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Death Valley National Park covers a huge expanse of desert along the California–Nevada border, the largest national park in the lower 48 states. It holds the lowest point in North America at Badwater Basin and has recorded some of the hottest temperatures on Earth. Despite the name, the landscape is varied, with salt flats, sand dunes, colorful badlands, canyons and snow-dusted peaks.
Badwater Basin, a vast white salt pan, is where most visitors start, and nearby Devils Golf Course is a field of jagged salt formations. Natural Bridge sits up a short canyon trail, and Artists Drive loops past the pastel hillsides of Artists Palette. Golden Canyon leads into eroded badlands and can be combined with Gower Gulch, while Zabriskie Point overlooks those same folds and is popular at sunrise. Dante's View, high on the Black Mountains, looks straight down onto the valley floor. Around Furnace Creek, the visitor center and the ruins of Harmony Borax Works explain the area's mining past. Farther north, the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, polished Mosaic Canyon and the volcanic Ubehebe Crater fill out a longer trip.
The park suits road-trippers and photographers, and its dark skies draw stargazers. Distances are long and services are few, so a full tank and ample water matter. Late fall through early spring is by far the most comfortable time.
WiserMap travel guideDeath Valley National Park California Badwater and DunesPlan Death Valley: Badwater Basin, Zabriskie Point, Artists Palette, Mesquite Flat dunes, Ubehebe Crater and the Racetrack, heat safety and the best seasons.Read the guide
The lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level, a vast salt flat with hexagonal salt patterns. A boardwalk leads onto the flats, and you can walk farther out on the crust. Visit early or late in the day, and avoid it in the summer heat after mid-morning.
A huge field of jagged rock salt crystals off Badwater Road, so rough it was said only the devil could play golf on it. A short gravel road leads to the parking area. Step carefully, as the crystals are sharp, and listen for faint pinging sounds as the salt expands.
The park's most visited dunes, near Stovepipe Wells, rising up to about 100 feet. There are no set trails, so walk out freely toward the tallest dune. Sunrise and sunset give the best light and cooler sand, and keep track of your way back to the car.
A volcanic crater about half a mile wide and some 600 feet deep in the north of the park, created by a steam explosion. A trail circles the rim and links to smaller Little Hebe crater. The hike down into it is short, but the climb back up through loose gravel is tiring.
A famous viewpoint over the golden, eroded badlands of the Furnace Creek Formation with Manly Beacon in the middle. A short paved path climbs from the parking area. Sunrise is the classic time, and trails lead down from here to Golden Canyon.
A viewpoint at about 5,475 feet on the Black Mountains, looking straight down onto Badwater Basin and across to Telescope Peak. It is often much cooler than the valley floor. The last stretch of road is steep and narrow, so vehicles over 25 feet are not allowed.
A popular hike up a canyon of golden walls to the Red Cathedral, with an option to loop back through Gower Gulch past Manly Beacon and Zabriskie Point, about 4 miles total. The trailhead is on Badwater Road. Hike only in the cooler months or very early in the day.
A canyon near Stovepipe Wells with polished marble walls and pieces of colorful rock cemented together in mosaic patterns. The first section is a narrow, smooth slot, and the trail continues up to a dry fall. A gravel road leads to the trailhead, fine for most cars.
A one-way paved loop of about nine miles through colorful hills off Badwater Road. Artists Palette is a stop where volcanic deposits show pink, green, purple and yellow. Late afternoon light brings out the colors best, and vehicles over 25 feet cannot use the road.
A remote dry lakebed known for its moving rocks that leave long trails across the mud, and for the Grandstand rock outcrop. It is reached on a rough dirt road of about 27 miles past Ubehebe Crater. High clearance and sturdy tires are needed, and flat tires are common.
Ruins of a borax refinery from the 1880s near Furnace Creek, the source of the famous twenty-mule teams that hauled borax out of the valley. A short paved trail leads past the old works and a restored ore wagon. Stop at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center nearby for maps.
Ten beehive-shaped stone kilns about 25 feet tall, built in 1877 to make charcoal for silver smelters, set high in Wildrose Canyon among pinyon pines. The inside still smells of smoke. The last stretch of the road is gravel, and it is cooler up here than on the valley floor.
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California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
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