Death Valley National Park

Death Valley is a long, narrow trough pinched between two mountain ranges, the Amargosa on the east and the Panamint on the west. Rain that manages to fall here has nowhere to drain, so over thousands of years it has left behind a floor coated in salt. The heart of it all is Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level, where you can walk out onto a blinding white salt flat and, when the light is right, see a thin crust of salt crystals shaped into strange honeycomb ridges underfoot.

The variety is what surprises people most. Within a single day's drive you can climb the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, stand on the ridge at Zabriskie Point above a maze of golden badlands, wind through the wildly colored volcanic rock along Artist's Drive, and peer down into Ubehebe Crater, a volcanic pit half a mile wide. Far to the north the ground plays an eerie trick at a dry lakebed called the Racetrack, where heavy stones leave long trails across the mud as if they had slid there on their own.

For all its heat, Death Valley is not flat and it is not all low. Telescope Peak rises more than 11,000 feet above the western wall and often holds snow in winter, so you can look from the lowest point on the continent straight up to a snowy summit in the same glance. Because the air is so dry and the towns so far away, the night skies here are among the darkest in the country, and the park is certified as an International Dark Sky Park where the Milky Way pours across the whole dome of the sky.

• East Entrance, at Death Valley Junction off CA-190 coming in from Nevada, is open year-round and is the common approach for travelers driving over from Las Vegas.
• West Entrance, off CA-190 near Panamint Springs and Olancha, is open year-round and is the way in from the Owens Valley and the eastern Sierra.
• North Entrance, reached through the town of Beatty, Nevada, off NV-374 over Daylight Pass, is open year-round. This is the least-crowded and most dramatic approach, dropping from the pass down to the valley floor and passing the Rhyolite ghost town on the way.
• South Entrance, off CA-178 from the small town of Shoshone, is open year-round and reaches the Badwater area from the south.
• From Las Vegas the park is about two hours west by way of Death Valley Junction. From the Owens Valley and US-395 in California, come in over CA-190 through the west entrance. There is no single entrance gate here, so fees are collected at staffed stations or by self-pay envelope.

• Furnace Creek is the main hub of the park and the place to get your bearings. It holds the visitor center, gas, lodging, and a general store, and it sits within easy reach of Badwater Basin, Zabriskie Point, and Artist's Drive. It is also where the record 134-degree reading was taken, a reminder that this is the hottest, driest, and lowest national park in the country.
• The Beatty Corridor along NV-374 over Daylight Pass is the Nevada approach, and it may be the most beautiful way in. It passes the Rhyolite ghost town, climbs to the pass at over 4,000 feet, and then drops through canyon scenery to the valley floor. This is the quietest and most dramatic of the drives into the park.

• Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America, 282 feet below sea level. A boardwalk and a short walk out onto the salt flat lead toward a field of jagged salt crystals. Go early in the day and carry plenty of water, because there is no shade at all.
• The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, near Stovepipe Wells, rise up to 100 feet high and are wonderful to wander at sunrise or sunset when the low light throws long shadows across the ripples. A walk out to the tallest dune and back is a mile or more.
• Zabriskie Point is a short 15-minute walk from the parking area to a ridge overlooking a sea of golden, wrinkled badlands with the sharp spine of Manly Beacon in the middle. It is one of the most famous views in the desert Southwest and a favorite at sunrise.
• Artist's Drive is a nine-mile, one-way loop road that winds past hillsides stained pink, green, purple, and gold by old volcanic minerals. The colors glow brightest in the mid-afternoon light. The colorful spot known as Artists Palette is the highlight.
• Ubehebe Crater, in the north of the park, is a volcanic pit half a mile wide and hundreds of feet deep, blown out of the ground by a steam explosion. A half-mile trail runs around the rim.
• Rhyolite Ghost Town, just outside the north entrance near Beatty, is the ruins of a 1905 gold-boom town, with the shell of a three-story bank and a house built out of glass bottles. It sits on public land and is free to wander.

Long before it carried a fearsome name, this valley was and still is home to the Timbisha Shoshone people, who have lived here for well over a thousand years. They knew the land intimately, moving with the seasons between the valley floor in the cool months and the higher, greener canyons and mountains in summer, gathering mesquite beans and pinyon pine nuts and finding the hidden springs that make life possible in such a dry place. The Timbisha never left. Today they hold a homeland within the park near Furnace Creek and remain a living part of the valley they call Tumpisa, meaning rock paint, for the red ochre found here.

The grim English name came from a party of pioneers in the winter of 1849 to 1850. Trying to reach the California gold fields by a shortcut, they became lost and trapped in the valley for weeks, struggling to find water and a way out. Only one of the group is thought to have died there, but as they finally climbed out over the western mountains, one of them is said to have looked back and spoken the words that stuck: goodbye, death valley.

In the decades that followed, the valley drew miners chasing gold, silver, and above all borax, a mineral hauled out of the salt flats and famously carried across the desert by teams of twenty mules. Boom towns like Rhyolite sprang up almost overnight and emptied out just as fast. The strange, harsh beauty of the place slowly won admirers, and in 1933 President Herbert Hoover declared Death Valley a national monument. The Civilian Conservation Corps arrived soon after, building roads, trails, and buildings across the vast landscape during the 1930s.

For sixty years the valley was protected as a monument. Then in 1994 the California Desert Protection Act expanded its boundaries and raised it to a full national park, making Death Valley the largest national park in the lower 48 states. The same law formally recognized the Timbisha Shoshone connection to the land, and a few years later the tribe gained a permanent homeland within the park, a rare and fitting outcome for a people who never gave up the valley.

