It is never quick to get out/in L.A. on any day except between 1 and 5am! OK, maybe I am being just a bit cynical.
The accommodations in Death Valley are limited because the water is limited. That's one of the reasons it has the name it does. A day trip from Glendale would be a very long day and you wouldn't get to see much of what makes this park so special. But if the German tour busses can do it, I guess you could too.