8 Top Things to See & Do at Death Valley National Park

Experience California’s Diverse Desert Scenery at Death Valley National Park

Southern California is commonly known for it’s stunning coastal landscapes and widespread desert regions. For those who visit and want the best of both worlds, you’ll most likely make the time to stop at California’s most beloved national parks.

While there are many parks to choose from, one in particular stands king as the best desert national park in the entire state. Even more, it’s been recognized as one of the greatest national parks in the entire United States!

Death Valley National Park offers an unforgettable adventure into some of California’s most diverse desert scenery that you truly just can’t miss.

So Why Is It Called Death Valley?

If the intense name alone doesn’t peak your interest, then maybe the facts will.

Death Valley National Park may sound like an extreme name to give a national park but the parks qualities do live up to its reputation. In short, the region that encompasses Death valley is one of the hottest, driest, and lowest places on the planet.

While it doesn’t hold the record for being the lowest point on earth, it does boast the record of the hottest air temperature ever recorded. Coming in at 134°F (57°C) on July 10 1913, this record breaking heat certainly pushes the limits of human survival.

However this isn’t always the case. Temperatures generally average over 120°F (49°C) during the summer months, which is still really frickin’ HOT.

Crazy right? But what is creating this insane heat?

Well, there’s a few things at play here:

Very, Very Dry Air
Elevation: Below Sea Level
Surrounding Steep Mountain Ranges

During the summer, sunlight penetrates the dry air, easily and quickly heating the desert surface. This high heat radiates back against the tall mountain ranges and essentially becomes trapped within the valley.

On top of this, when the heated air rises it is cooled slightly, but recycled back down to the floor from the valley walls. As this air descends, it’s compressed and heated even more from the low elevation air pressure.

The combination of all these factors produces extreme heat air circulation resulting in the crazy high temperatures.

Sounds pleasant right?

Last but not least, Death Valley has an average rainfall of 2.36 inches a year. Which is actually considered remarkably low for common desert regions.

BEST TIME TO VISIT DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

Despite the wild weather of summer, Death Valley National Park is actually quite nice to visit during the winter and spring months. Averaging anywhere from 67°F – 82°F (19°C – 28°C) within these peak seasons. Spring also offers the chance to see the many wildflowers in bloom which can be a big attraction.

Amazingly, Death Valley remains open to the public year round, but we highly advise skipping the heat of summer so you can better enjoy your trip.

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Death Valley National Park Details/Info

The park is located right on the border of California and Nevada, about 4 hours north of Los Angeles.

Open 24 hours/365 days a year
Vehicle entrance fee – $30 for 7 days (price subject to change)
Furnace Creek Visitor Center Hours – 8AM – 5PM

There are 3 different entrances that take you into the park. Meaning there are also 3 nearby cities outside the park that you can choose from for nightly accommodation should you need any.

Below lists the top cities from each entry point, along with driving distance from city center to Furnace Creek Visitor Center as a reference point.

Ridgecrest, CA (west entrance) – most common city coming from Los Angeles, 2 hour 15 min driving time
Pahrump, NV (east entrance) – sizeable city if coming from Las Vegas, 1 hour driving time
Beatty, NV (north entrance) – small town with a few options for lodging/food, 50 min driving time
- Bonus! – don’t miss the abandoned Rhyolite Ghost Town if you’re passing through Beatty

CONVENIENCES WITHIN DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

Due to the large size (3.4 million acres to be exact), Death Valley National Park actually has a few gas stations, general stores, saloons, and restaurants located inside the park. Majority of these establishments reside in small clusters around the areas of Stovepipe Wells and Furnace Creek.

Even a few hotels/resorts are available if you wish to stay overnight inside the park grounds. (outside of camping of course)

Keep in mind that choosing to lodge within the park is not as affordable compared to other hotels in the nearby towns. But the convenience may be worth the money. Below are the main hotels within Death Valley National Park.

You can also opt to taking a full day guided tour if you’re staying in Las Vegas. This way you won’t have to worry about driving or finding overnight lodging. See top guided tours below if this interests you.

8 TOP THINGS TO DO AT DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

Death Valley National Park is huge. To put it simply. With so much ground to cover, how do you decide the best things to see and do during your visit?

We’ve gathered our list of 8 favorite things to do at Death Valley from our multiple visits to the park. We find ourselves craving to visit time and time again as it’s easily one of our 8 Best Desert Spots in Southern California.

