Death Valley National Park

State: California, extending slightly into Nevada. Destination type: U.S. National Park, managed by the National Park Service. Largest national park in the contiguous United States at roughly 3.4 million acres. Home to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. Established as a national monument in 1933; redesignated a national park in 1994.

Death Valley National Park protects an extreme desert landscape along the California-Nevada border, renowned as one of the hottest, driest, and lowest-elevation national parks in the United States. At roughly 3.4 million acres, it is the largest national park in the contiguous United States, encompassing everything from below-sea-level salt flats to snow-capped peaks within the same park boundary. Badwater Basin, at 282 feet below sea level, is the park's most famous landmark and the second-lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, while Telescope Peak rises to over 11,000 feet within the same park. Furnace Creek, the park's main hub, holds the record for the highest reliably recorded air temperature on Earth, set in 1913. Despite its forbidding name and reputation, the park has long been home to the Timbisha Shoshone people and later became a center of borax mining in the late 1800s, before its colorful badlands, dunes, canyons, and salt flats drew federal protection in the twentieth century. Today it is a popular stop for scenic driving, photography, and winter and spring desert exploration.

Death Valley National Park straddles the California-Nevada border in the northern Mojave Desert, east of the Sierra Nevada's rain shadow. The main visitor hub, Furnace Creek, sits roughly two hours by car from Las Vegas, Nevada, and about four to five hours from Los Angeles. The park's mailing address is P.O. Box 579, Death Valley, CA 92328, and the park's phone number is 760-786-3200.

Death Valley is famous for extreme summer heat, with Furnace Creek having recorded a high of 134 degrees Fahrenheit in July 1913, cited as the highest air temperature ever measured at the Earth's surface. Summer daytime temperatures commonly reach or exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit on the valley floor, while winters are far milder and can even bring frost at night, with snow possible at higher elevations such as Telescope Peak. The park is extremely arid year-round. Given how dramatically conditions vary between the valley floor and the surrounding mountains, and between seasons, checking a current forecast for your specific route and elevation is essential before visiting.

Late fall through early spring, roughly November through March, is the widely recommended window, avoiding the valley floor's dangerous summer heat entirely. Spring can also bring wildflower blooms in good rainfall years. Based on visitor forum reports, December is considered a high season with hotel reservations filling up, and the November-to-April period generally sees the most visitors. Summer visits are discouraged by the park service itself for safety reasons, particularly for hiking or spending extended time at low elevation.

Death Valley has been home to the Timbisha Shoshone people for many generations; they call the valley tumpisa, a name tied to a reddish clay used for paint, and their seasonal life historically moved between the valley floor and higher, cooler elevations to gather pinyon nuts and mesquite beans. In the late 1800s, the discovery of borax deposits brought industrial mining to the valley, most notably at the Harmony Borax Works near Furnace Creek, where mule teams famously hauled processed borax out along a long desert route until operations wound down in the late 1880s. Decades later, in February 1933, President Herbert Hoover used executive authority to establish Death Valley National Monument, protecting close to two million acres, in part due to lobbying from the former borax operator turned tourism developer. That designation was made on the mistaken premise that the valley was empty, unclaimed wilderness, disregarding the Timbisha Shoshone's ongoing presence, particularly around Furnace Creek; a small reservation village site was set aside for the tribe in the area only a few years later, in 1936. The monument's status changed again in October 1994, when the California Desert Protection Act redesignated it as a national park and expanded its boundaries by roughly 1.3 million acres, bringing the park to its current size of about 3.4 million acres, the largest national park outside Alaska. The Timbisha Shoshone Homeland Act of 2000 later restored a land base to the tribe within and near the park, a step frequently cited as a rare instance of tribal land being returned within a national park's boundaries.

Scenic driving is the primary way most visitors experience Death Valley's scale, following paved routes such as California Highway 190, Badwater Road, and Artists Drive to a string of overlooks and short walks. Hiking ranges from short, flat walks onto the salt flats at Badwater Basin to longer canyon routes like Golden Canyon or Mosaic Canyon, and multi-day backpacking in the surrounding wilderness. The park's remoteness and dark skies make it a popular stargazing destination. Backcountry and high-clearance or four-wheel-drive road driving opens up more remote corners for well-prepared visitors, while mountain biking and trail running are also permitted on many roads. A self-guided tour of film locations, including some tied to the Star Wars franchise, is a niche but popular activity given the park's otherworldly terrain. Ranger-led walks and talks run seasonally.

Signature stops include Badwater Basin, the salt-flat lowest point in North America, where visitors typically walk out onto the crystallized salt polygons; Zabriskie Point, an overlook famous for its folded, striped badlands, especially photogenic at sunrise; Artists Palette, a stretch of hillside colored by mineral deposits, reached via the one-way Artists Drive scenic loop; and Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, most scenic and least disturbed early in the morning. Furnace Creek serves as the park's main hub, with the visitor center, the historic Harmony Borax Works site, and most lodging and dining options. Other popular add-ons include Dante's View, a high overlook above Badwater Basin, and the Ubehebe Crater volcanic feature farther north.

