The Death Valley program was my 15th Elderhostel/Road Scholar trip since the mid 1990s. I thought the six leaders were exceptional. They were energetic, enthusiastic, flexible and very organized. They kept us on the move without being overbearing. They provided us with comprehensive materials prior to the program and during the program. For the final night, they put together a great slide show of photos helping us to relive some highlights. Our leaders, paid and volunteer, were a hard-working group of men and women. Above all, they exhibited kindness, courtesy, knowledge of the area, and respect for us and for each other. It was obvious that they all love Death Valley and through their good humored spirit helped all of us to appreciate the beauty, history, geology and diversity of an amazing place. This group could train others how to lead outdoor adventure groups.

This was a very good program and JJ and her team of 5 assistants provided great leadership. Lodging was basic motel room with fridge, and meals in a Dennys and a local diner were adequate and the trail lunch was a very good and large sandwich. Hikes were up to two a day, and averaged about 3 miles and 600' elevation gain, although few participants did the maximum hiking. The large group of 27 spent about 3 hours a day in 3 crowded vans which were a challenge to get in and out of. Potty stops took a long time at one-hole park facilities. Hiking poles, good boots with good grip, and carrying 1.5-2 liters of water was essential. Hiles were on sand dunes, rocky terrain, tricky ridges, and could involve some scrambling with pushing, pulling, and butt slides. There were some serious hills to climb making this a very honest Level 5, although varying levels of hiking ability were accomodated well. I would recommend this program to the serious hiker who would enjoy desert excursions under somewhat harsh conditions.

This was my husband's and my 1st RS trip. Leaders were outstanding. Death Valley met our expectations in every way. Hotel and food were fine (no complaints). We would have preferred a smaller group. Collecting 27 participants and 6 leaders and squeezing them in 3 vans takes time.

A spectacular and unique adventure that fulfilled a long-time interest in seeing this wonderful National Park. Highly recommended for those looking for something out of the ordinary!

This was my first Road Scholar program and I am now looking forward to many more. The staff for this program are wonderful, the hiking options accommodate different skill and comfort levels (including fear of heights and ledges!), and Death Valley is a fascinating and diverse national park!

Death Valley is unlike any other spot in the United States. Combine the unique hikes and the very competent staff of the Death Valley Natural History Association, and you end up with a wonderful adventure. Larry Margasak

Death Valley is such a diverse place to explore. It is still "wild" and a beautiful place to see nature at its extreme. I certainly was introduced to a great national park.

My husband and I loved our RS trip to Death Valley. Our expectations were exceeded at every point, and we always felt well cared for and safe, even when we were pushing our personal limits on demanding and extraordinary hikes. The staff was engaging, knowledgeable, and always on top of logistics. Our fellow participants were sympatico and interesting people with whom we looked forward to sharing our adventures. This was our first Road Scholar trip but it will not be our last. We feel the world has opened up to us, now that we know we don't have to all the legwork ourselves.

This was an excellent experience: the staff was exceptional, the participants were interesting and fun, and the loacations for the hikes were awesome.

I loved this program! Just the right amount of hiking, learning and sightseeing. It certainly changed my view of what Death Valley really is like. I cannot wait to go back! Martha from Whitehall, Mt.

Prior to my participation in this five day program, I had always thought of Death Valley as a hot, flat, and desolate place. I no longer view it that way. Our group hiked through sand dunes, canyons, wetlands, salt flats, and volcanic craters, and toured a former vacation mansion known as Scotty's Castle. A ranger regaled us with tales of the '49ers looking for a shortcut to the gold fields and told us of the hardships involved in extracting Borax from the Valley. Two excellent films explained the unique geology found within the park.

The organization of the tour was terrific. Our volunteers’ expertise and knowledge reflected their years of experience. Everything happened as expected and on schedule. The organizers showed respect and concern for the needs of individuals. Hikes were designed in a way that they could be as challenging as an individual participant wanted. To fully enjoy the trip one should be in good physical condition.

Death Valley is the largest National Park in the 'lower 48'. The home base, Beatty, NV, is located outside the park. These facts resulted in long van rides each day; at least an hour each way. The housing and meals were adequate. The hotel rooms were sparse but large and clean. Morning and evening meals were divided between a Denny's and a local restaurant. Sack lunches served during the day were complete and satisfying.

We were fortunate to have good weather. Daytime temperatures were in the 60's. The mornings were chilly. During the day it could be warm in the sun. A visitor should be prepared for occasional heavy winds. Continually drinking water is a must as the dry conditions can lead to rapid dehydration.

Overall, I found the trip to be physically challenging, enlightening, and extremely well organized. If those are things that you are looking for in a Road Scholar excursion, I would highly recommend this one.

Having never been to Death Valley National Park, this program included hikes on several different types of terrain Death Valley has to offer. The program was very well organized, the guides were great & worked as a team, the January weather was great & the Stagecoach rooms were very comfortable. I would highly recommend this program. I'm still in awe of the good time I had.

Great leader; great instructors; wonderful fellow participants! I think Death Valley National Park is one of the most surreal and beautiful places I've ever seen.

I expected hiking in Death Valley to be different, but not so different in so many ways. Each trail was a surprise in our four days, each one had lots of corners with whole new vistas or sudden changes, and each one had its own peculiar geology unique to or uniquely visible only in Death Vally . So many snapshots to take to enjoy later, it was hard to still pay enough attention to the trail itself. First class hiking in every way.

This is a fantastic trip! It is very well organized, the talks and information are just right, and it is as advertised. We learned a great deal and saw a part of the world we hadn't seen before. We had a great time hiking in Death Valley National Park and participating in this program with our group.

