the region. Fred is eager to share the beauty of this unique natural desert landscape and the stories of its quirky human history with you.

    Deposits, Payments & Cancellations:
    To make a reservation, a deposit of $500 per person is required by check or credit card. Please email travel@commonwealthclub.org or call (415) 597-6720 to sign up. We will ask you to provide your full name(s), address, email, and phone number. We can call you to take your deposit or send you a link to pay by credit card.  If you want to pay by check, please mail your check (payable to “Black Sheep Adventures, Inc”) to Commonwealth Club Travel, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105. Final payment is due 60 days prior to departure.

    Cancellations & Refunds:
    Your deposit and payments are refundable, less the following cancel fees:

    • Cancel 91 days or more prior to trip start date: Deposit is fully refundable. 
    • Cancel 61-90 days prior to trip start: $500 deposit
    • Cancel 0-60 days prior to trip start: No refund

    The tour can also be canceled due to low enrollment. Neither CWC nor Black Sheep Adventures accepts liability for cancellation penalties related to domestic or international airline tickets purchased in conjunction with the tour.

    COVID-19 and Planning Future Travel: We understand that travelers have concerns about booking future tours due to COVID-19. We will be adaptable and flexible given health recommendations at that time. All guests and tour staff must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination to travel on this tour.

    Trip Insurance:
    We recommend trip cancellation insurance. A brochure describing coverage will be sent to you upon receipt of your reservation and can be viewed on the Travel Insurance Services website.

    Medical Information:
    Participation in this program requires that you be in good health. It is essential that persons with any medical problems and related dietary restrictions make them known to us well before departure.

    Eligibility:
    We require membership to the Commonwealth Club to travel with us. People who live outside of the Bay Area may purchase a worldwide membership. To learn about membership types and to purchase a membership, visit our membership page or call (415)597-6720.

    Responsibility:
    The Commonwealth Club of California and our ground operators and suppliers act only as agents for the travelers with respect to transportation and arrangements and exercise every care possible in doing so. However, we can assume no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay, or irregularity in connection with the service of any automobile, motor coach, or any other conveyance used in carrying out this program or for the acts or defaults of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger or in carrying out the arrangements of the program. We cannot accept any responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, pandemics, quarantine, force majure or other causes beyond our control. All such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the passenger as tour rates provide arrangements only for the time stated. We reserve the right to make such alterations to this published itinerary as may be deemed necessary. The right is reserved to cancel any program prior to departure in which case the entire payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. No refund will be made for any unused portion of any tour unless arrangements are made in sufficient time to avoid penalties. The Commonwealth Club of California accepts no liability for any carrier’s cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a nonrefundable ticket in connection with the tour.

    Registration
    Commonwealth Club of California-CST# 2096889-40
    Blacksheep Adventures-CST# 2108143-40