Having 2 or more days to explore will give you plenty of time to really take in each spot. But if you have time constraints, don’t worry. You can actually see several of the parks features in a single day!

Before we move forward, we must reiterate that this place is HOT and there’s very little shade to be found.

Please stay hydrated and bring plenty of sun protection.

If you’re driving through the park in a day a premium soft cooler will keep your food and drink fresh and cold for hours. For 2 or more days we highly recommend a solid rotomolded hard cooler capable of holding ice up to 10 days.

There’s nothing quite like experiencing Death Valley heat and cracking open an ice cold beverage accompanied by some cool fruit and veggies.

So let’s jump in! (FYI – the list below is in no particular order. Some back and forth driving is required to see all 8 stops)

1. Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

A trip to Death Valley National Park wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the iconic Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. These tall 140-ft sand dunes are shockingly not Death Valley’s tallest, but are the best known and most easy to visit within the park.

Located right outside Stovepipe Wells, you can easily drive up and see the dunes from the parking lot or choose to hike out to the peaks of the dunes.

FYI – Eureka Dunes stand 700-ft tall and are the tallest sand dunes in the park and possibly the tallest in all of North America. WOAH. Although these are only accessible by a 4WD vehicle along a 44-mile rugged dirt road.

Despite not being the tallest, Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are still very sizable if you haven’t seen natural sand dunes before. Not only that, they cover a vast area making it easy to feel lost in the desert just from hiking a few minutes in.

The sand itself is very fine and soft to the touch making it very comfortable to sprawl and lay about.

We walked about 10 minutes in and enjoyed lounging on the soft, warm ground while enjoying the views.

I (Shelby), even made the extra effort to connect with the dunes more by jumping and throwing myself down a hill. Basically rolling all the way down the sandy slope till reaching the very bottom.

It was a fantastic childlike moment to say the least!

TAKE A HIKE TO THE TOP

Wanting more? Many hikers simply free hike to the tallest peak of the dunes to see the incredible desert valley views. All while traversing the silky, sandy ridge at the top.

Keep in mind, this is a free hike with no designated trail. Be aware of your surroundings and bring plenty of water. Hiking in soft sand is tough and requires much more effort than walking on dirt.

2. Devil’s Golf Course

Unlike the soft sand of Mesquite Flats, Devil’s Golf Course is quite the opposite. About 40 miles long, Devil’s Golf Course is a large salt pan spread across the floor of Death Valley. Basically it’s a dried up lake bed where water once covered the valley to a depth of 30 feet.

Around 3,000 years ago, the lake dried up leaving behind thick, dissolved salt minerals. Overtime, these minerals have been transformed by natural weathering into the intriguing shapes we see today.

These odd salt structures are so jagged and sharp that Death Valley National Park stated it as a place where “only the devil could play golf.” Obviously the name stuck.

To reach the salt pan, it’s a quick drive off the main road of Badwater Rd. Overall you only need around 20 minutes to fully take in the strange beauty of the golf course.

Due to the dangerous landscape and preserved terrain, it’s not recommended to walk much on Devil’s Golf Course. Visitors simply park and step a few feet out to take a gander at the unique salt creations.

3. Badwater Basin

Out of all the points on this list, Badwater Basin is the most iconic location to see at Death Valley national Park. To us, it is the most beautiful place in the park.

Badwater Basin is the lowest point in all of North America and is an incredible landscape of vast, white salt flats. This basin sits at a low point of 282-ft below sea level and offers gorgeous views of sprawling white flat lands paired with towering mountain ranges in every direction.

You literally can’t see the end of the flats when standing out in the center of the terrain. It’s as if it goes on forever!

Even crazier is that during heavy rainfalls, temporary lakes may form within Badwater Basin. Although these lakes don’t last long as the evaporation rate is high and water quickly disappears once formed.

PERKS OF THE WET BADWATER BASIN

Amazingly, we had the chance to see Badwater Basin when it was layered with a few inches of clear water. The basin, when wet, is just surreal and it’s a pure stroke of luck if you happen to be there during this phenomena.

The seemingly endless water reflected near crystal clear images of the sky above, creating the appearance of walking on clouds. Honestly, it was the closest thing we’ve seen to heaven.

If you’re fortunate enough to witness this marvel make sure you’re wearing a pair of quality sunglasses with UV protection. The mirroring effect can be blinding and you’ll want to protect your eyes.

