Scotty’s Castle is on every single list of things you MUST do at Death Valley, but I really didn’t get what all the hype was about until I actually visited. There is a pretty interesting story behind the house. From the NPS website:
“Hidden in the green oasis of Grapevine Canyon in far northern Death Valley, the Death Valley Ranch, or Scotty's Castle as it is more commonly known, is a window into the life and times of the Roaring 20's and Depression 30's. It was and is an engineer's dream home, a wealthy matron's vacation home and a man-of-mystery's hideout and getaway. Walter Scott, Death Valley Scotty, convinced everyone that he had built the castle with money from his rich secret mines in the area. Albert Mussey Johnson actually built the house as a vacation getaway for himself and his wife Bessie. Scotty was the mystery, the cowboy, and the entertainer, but he was also a friend. Albert was the brains and the money. Two men as different as night and day, from different worlds and with different visions - who shared a dream.”
I got to the castle at about 2:55 pm. It just so happens that the only way you can see inside is to take a 1-hour guided tour and it just so happened that the last tour of the day started at 3 pm. Perfect timing! Even though I wasn’t thrilled about having to take a guided tour initially, I quickly changed my mind because the tour guide was so great. He was a fantastic storyteller and made the whole thing much more interesting than it would have been otherwise.
It was truly a beautiful house!
Scotty’s grave!
This concluded my trip to Death Valley, but my day of sightseeing wasn’t over yet! Next stop: Beatty, NV to visit a ghost town!!
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