What to do in Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is one of the most unique national parks in the United States, and visiting Death Valley was one of the highlights of our road trip across the Southwest. The landscape is rugged and colorful, and the national park is home to some of the most extreme weather conditions in the world! In July 1913, the world's hottest temperature was recorded at 134 degrees Fahrenheit. Death Valley is the largest national park in the lower 48 states and is home to the lowest point in North America, Badwater Basin, at 282 feet below sea level!
Below, we will share some tips for visiting Death Valley along with the best things to do in Death Valley National Park.
HOW TO GET TO DEATH VALLEY
Located in eastern California, along the California and Nevada border, Death Valley is a challenging national park to get to due to how remote it is. Here are the driving distances from the closest major cities:
Las Vegas, NV: 1hr 54min
Los Angeles, CA: 3hr 45min
We highly recommend visiting with a car as it is such a large national park! You can see most of the park by paved roads, so sedans with 2wd are totally fine.
WHEN TO VISIT DEATH VALLEY
First and foremost, we will recommend when to NOT visit Death Valley National Park. We do not recommend visiting in the summer months. The temperatures are so extreme that many people have died from heat exposure and dehydration. There is very limited natural water and shade in the park which makes it very dangerous.
We recommend visiting Death Valley National Park between October through April when the temperatures are mild.
WHERE TO STAY IN DEATH VALLEY
Although Death Valley is quite remote, there are several options for staying within the National Park. We highly recommend staying in the park if you want to catch sunrises and spend more than a couple of days exploring the area. There are not many accommodation options within a short drive outside of Death Valley, so if you chose to stay outside of the park, expect quite a bit of driving. Here are the accommodation options within the park itself:
The Inn at Death Valley: High-end hotel surrounded by palm trees with a pool and restaurant!
The Ranch at Death Valley: Affordable accommodation and very central to Death Valley.
Stovepipe Wells Village: Closer to the western entrance to Death Valley, Stovepipe Wells is an affordable place to stay near the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.
Panamint Springs Resort: Further west than Stovepipe Wells Village, Panamint is an affordable option on the western side of the park.
Camping
Furnace Creek Campground (takes reservations)
Sunset Campground
Stovepipe Wells Campground
Texas Springs Campground
We chose to stay in an Airbnb just outside of Death Valley since we worked remotely while visiting the park.
Book your stay in Death Valley today! Use this link to get $65 off of your first Airbnb stay
STAYing SAFE IN DEATH VALLEY
With extreme weather conditions and very limited cell phone service, it’s important to be prepared when visiting Death Valley National Park! In the summer it’s common for the highs to be well above 100 degrees. Here are some tips for staying safe in Death Valley:
Avoid strenuous activities (including hiking) in the summer months
Drink at least 1 gallon (4L) of water per day
Bring extra water in your vehicle
Bring a navigation device and don’t rely on your cell phone as service is limited
Additionally, read more about our Day Hike Packing List for what to bring for day hikes and adventures.
MAP OF What TO DO IN DEATH VALLEY
What TO DO IN DEATH VALLEY
There is so much to see and explore in Death Valley! Being the largest national park in the lower 48 states, means you could easily spend weeks trying to visit the entire national park. That being said, most of the top sites could easily be seen in a couple of days, or a long weekend! Here are our recommendations for the best things to do in Death Valley:
1. Zabriskie Point
Zabriskie Point is such a colorful and unique rock formation in the middle of Death Valley National Park. There is a large parking area and a paved path to a beautiful overlook with rolling hills, Zabriskie Point, and a mountain backdrop across Badwater Basin. There are also trails from the parking area to walk through the hills closer to the point.
Pro Tip: We highly recommend visiting Zabriskie Point for sunrise! As the sun rises, it casts a beautiful pink glow on the mountains behind Zabriskie.
2. Twenty Mule Team Canyon
This easy 2.5 mile one-way dirt road feels like you’re on Mario Kart! Cutting through these colorful and eroded badlands, there are a few places to turn off to explore the hills by foot. This drive can be completed in ~15-20 minutes!
3. Artists Drive
Artists Drive is a nine mile, paved, one-way drive through colorful hills. The drive itself is breathtaking with a couple of pullouts to get out and explore these ‘painted’ hills. We highly recommend stopping at Artist’s Palette to walk amongst the colorful rock and dirt.
Pro Tip: We found the colors at Artist’s Palette to be most vibrant ~45 minutes before sunset!
4. Natural Bridge
Just off of the main road through Badwater Basin, is a rough dirt road that takes you to the Natural Bridge parking area. The hike itself is a .6 mile out-and-back through a wide slot canyon to a huge natural arch. Don’t let a .6 mile hike fool you in the heat of the summer - make sure to carry sufficient water on this hike!
5. Devil’s Golf Course
Devil’s Golf Course is an ancient lake bed with jagged crystalized salts in the heart of Badwater Basin. The saying goes that - "only the devil could play golf on such rough links." If you listen carefully you can hear pinging noises which are actually billions of tiny salt crystals bursting as they come into contact with warm air.
6. Badwater Basin Salt Flats
These salt flats were the highlight of our time in Death Valley! There is a parking area with a worn path which leads out to endless miles of salt flats. Depending on recent precipitation, or lack thereof, the salt flats could have a thin layer of reflective water, or they could be dry with white geometric looking shapes.
Pro Tip: We highly recommend going close to sunset for soft light on these unique salt flats!
7. Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
These huge sand dunes seem to pop up out of nowhere! About 30 minutes northwest from the Furnace Creek area, these dunes are so much fun to explore. There is a large parking area with what seems like never ending sand to explore and take photos.
Pro Tip: Close to sunrise and sunset, the light will case shadows across the sand dunes which makes for really beautiful photos with the extra contrast.
8. Dante’s View
Although Dante’s View is slightly out of the way (~30-40 minutes southeast of Furnace Creek) it gives way to a beautiful overlook high above Badwater Basin. This overlook shows the magnitude of how big Death Valley National Park is. If you have time, we would suggest going to this viewpoint for sunset.
Pro Tip: This was the only place in the park that we found LTE!
9. The Racetrack
The Racetrack is one of the more remote places to visit in Death Valley. In this valley, wind blown rocks slide and leave tracks behind them after precipitation. It looks like the rocks have been slowly sliding across the valley floor! We did not have time to visit on our trip, but hope to go back in the future!
THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
We can’t recommend Death Valley enough! It’s such a unique and fun park to explore with activities suitable for all ages. With most of the main sites just off the main road, and so many places to explore, we highly recommend dedicating at least two days to this park. Make sure you plan accordingly, bring enough water, and follow Leave No Trace (LNT) principals! We hope this guide helps with planning your dream trip to Death Valley National Park.