Stovepipe got its name from the pipes that prospectors used to mark their underground water sources. Both Furnace Creek and Stovepipe have restaurants and bars, gift shops and general stores, gas stations and landing strips. Add 9 percent in taxes to all lodging rates. There are nine campgrounds in all, and some of them close at certain times of the year. Check with the visitor center.
Food is available in and around the lodging sites.
I took most of my meals at the Coyote Coffee Shop and Wrangler Steak House at Furnace Creek Ranch. Wrangler serves breakfast and lunch buffet style, just like the meals at Las Vegas casinos. Those trucks hauling things in from far away don't come cheap. The pickiest gourmets, however, might weep. The general stores sell groceries and snacks, but the fussy ones still could find the supplies for self-catering inadequate, unless they know how to do clever things with salami and cheese.