An alternative to Death Valley is to use Westgard Pass (CA 168) to cross between the White Mountains and the Panamint Range. If you're feeling adventurous you can take a side trip up to the Schulman Grove of bristlecone pines. Having driven across Death Valley and cycled from sea level out of Death Valley to Lone Pine, and having cycled Westgard Pass quite a few times, I found Westgard Pass to be a more enjoyable road to cycle on.