Is it worth making the trip from LA to Death Valley for one day?

[MikeDC]

Hi,

So I'm visiting L.A. in October to see a show. I've been to L.A. a few times before, so this time I want to see a national park. The closest parks are Joshua Tree and Death Valley. But obviously Death Valley is 5 hours from Los Angeles. I thought it might be a better idea to fly into Vegas, stay there for the night, drive to Death Valley the next morning, spend the night in Death Valley (at Panamint Spring Resort), and then drive to LA the following day for the show. Well, actually, the show is in Pomona, so 3 1/2 hours from Death Valley according to Google Maps. But I don't know how accurate that is considering traffic in California. 

Is it worth making the trip to Death Valley given my tight schedule? And if so, is this the best way to do it? I know people do day trips from Vegas, but my final destination will Pomona and then Santa Monica, not Vegas.

Joshua Tree looks nice too, but I've read is underwhelming compared to Death Valley.

[netllama]

Considering the current state of the park, its entirely possible that there won't be more than a few hour's of activities regardless.

Keep in mind that doing a one-way rental from Las Vegas to LA is going to cost extra (and quite a lot extra these days).

I'd suggest that you fly round trip between LA & LV. Its the best use of your limited time.