To reach Badwater Basin, park in the small parking lot off Badwater Rd. From the parking lot, you can see the sea level sign 280 ft above the opposite side of the road which really puts things into perspective. Walk down the boardwalk till you reach the flats which from afar look just like snow.

In total, the salt flats are 5 miles long. Most people don’t walk the entire length, but the majority do walk pretty far out.

You can go as far or as short as you want as the salt flats show up almost immediately. Although, walking further out gives the best and most untouched views of the salt flats.

4. Artist’s Drive

To see the most colorful landscape of Death Valley National Park, make sure you add on the short adventure through Artist’s Drive. This 9-mile drive takes you through mountainsides filled with various colors of pinks, greens, and blues. Not something you’d expect to find in the dry desert!

These impressive colors are created from the rich metals that reside within the soil. To me it looked like finding Rainbow Sherbet in the desert.

Artist’s Drive is a one-way road that starts near Badwater Basin. It’s the perfect addition to add to your route if you’re heading back up to Furnace Creek after seeing the basin.

As you drive up into the mountains, you’ll quickly come up on your first overlook on the right side of the road. Park along the side and make the small trek up a dirt hill to see your first view of the stunning colored hillsides.

Past this is the most popular viewpoint known as Artist’s Palette. Turn right off Artist’s Drive to reach a small parking lot. Once again, enjoy another spectacular view of the rainbow colors embedded into the mountain side.

Along the rest of Artist’s Drive, there are a few other colorful points you can stop at. Park as you wish but make sure to leave room for those on the road.

Towards the end of the drive the road becomes windy and tight, where unlike before, you’re unable to pull over as you please. At the end, the road connects you back onto Badwater Rd.

5. Dante’s View

If you can’t tell by now, Death Valley National Park is full of variety when it comes to desert exploration. To add to the list, how about breathtaking views from atop a tall mountainous peak?

Dante’s View is a prime overlook as it offers panoramic views of Badwater Basin below and the extensive valley with it’s surrounding mountain ranges. The overlook is situated atop the Black Mountains, standing 5,475-ft tall.

The good news (for many) is that you don’t have to hike it to be rewarded with the excellent views.

From Furnace Creek Visitor Center, it takes about 45 minutes to drive up the backside of the mountain to reach the Dante’s View parking lot. Bring a jacket as it’s fairly windy from such a high vantage point. We went from shorts and tank tops down at the Basin to pants and jackets atop the mountains!

Once you arrive, you can simply see the epic view off the side of the wall right next to the parking lot.

If you want, you can trek further down a small trail on the far side of the lot. This little trail takes you further out onto a few other small peaks. Doing so will give you a few different perspectives of the valley and Badwater Basin below, which we highly recommend!

An insanely gorgeous view with virtually zero effort. Make the time to include Dante’s View in your Death Valley National Park itinerary.

6. Zabriskie Point

Outside of Badwater Basin, Zabriskie Point is another top location of Death Valley National Park.

This unique point offers incredible views of the park’s well known and loved badlands. When standing atop this viewpoint, you’ll see dramatic canyons and mud hills that ripple with unique colors and patterns of yellow, brown, and black.

Zabriskie Point is not only admired for the colors. It’s also praised for the scenic rolling landscape of rounded gulches, as well as a few sharp-pointed peaks scattered about.

To reach the overlook, park down below in a small parking lot, then walk up a short paved path. This quickly takes you to a few different vantage points overlooking the canyons and Zabriskie Point.

PRO-TIP: If you can, make sure you visit Zabriskie point during sunrise or sunset to see the land transform into an array of new colors. Pink, purple, blue, and orange wash over the hills, completely changing the overall look and feel to the scenery. This is easily one of the most beautiful sights in Death Valley.

7. Mosaic Canyon

Just south of Stovepipe Wells Village is a one of a kind canyon you shouldn’t miss. Imagine tall, smooth rock walls that winds you through a wavy slot canyon.

Out of the many slot canyons we’ve seen, Mosaic Canyon is probably the smoothest canyon we’ve seen yet. The fluid-like walls naturally emanate a sense of calmness and tranquility, easily putting you in a meditative state as you wander through.

Venturing through Mosaic Canyon can be either a brief stop or a full blown hike depending on what you prefer. What’s great is that you can reach this prime part of the slot canyon, known as The Narrows, in just half a mile.

Since we were hitting all the other stops on this list, we didn’t complete the full Mosaic Canyon Trail.