• The 134-degree Fahrenheit reading taken at Furnace Creek in July 1913 is still recognized as the hottest air temperature ever reliably measured anywhere on Earth.
• Badwater Basin, at 282 feet below sea level, is the lowest point in all of North America. From there you can look up to Telescope Peak, more than 11,000 feet high and often snow-capped, one of the greatest quick changes in elevation on the continent.
• At a remote dry lakebed called the Racetrack, heavy rocks leave long trails etched in the mud as if they slid across it. Scientists finally solved the mystery: thin sheets of ice form on rare wet nights, and light wind pushes the ice, which shoves the stones along.
• In a rare wet winter the barren valley floor can burst into a superbloom of wildflowers, carpeting the ground in gold and purple. These blooms are unpredictable and happen only every several years.
• Death Valley is a certified International Dark Sky Park, with some of the darkest and clearest night skies in the country, so the Milky Way is easy to see with the naked eye.
• The park is enormous, more than three million acres, which makes it the largest national park in the lower 48 states, bigger than the state of Connecticut.
• Rare desert fish called pupfish survive in a few isolated springs here, including one kind found in a single water-filled cavern and nowhere else on Earth.
• The salt flats stretch for nearly 200 square miles, one of the largest protected salt pans in North America, and the honeycomb ridges on them are formed as salty water rises, dries, and pushes the crust up.

• An entrance fee applies, charged per vehicle and good for seven days, and interagency annual passes are accepted. Check the park website for the current rate. There is no single entrance gate, so fees are collected at staffed stations or by self-pay envelope.
• Furnace Creek is the main hub, with the visitor center, gas, lodging, and a general store. It is the best place to start and to ask a ranger about current road and weather conditions.
• From mid-June through mid-September, temperatures regularly climb past 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Carry at least one gallon of water per person per day, do not rely on finding water in the park, and plan any activity for the early morning.
• Fuel and services are limited and far apart. Gas is available at Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells inside the park, and the nearest full town services are in Beatty, Nevada, about 40 miles northeast, so fill up before you go and keep an eye on your tank.
• Cell service is very limited across most of the park, so download maps ahead of time and let someone know your plans before you head into remote areas.

It can be dangerous in summer, so plan carefully. From about mid-June through mid-September the air temperature on the valley floor regularly climbs past 115 degrees Fahrenheit, and it has reached 134. Heat this extreme can quickly become life-threatening. If you visit in summer, stay on paved roads near your vehicle, do the sightseeing early in the morning, carry far more water than you think you need, and do not hike at the low elevations during the heat of the day. The safest and most comfortable time to visit is from late fall through early spring.

A lot, and more than feels necessary. The park service recommends at least one gallon of water per person per day, and more if you are active or visiting in warm weather. Water is only available at a few developed spots like Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells, so do not count on finding it out in the park. Carry your own, drink often before you feel thirsty, and keep extra in the car in case of a delay or breakdown.

Late fall through early spring, roughly November through April, is by far the best window. Days are pleasant, nights are cool, and you can hike and explore comfortably. Winter even brings snow to the high peaks. Spring can bring wildflowers, and in a rare wet year a spectacular superbloom. Summer is beautiful in its own stark way but genuinely hazardous because of the heat, so most visitors avoid the hottest months.

Yes. Death Valley charges a per-vehicle entrance fee that is good for seven days, and interagency annual passes are accepted. Because the park is so large and has no single entrance gate, fees are collected at staffed stations, at the visitor center, or by a self-pay envelope at fee stations. Check the National Park Service website for the current rate before you go.

For general entry, no. Death Valley does not require a timed-entry reservation just to drive in. As with many popular parks, reservations may apply for certain campgrounds or programs, and popular areas can fill up during busy weekends and in wildflower season. Check the park website for current conditions and any reservation requirements before your trip.

You can hit the highlights near Furnace Creek, such as Badwater Basin, Zabriskie Point, and Artist's Drive, in a single full day. To also reach the sand dunes, Ubehebe Crater in the north, and the more remote corners of this very large park, plan on two or three days. Distances between sights are long, so leave more driving time than you expect.

For a first visit, start with Badwater Basin and its salt flats, the lowest point in North America, then take in the golden badlands from Zabriskie Point, especially at sunrise. Wind through the colorful hills on Artist's Drive, and if you have time, walk the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes near Stovepipe Wells at sunset. Farther north, Ubehebe Crater is worth the drive.

Pets are welcome in developed areas, campgrounds, parking lots, and along roads, but they are not allowed on hiking trails or in the backcountry. Because of the extreme heat, be especially careful with a pet here: never leave one in a parked vehicle, keep paws off scorching pavement and sand, and carry plenty of water for them too. Check the park website for the current pet rules.

There is lodging inside the park at Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells, along with several campgrounds that range from developed to primitive. Just outside the park, the towns of Beatty and Pahrump in Nevada and small California communities like Shoshone offer more rooms and services. Because the park is remote and large, it is worth booking ahead, especially in the cooler, busier months.

The name came from a group of pioneers who got lost and trapped in the valley during the winter of 1849 to 1850 while trying to reach the California gold fields. They struggled for weeks to find water and a way out. As they finally climbed over the western mountains to safety, one of them is said to have looked back and said goodbye, death valley. The name stuck, even though the land had long been a living homeland for the Timbisha Shoshone people, who remain here today.