Petroleum Based Questions

We are renting a car the first weekend of our trip, and on Saturday we are spending the day at Death Valley. I have read that gas prices in the park are astronomical, I was wondering what would be a good location to get gas before getting into the park? I would like to fill up as close to the park as possible but not have to pay a 2 or 3 dollar premium and also avoid a Survivorman scenario. Also, on a petroleum based tangent, where is a decent priced place to gas up before returning the rental?

 

If you're calling it petroleum,

any price you find is going to be way less

than you're used to paying.

 

When I made this drive two months ago, I filled up in Pahrump. Actually, I filled up there, drove to DV, drove around the park, and got back to vegas without having to stop again for gas. There were plenty of gas stations in Pahrump. The only filling station I saw in the park had gas prices approximately four times higher than the price in Pahrump

 

Good catch shifter.

 

Was thinking the same thing lol!

 

I would just fill up somewhere along the way, for both going to Death Valley and to the rental center, wherever it is most convenient for you. Thats just being realistic: if you shop around what would you be hoping to save on the price of gas? A savings of 25 to 50 cents per gallon would be a pretty significant price difference to find but since most vehicles only have a 12 to 15 gallon gas tank you'd be going through all that effort and extra time just to save $3-5

As for going to Death Valley and possibly running out: the size of gas tank they put in cars is designed so the vehicle can go about 300 miles (almost 500km) on a full tank of gas before needing a refill. So if make sure the tank is topped up on your way out there and you should be fine.

 

Need more info, what kind of car are you renting? Most compact to medium size cars should get 30 - 35MPG's(or more) on the highway, your driving range is 400 miles plus(till you run out). No need to worry about it at all, fill up anywhere but in the park, by "fill up" I mean top off with a few gallons.

 

There's a lot of pumping in that town.

 

:evillaugh

 

lol, yeah, when I wrote that portion of my TR, I expected a wave of questions about Pahrump's extracurricular activities

 

Thanks for the info, I was thinking Pahrump as well. As for calling it petroleum, I call it what it is. I am not from the UK, I am from New England, so based on current web based prices, NV is actually about 10% higher than I am used to.

 

Uhhh ok.

If we're being technical, what you're purchasing is actually gasoline.

Petroleum is the raw product that's refined into gasoline.

 

Yup.

If you put actual petroleum in your tank, you won't be going anywhere.

 

Per Wikipedia (and my college biochemistry professor)
"The name petroleum covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crude oil and petroleum products that are made up of refined crude oil."
Not trying to be ornery, I simply thought "Petroleum Based Questions" was a more interesting title to a post.

 

Death Valley was cool. Make sure to stop in Rhyolite. Cool ghost town. I don't remember even stopping for gas. Maybe we did on the way back in Pahrump

 

It's gas. It's not traversing Africa. Fill up in Vegas, do the park, drive back to Vegas, buy more gas.

 

Checks out. Source: work in Houston.

 

Not sure of the date your trip is planned, but we made this trip in March of this year. I found gas much cheaper in Pahrump than Las Vegas. Don't know why. And according to 'Gas Buddy', it's still cheaper.
What points of interest were you going to in Death Valley?