We greatly enjoyed walking through The Narrows and turning around shortly after. If you go a bit further, you’ll quickly reach a wide gravel wash, which is Lower Mosaic Canyon. Many consider this the most scenic part of the trail and turn back here.

Parking is easy and available in a parking lot just outside the Mosaic Canyon trailhead. For those that wish to do the full hike, the trail is 4 miles round trip, out and back. A quick little banger to add into your day.

Something we look forward to complete at another visit to the park!

8. Golden Canyon to Red Cathedral Trail

We wanted to end this list with an actual hiking trail. While we love the variety of easy stops within Death Valley National Park, we prefer to indulge further by experiencing any of the many trails.

Golden Canyon to Red Cathedral Trail is a short hike that does just that. The trail takes you through the depths of the badlands within Golden Canyon to reach the base of the Red Cathedral formations. Overall, it’s a great little hike that grants excellent views and a chance to dive deeper into your surroundings.

If you do plan to hike, make sure you account for the extra time needed to complete a trail!

HIKE DETAILS

Distance: About 3 miles roundtrip
Elevation: 575 ft
Route Type: Out and back
Difficulty: Easy
Time to Complete: 2-3 hours

Park and begin the trail at the Golden Canyon Trailhead parking lot. This is right off Badwater Rd just south of the visitor center.

KEEP IN MIND: If hiking in the hotter months, make sure to bring sun protection as there is little to no shade within the canyon. Bring proper hiking shoes, a hiking hat with UPF 50, and ample water to stay hydrated. Even though it’s a short(er) hike, the desert heat is harsh and shouldn’t be underestimated.

From the start of the trail till you reach the Red Cathedral, you will be hiking in between the canyon walls. During this stretch, expect to be surrounded on all sides by golden colored rock and a few spontaneous slot canyons.

Early on, you can already see the towering walls of the Red Cathedral off in the distance. This section is mainly flat but with a subtle ascent.

After 1 mile, you’ll reach Gower Gulch Trail on the right. Skip this and continue straight to head to the Red Cathedral.

There are a few interconnecting trails located within these canyons. Some combine this trail with others to make a full loop and to include Zabriskie Point. For more info on these loops trails, get the map and read more on the NPS website for Golden Canyon, Gower Gulch, & Badlands.

REACHING RED CATHEDRAL

As you get closer to the base of Red Cathedral, you’ll notice the trail becoming more narrow as the canyon walls become tighter.

Towards the end expect a bit of rock scrambling as you navigate up and below some rugged rocks. Essentially you can say you’re now hiking through a mini slot canyon!

Soon enough, you’ll reach the base of the Red Cathedral.

Gaze up at the massive red rock walls above for an up-close and personal greeting.

Pass this and turn left up a small hill to catch a wonderful view of the top of Golden Canyon.

For an even better view, and a chance to roam atop the canyon, trek up the right hillside just before you reach the Red Cathedral. It’s a little crumbly and narrow up here, so watch your footing and trek cautiously.

Once above, there is a small pathway that leads you around the mountain and down to where you’re now standing on the top of the canyon gulches. This is our favorite part of the trail!

We walked pretty far along the top on a narrow path till we reached the end or tip of the gulch. The views from up here are spectacular and give a completely new perspective to Golden Canyon compared to when you’re hiking down below.

Make sure you venture up to the top to enjoy both aspects of this marvelous canyon.

Once you’re done, head back down to the Red Cathedral and back out the way you came.

Don’t miss seeing our video below on Golden Canyon Trail!

Why Death Valley National Park is a Must-See Desert Destination of California

Now you know, there is tons to see and do at Death Valley National Park. Those who assume it’s just a big, barren land of nothing are completely mistaken. (Yes, we’ve heard that before)

This massive park is loaded with a wide variety of beautiful desert landscapes and unique natural wonders that easily leave you in constant awe.

We hope you see our 8 favorite points of interest and use them as your guide for your next trip to Death Valley.

We managed to see these top spots in the span of 2 days. Although, we felt we could have spent much more time exploring the many other amazing destinations within the park.

From magnificent sand dunes, to sprawling salt flats, winding canyons, and epic viewpoints, there’s a piece of something special here for everyone. An unforgettable moment waiting to be had at one of the hottest and driest places on earth.

For more desert adventure nearby, check out the incredible Mojave National Preserve just 2 hours south of Death Valley National Park. Our post breaks out the top things to see all in just one day!

Have you been to Death Valley NP? What site do you look forward to most? Tell us your favorite spots in the comments below!

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