In this episode, we head ever slowly towards Death Valley, finding some interesting side excursions on the way. But can we handle the heat AND the mess in our camper after going through all of these backroads?

Where We Stayed⛺🗺️📌

BLM in Panamint Valley (Panamint Springs, CA)

This area is at a *slightly* higher elevation than Death Valley, so we were able to see a lot more desert flowers than in the park. We stayed here for several days and it was very quiet – a few folks driving by with jeeps to get to one of the trails we couldn’t go on and maybe 1 or 2 other RVs within a few MILES of us – pretty sweet.

The only challenge was the heat. We were visiting there in mid-April which was still quite toasty!

Mesquite Spring Campground (Death Valley, CA)

This campground was pretty close to the Ubehebe Crater and VERY quiet compared to the main campgrounds in Stovepipe Wells. You pay via credit card once you find a site – $14/night (in Apr 2024). Dry camping, but they did have flush toilets (no showers). They also had a dump station and potable water.

Where we Explored🚶🏻👀

Ballarat Ghost Town

We stopped here to check out the ghost town of Ballarat.  Three couples now own this town and are trying to share the history.  It’s worth stopping at the trading post to see what they have – both inside and outside.  A great short stop!

Ubehebe Crater (Death Valley, CA)

Death Valley is a huge place. The majority of folks go to the south side, but since we weren’t staying long, we decided on one trip – to the Ubehebe Crater. We didn’t walk all around it but it was an interesting formation – and VERY windy!

Father Crowley Overlook (Panamint Springs, CA)

One of the many outlooks near Death Valley. This looks into the “Star Wars” valley where jet fighters use for low-ground training. Quite neat – we saw many of these jets while we were staying in the Panamint Valley BLM area, so we wanted to catch one going through this valley. Oh! If you go here, make sure to walk (or drive) out another mile or so to see the full valley – you don’t see everything from the parking lot. You get some fun views of the windy road up to this point!

Other Links

• 🛻⛺🛠 Truck Camper GEAR
• 🛻⛺🛠⬆️Truck Camper UPGRADES

Our Camping Locations

If you’re interested in seeing all the places (overnight, dining, sightseeing) as well as FREE boondocking locations we’ve been to, check out our Google Maps travel map! Enjoy!