Death Valley is reached almost exclusively by private vehicle; there is no scheduled public transit or commercial airline service directly to the park, and the small Furnace Creek airstrip serves only private aircraft. The nearest major commercial airport is Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, roughly 105 miles, about a two-hour drive, from the park. From the Los Angeles area, driving distance is considerably farther and typically takes four to five hours depending on the route and entry point. Given the park's size, expect long driving distances, frequently 20 or more miles, between major sights once inside, and fill your tank before entering since fuel is limited and pricier inside park boundaries.

Death Valley National Park is open year-round, 24 hours a day; visitors may enter or exit at any time, though individual facilities, roads, and services keep their own seasonal or daily hours, and some areas may close temporarily for unsafe weather conditions.

As of research: $30 for a 7-day private vehicle pass, $25 for a 7-day motorcycle pass, and $15 per person on foot or bicycle; an annual Death Valley park pass costs $55. The park accepts only card or digital payment for entrance fees, not cash. Confirm current pricing on the official NPS fee page before your visit.

A single, long day of driving covers the main highlights, but visitor trip reports commonly recommend at least two to three days, or up to a week for avid hikers, given the park's enormous size.

Furnace Creek is the most central base, with two lodging properties, a historic higher-end inn and a larger ranch-style property with a range of room types, plus an RV campground with hookups. Stovepipe Wells Village, about 25 miles northwest of Furnace Creek, is a smaller, quieter, and generally less expensive option that is still centrally located within the park. Beyond the park boundary, towns such as Pahrump, Nevada, or Lone Pine, California, offer additional lodging for visitors approaching from Las Vegas or the Sierra Nevada side respectively. Reservations fill up well in advance during the busy November-to-April season, especially around the December holidays.

Dining options inside the park are concentrated at Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells, both offering restaurant and general-store or quick-service options tied to their respective lodging properties. Because the park's interior has no other dining, visitors exploring farther-flung areas typically pack their own food and plenty of water for the day. Given the isolation and higher cost of running a restaurant in the middle of a desert park, prices at in-park dining tend to run higher than comparable options in nearby towns such as Pahrump or Lone Pine.

Las Vegas, roughly two hours away, is the most common gateway city and a natural add-on before or after a Death Valley visit. The historic Rhyolite ghost town, just across the Nevada border, is a popular short detour. Farther afield, the Eastern Sierra towns such as Lone Pine, gateway to Mount Whitney, and other California desert parks such as Joshua Tree are reachable within a several-hour drive for a broader desert-and-mountains itinerary.

There is no public transit into Death Valley; a personal or rental vehicle is essentially required. Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas is the nearest major airport with commercial service, about 105 miles, roughly two hours, from the park by car, with car rental readily available there.

Summer heat is genuinely dangerous; National Park Service guidance recommends against hiking on the valley floor in summer and stresses drinking roughly a gallon of water a day, more if hiking, plus salty snacks or electrolyte drinks to offset fluid loss. Radiant heat off pavement and rock can be more extreme than the air temperature alone suggests, so avoid touching hot surfaces and keep an eye out for signs of heat illness such as dizziness, confusion, or a sudden stop in sweating, retreating to an air-conditioned vehicle if anyone feels unwell. Wear a hat that covers your scalp and use sunscreen generously, any time of year. Because distances between services are so large, keep your gas tank topped off and carry extra water and food as a buffer.

Far more water than feels necessary, roughly a gallon or more per person per day is the NPS-cited guideline, a wide-brimmed hat and strong sunscreen, salty snacks or electrolyte supplements, a full tank of gas before entering, and a paper map as backup given patchy cell coverage across the park's vast distances.

Start at a visitor center to pick up a current park map, check road conditions, and ask rangers about any closures before setting off, especially if planning backcountry routes. On a first visit, a full day of driving the park's main paved routes, covering Badwater Basin, Artists Drive, Zabriskie Point, and Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, hits the highlights described repeatedly in visitor trip reports, though multiple days let you add hikes and remoter areas. Visit Zabriskie Point at sunrise and the sand dunes early morning for the best light and least-disturbed sand. Given the park's genuinely large scale, do not underestimate drive times between sights, and never plan strenuous summer hiking on the valley floor. If visiting between November and April, book lodging well ahead, since the season fills quickly.

For any emergency, dial 911, though response times can be long given the park's remoteness. For non-emergency park questions, Death Valley National Park's official contact number is 760-786-3200, as listed on the park's own NPS.gov page.

Death Valley National Park (National Park Service), official site: nps.gov/deva.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.