Prospector Rates Return to Furnace Creek

It's a Death Valley deal at two of the national park's famous properties.

WHERE LEAVES ARE SCARCE: There's no argument to the statement that California gets a traditional fall season, and a vibrant one. Foliage fans keep watch for the aspens and oak that go golden around the Eastern Sierra and up near Shasta, spending weekends finding the most colorful copses of tree-spectacular goodness. But there's another way to mark autumn in the Golden State, and that's via a trip to the moon. Surely the moon is a little mysterious and autumnal and just right for October? Well, getting to our actual lunar neighbor is still pretty tricky, for the most part, but you can visit the next best moon-esque place: Death Valley National Park. Nope, it isn't pocked with craters in the way the moon is, but you also don't need head gear to draw oxygen, either. It's wonderfully atmospheric, in short, and an October or November trip makes creative counter-programming to all of fall's tree-focused doings. And deal-cravers are in luck: Both of the Furnace Creek properties are packed their saddlebags full of Prospector Rates, which are making a return appearance at the casual (Ranch) and deluxe (Inn) expressions of the historic Death Valley property.

YEEHAW: If you want to invoke classic prospector sayings and tropes -- such as "yeehaw!" -- while booking your room under the rate, we're pretty sure no one would mind. And the upshot on the special? The Prospector Rates feature "30 percent discounts on select rooms throughout the park's fall season." Those rates kick up their boots starting on Oct. 15 and ride straight through to Dec. 21 at the Ranch; the Inn's dates are Oct. 20 through Dec. 20.

AND... why not counter-program your fall? If you're a leaf peeper, usually? Badwater Basin sits just south of the properties, lending a lunar experience to a stay in the area. We'll call a trip to the moon, or the next most moon-like place, ideal for the time of year when shadows grow deeper and longer.

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