Death Valley- 2010- Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells, Texas Spring

Back from a quick trip to Death Valley. Camped one night at Furnace Creek, (which I still like as the best option for family tent camping in the park). The kids love playing "fort" in those large trees near the visitors center. We then had to move to Texas Spring, which offers only a very few sites with shade (although if you get one of those 4 or 5 with good shade, it would be great). Next night was Stovepipe Wells, which I had previously listed as a parking lot for RV's, but it does have tent sites along the back side which are not too bad, though they offer very little shade. However, those sites do offer plenty of room to roam, as you are at the back of the campground, they have a view of the mountains, and you can set up your tent a nice distance from the parking area. You do have to trek across the parking lot to utilize the bathroom facilities.

One note about Death Valley: This year we endured some serious wind- gusts to 50 mph! If you leave your campsite during the day, prepare it for high winds! Stake your tent and leave some heavy items in there; fold up the chairs; secure all loose items! We saw many things, including tents and shade canopies, fly away across the desert.

Also: We hiked up Mosaic Canyon this year, which is near the Stovepipe Wells area. Not to be missed!

Furnace Creek Campground (and a few others)- Death Valley National Park

We just spent spring break in Death Valley National Park, so this is where I will begin. We camped at Furnace Creek, 196' below sea level. Even though we had no reservations, we happened upon a shaded tent site that was lovely, although close to neighbors on both sides. I think it was site #86 or 88. There is a row of sites, all numbered in the 80's which have shade. That row is nice, but it is right across the road from an rv area. There is a tent-only area with walk-in sites, but there were no shaded sites left when we arrived. I was pleasantly surprised that Furnace Creek ended up being a great place to stay. We could walk to the visitor center, where the boys completed their Jr. Ranger activities, and we attended an evening star program which was worth the time. It is centrally located to several other park attractions, and you could run over to the ice house to re-stock the cooler. We did not bring the kids' bikes, but it would be a great place to have them.

Here is what I observed at other campgrounds in the park:

-Stovepipe Wells- a giant parking lot for rv's

-Sunset- another rv parking lot

-Texas Spring- looked good, but we did not stay there. I believe it is a generator-free campground, which is a plus.

-Emigrant- a small, tents only campground, but right next to the main park road, and questionable shade. Might be a good, quick stop if you were coming in late at night from the west.

More info can be found at www.nps.gov/deva