You have to enter your encounter with the Amargosa knowing you might be the only human you'll see the entire evening, and embracing that idea. The quiet is simply amazing and the sunsets unmatched by any I've seen in the Western hemisphere. It is not for the spoiled traveler, but rather for the adventurous types who like a ghost or two in their shower and peacocks to awaken them at dawn. Most people would not like this place if they were expecting the Hilton amidst the sand and bleached bones of Death Valley. This is not the place for your average traveler reading about a destination on a random internet travel guide. Worn out buildings with a ghostly feel, eery solitude and virtually no amenities. We had been camping all over California, Arizona and Nevada and had been directed to the Amargosa Hotel and Opera House by our friends who had happened upon the place during a motorcycle adventure in late November of 2006. Two of my close friends and I had been on a road trip for nearly two weeks by the time we rolled up to Death Valley Junction.

Coming from the tacky, phony glam of Las Vegas, the Amargosa Hotel was an oasis to us.

Amargosa opera house and hotel haunted