Death Valley Lodging. Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Resort.

For Immediate Release
Photos Available

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, August 12, 2009 – Starting in September, guests at the Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort as well as Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley National Park now have the option of being picked up at the in-park hotels and taking guided jeep tours to some of the park’s remote attractions.

“Many of our guests – especially those in rental vehicles – do not realize that some of the most fascinating features of Death Valley are not accessible with their vehicles,” said Rich Jones, regional general manager for Xanterra in Death Valley. “Now it is easy and convenient for them to travel to these destinations under the guidance of well-trained, experienced and knowledgeable drivers. Death Valley is the largest national park in the lower 48 states with 3.3 million acres. These guides will take our guests to places they may not otherwise find on their own.”

In cooperation with Pink Jeep Tours, guests travel to areas where high-clearance or four-wheel-drive vehicles are strongly recommended. Among those destinations are the Racetrack Playa, Titus Canyon and Wildrose Charcoal Kilns. Titus Canyon is the park’s most popular backcountry road and features rugged mountains, colorful rock formations, a ghost town, petroglyphs, wildlife, rare plants and spectacular canyon narrows. The Racetrack is famous for its sliding stones that create tracks and mysteriously move across the valley’s surface. The Wildrose Charcoal Kilns are 10 beehive-shaped structures built in 1876 to store fuel to process silver and lead ore. The kilns are located in upper Wildrose Canyon in the Panamint Mountains.

Tour prices range from $65 to $165. Reservations for the tours can be made at the registration desks at the Furnace Creek Inn, the Furnace Creek Ranch or Stovepipe Wells or directly with Pink Jeep Tours by calling 1-888-900-4480.

The Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort has been welcoming guests since the 1930s. Open from mid-October through mid-May, the Furnace Creek Inn is a AAA Four Diamond-rated property featuring 66 rooms and two suites with a full array of amenities, fine dining, tennis courts and a spring-fed pool. The Furnace Creek Ranch is open year-round. Situated adjacent to the golf course, the Ranch features 224 rooms in a casual setting, a general store, spring-fed swimming pool, tennis courts and the Borax Museum.

For more information about facilities in Death Valley National Park or to make reservations at Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort, call toll free at 1-800-236-7916 or 1-303-297-2757 or go to www.furnacecreekresort.com. To make reservations at Stovepipe Wells Village call 1-888-786-2387 or visit www.stovepipewells.com.

Founded in 1958 in Sedona, Ariz., Pink Jeep Tours is the premier off-road tour company in the Southwest.  Nevada Magazine readers recently named Pink Jeep Tours “Top Tour Company.” Built and designed specifically for Pink Jeep Tours, The Tour Trekker is the first-of-its-kind, luxurious yet rugged, all-terrain vehicle.  As one of the few Las Vegas tour companies to possess off-road permits, guests experience areas inaccessible to most.  From Grand Canyon to Hoover Dam to Mt. Charleston, there are 10 tours showcasing the Southwest’s breathtaking landscape.  For more information, call (702) 895-6777 go to www.pinkjeep.com.

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Xanterra Parks & Resorts® (consisting of several affiliated Xanterra entities) operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra Parks & Resorts is the country's largest park concessioner. Xanterra Parks & Resorts operates concessions in the following locations: Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Silverado Resort in Napa, California, and eight Ohio State Parks. Xanterra Parks & Resorts also operates the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Arizona.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts has been committed to the preservation and protection of the environment for many years.  Through its environmental program, “Ecologix,” Xanterra Parks & Resorts has been recognized repeatedly for environmental leadership in the hospitality industry and is the recipient of many honors, including major awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Travel Industry Association of America, American Hotel and Lodging Association, National Parks Conservation Association, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Colorado Department of Public Health, State of Arizona, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

For more information about Xanterra Parks & Resorts,links to individual properties and reservations numbers, visit www.xanterra.com.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts
6312 S. Fiddlers Green Circle
Suite 600 North
Greenwood Village, Co 80111

Media contact:
Mesereau Public Relations
 (1) 720-842-5271
mona_mesereau@msn.com
tom_mesereau@msn.com