Do yourself a favor and take this trip to Death Valley. It was fun, educational, challenging and so enjoyable. I met so many wonderful people and the staff was the best.

I loved this trip! Death Valley is beautiful and our guides were knowledgable and enthusiatic. Safety was foremost in their minds. There were two levels of hikes most days to satisfy the hearty hiker and the more casual walker.
Accomodations were pretty basic, and the food was just ok, although, Denny's has good breakfast. (The price was right)
As always, with Road Scholar trips, getting to know the fellow participants is more than half the fun. I am looking forward to meeting up with some fellow Death Valley participants in Yosemite in October.

I joined the Death Valley trip on the suggestion of a friend. I found the experience to be most fascinating and interesting, even though I must admit, I'm not a desert person. I believe that few people know that Death Valley has such a varied and diverse landscape - from mountains, extinct volcanoes, and deep, non-vegetative canyons, to sand dunes, salt flats, small salt-water creeks, and even a "castle." Our guides (generally six) were incredibly welcoming and friendly and strove to see that each participant had an experience that was both fun and educational. They pushed safety first and we weren't even let off the vans without ensuring that we all had the proper sun gear (hats, sunscreen), plenty of water and boots. We were well supported and assisted during the hikes when some of them took us over more treacherous terrain. Their attitudes engendered a camaraderie amongst the group that just made it a lot of fun. Yes, the accommodations were a bit rustic and the food not always "top notch" but one has to understand that we were somewhat out in the middle of nowhere and to take that into account. Yes, we had to drive fairly long distances in a van, but Death Valley is a HUGE park and one would have been unable to see the diversity that this park afforded without doing a good bit of driving. If you were to see it on your own, you would have had to do the same. In all, it was really an educational and fun experience, a bit of heat notwithstanding, and I left that trip with a lot of fond memories and an appreciation of the amazing diversity of that region.

The stunning diversity of Death Valley takes time to reveal itself. The hikes on this trip were well chosen to feature that variety and also well matched to the fitness level of the participants. As others have remarked, the food is pretty dreary, but this part of Nevada is a food desert and neither I, nor the other participants, joined the trip for the food. The organizers provided fresh fruit and healthy snacks to compensate. The leaders and other participants were companionable--lovely folks, all-- but the one drawback for me was the large group size (over 25). Beatty, Nevada accommodation was chosen for economy (makes sense), but we could have stayed for dinner at one of the park concessions for at least one or two evenings so that we could enjoy the late afternoon/twilight/evening sky instead of rushing back to the Denny's in Beatty every afternoon.

Death Valley is a place that must be visited with an organized group. Doing it alone would be less informative and even dangerous. If you want the best, choose Road Scholar. Excellent organization, carefully selected guides and the right size groups with correct staff to attendee ratio. I am thrilled that we chose this trip. It was mmost rewarding

Somehow I managed to convince Thomas that a hiking Road Scholar trip would be a good thing. I have been to Death Valley twice on pass through visits but never an extensive visit.
The Road Scholar trip is a 5 day intensive visit to the Valley based out of Beattie, NV, 30 miles east. Each day required a 30 mile van ride to and from the park to begin and end each day. Accomodations were at a motel/casino in Beattie. Rooms were OK. Food was as good as Beattie could provide.
Day 1 we visited an area of 12 sq. mi. of sand dunes reaching up to 100' and then to Badwater, the lowest spot in the US. Each day took us to a different geological area in the park (fault canyons, water eroded gulches, volcanic explosion craters, salt streams, as well as several oasises) and to Death Valley Scotty's Castle.
The 5 staff members who accompied us were knowlegable and organized. The 28 participants were the usual widely varied Road Scholars; knowlegable, enthuastic, and prepared for the strenuous nature of the trip. My son said at one point, "These folks are really into this. They all have hiked to train and have the equipment they need."
All in all an enjoyable, enlightening trip to a unique area of the US.

The hikes were satisfying and Death Valley was beautiful. We were also lucky to have fantastic people in our group. Nevertheless, the trip was not up to the usual Road Scholar standards. The food was horrible (Denny's!) and the the accommodations not very comfortable at such a time of the year (primitive heater). The staff was nice but not very competent and well-organized comparing with our previous four programs. The final problem were very long drives into the Valley: up to two hours one way. This is the only RS program that, in retrospect, I wouldn't prefer to independent exploration. IMHO, the program would benefit enormously if it were moved into the Valley for 3-4 days, even if the cost increased $200-300 extra per person.

This was a wonderful hiking trip with an amazing variety of landscapes on every hike (something I was not expecting in a "desert"). The staff were excellent, they kept us organized and on time, and were very knowledgeable about the area. They also had enough staff to accommodate people with different hiking abilities. In addition I really enjoyed meeting a lot of interesting people from varied backgrounds. The food was not the greatest, but the facilities were good and the price was perfect. My focus was on the outdoors, the food was secondary, and it was certainly substantial and filling. On the whole I would rate the program an A+, and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors.

This was my first Road Scholar trip and it was a great introduction to the program. Death Valley is a magical place and the program staff did a fantastic job of introducing our group to the Park. The drive in each day provided an opportunity to see more than would have been possible if we had stayed in the park (Not to mention making the program more affordable). For example, some of us got to see our first wild burros just outside of Beatty. The scenery is gorgeous and every time you look you can see new marvels. Having such knowledgable staff and guest speakers adds to the experience.

If you like to spend over three hours a day driving to locations , and having terrible food poorly served this is the trip for you