Death Valley National Park

Furnace Creek Visitor Center, CA-190 · Furnace Creek, CA

Why you should go…

Death Valley covers more than 3 million acres of California and Nevada and is the largest national park in the contiguous United States. You can stand at Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level, watch sunrise over the badlands at Zabriskie Point and walk the Mesquite Flat sand dunes. Furnace Creek Visitor Center on CA-190 is the main stop for information. Nights are dark enough to see the Milky Way.

#national park
#desert
#badwater basin
#sand dunes
#stargazing

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

Weather calls the shots
Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.
Shoes, water, sun cover
The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.
Parking and launches fill early
On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.
Daylight shrinks in shoulder season
Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Death Valley National Park, ordered by straight-line distance.

Sightseeing
Iconic
Badwater Basin
$25–$50
Walk a boardwalk onto the salt flats at the lowest point in North America, 282 feet below sea level.
15 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing