Where to stay on the way in:
- Camping: Red Rock Canyon State Park
- Hotels: Anything in Bishop or Ridgecrest
Where to stay while you are in the park:
- Camping: Mahogany Flat & Monarch Canyon (my all time favorite locations - easily eating up four days), Marble Canyon, Cottonwood Canyon, backcountry camping anywhere 2 miles beyond developed areas, paved roads, or "day use only" areas.
- Backpacking: Marble Canyon up thru Dead Horse Canyon & Cottonwood Canyon, Fall Canyon, Grotto Canyon up and around the bypass to the right and plan of lots of dry fall climbing.
- Hotels: Furnace Creek Ranch or the posh Furnace Creek Inn
Time of the year to travel: Best to avoid June thru September. October thru November are good times, with more visitors going in thru November to the New Year. February thru March are best for wildflowers, but are also when the visiting hordes are at a maximum.
Photography Weather: The usual weather in this area is a noontime clear blue sky, always the most challenging, and always worth the effort. Storm systems tend to make their way over the Sierras every now and again - keep an eye out for winter storms and summer monsoons if the sky will be a part of your photographic canvas:
Cell Phone Service: With an old analog cell phone, it is/was possible to occasionally get signal at Furnace Creek Ranch. For more modern devices, you will need to take Daylight Pass Road out towards Beaty where you can pick up service (in another time zone, so your phone's clock will be off).
A Word of Advice: The hiking start point for Fall Canyon is at the canyon exit for Titus Canyon. If you intend to hike up into Fall Canyon (you should), plan on starting the trek no later than mid morning. It gets HOT. This means that if you want to traverse Titus Canyon (you should at least once in your travels), you should do so at day break then hike Fall Canyon, or postpone Fall Canyon for another day.
