For meetings in a pristine desert environment, it’s hard to beat Death Valley National Park, a place where nature overwhelms the human footprint, not the other way around.
“You can travel greater distances, but no place will take you further away,” says Phil Dickinson, director of sales for Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Resort, which offers most of the hotel rooms and meeting space in the park. “That’s an old Death Valley tagline, but it still holds true.”
Dickinson maintains that Death Valley’s 3.3 million acres, almost all of them wilderness, give it a sense of seclusion that is hard to find in other desert resort locations.
Not only does Death Valley have a vast amount of undeveloped land, it is packed with geological and historical oddities that add to its fascination. Strange points of interest include the Devil’s Golf Course, a glittering field of crystallized salt formations, and Badwater, a salt flat that marks the lowest point, 282 feet below sea level, in the Western hemisphere.
Stunningly beautiful places to explore include Artist’s Drive, a one-way paved canyon meandering eight miles through magnificent mountain washes in vivid shades of pink, lavender, rose, and emerald green, and Mosaic Canyon, reached by a 2.5-mile walk up an alluvial fan.
The Valley’s leading historic attraction is Scotty’s Castle, an early 20th century Mediterranean-style mansion built by an eccentric pioneer prospector that sits in splendid isolation in the Valley foothills. Guided tours offered by the National Park Service with interpreters in period dress present the colorful history of the castle and its inhabitants.
Although limited, resort amenities for groups are topnotch in Death Valley, particularly at the Furnace Creek Inn, a favorite retreat for Hollywood celebrities ever since it opened in 1927. The 66-room, tile-roofed Inn, open from October through early May, has several elegant meeting spaces, including the Marquez Room, which offers mountain views, wood-burning fireplaces and a built-in projection screen. Prefunction spaces include a hillside garden, stone terraces and a spring-fed swimming pool area flanked by massive stone fireplaces.
The more casual 224-room Furnace Creek Ranch is open year-round and offers function areas that include an outdoor area for Western barbecue events. Both properties offer access to an 18-hole golf course as well as tennis courts and riding stables.
“The Inn at Furnace Creek is best for small meetings, particularly incentive groups with 10 or 15 couples,” Dickinson says. “We can take groups of up to 100 at the Ranch. In many cases, groups staying at the Ranch can use the meeting space at the Inn.”
Although Death Valley imparts a sense of remoteness, it’s surprisingly accessible. Las Vegas, the closest air gateway, is about a two-hour drive away, while Lost Angeles is about four hours by car.
For More Info
Death Valley National Park www.nps.gov
Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Resort 760.786.3351
www.furnacecreekresort.com
