3 Days: LA to the Southwest
Three days adds a second desert to the 2-day base: Death Valley first, then Las Vegas, with no overnight required for either park stop itself since the parks bracket the drive rather than eating a whole day each. For just Vegas, see the 2-day version ; to add Grand Canyon West, move up to 4 days .
Book these before you go:
- Compare rental cars on Discover Cars
- Death Valley lodging on Booking.com
- Las Vegas hotel rates on Booking.com
| Day | Stop | Distance from LA | Drive time | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Valley | 260-270 miles | 4.5-5 hrs | Furnace Creek, overnight |
| 2 | Las Vegas | 120 miles from Death Valley | 2-2.5 hrs | Badwater Basin en route, Strip evening |
| 3 | Los Angeles (return) | 270 miles | 4-4.5 hrs | Drive home |
Day 1: Los Angeles to Death Valley, the real distance
Pick up the rental car and leave early; Furnace Creek, the park’s usable hub, is 260 to 270 miles and 4.5 to 5 hours out, not the 2-hour trip some outdated guides still promise. Death Valley charges $30 per vehicle for seven days at a cashless machine (current fees at nps.gov/deva ), with no timed-entry reservation required as of 2026. Check into Furnace Creek Ranch or Stovepipe Wells before dark and, if there’s daylight left, walk out to Zabriskie Point for the badlands view; save Badwater Basin for tomorrow morning’s better light.
Day 2: Badwater Basin, then on to Vegas
Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level, is the stop that justifies yesterday’s drive; go early, before the heat and the tour buses both build. From Furnace Creek it’s 120 miles and 2 to 2.5 hours to Las Vegas via NV-160 and CA-190. Check into the Strip by mid-afternoon and treat the evening as your one night of Vegas; our Las Vegas Strip guide covers what’s actually worth doing with it.
Day 3: Vegas morning, then the drive home
A slow morning on the Strip, then 270 miles and 4 to 4.5 hours back to LA via I-15. Leave by early afternoon to avoid folding this drive into rush hour on both ends.
Best months for this whole loop are October through April. If you’re traveling June through August, swap Death Valley for an extra Vegas night instead; the heat there isn’t a discomfort to push through, it’s a documented public-health risk, and no photo at Badwater Basin is worth ignoring it.