Death Valley National Park has spectacular scenery, diverse landscapes, jaw-dropping night skies, amazing natural phenomena and so much more! This fantastic national park completely blew our family away during our visit in June and I would love to share with you what we learned.
For some reason, previously, I had never had considered Death Valley as a top destination to visit. To me, it had been more of a national park that we would briefly pass through on our way to something else. It was just a desert right? But then I began to research, things to do in Death Valley, and I was shocked by all that I found. Death Valley is incredible!
Below, I would love to share with you what we learned, our favorite sites, fun family-friendly activities to try and a few itinerary ideas (to see the most, yet avoid the worst of Death Valley’s intense heat.) Discover here, just how amazing Death Valley National Park really is.
Death Valley National Park, an Incredible Land of Extremes.
- Home to the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level.
- It is the driest national park in the United States.
- Death Valley is the largest national park in the lower 48 states.
- Death Valley is the hottest place on earth. As recently as July 9, 2021 the measured air-temperature was 130 degrees Fahrenheit!
The Official world record remains a blistering 134°F at Death Valley’s Furnace Creek in 1913.
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK MAP
First, to get oriented, check out the map above. CA-190 is the main road through Death Valley National Park. It runs east to west. Most of the top sites are located along this road or along the spur road that runs south from Furnace Creek, called Badwater Road.
Gas Stations in Death Valley
When coming from Las Vegas on CA-190, the last gas station, for an hour, before entering the park is located in the town of Pahrump, NV. So it’s a good idea to check your gauge when traveling, before heading past this point.
Death Valley Gas Station Locations
- Furnace Creek Gas Station
- Stovepipe Wells Gas Station
- Panamint Springs Gas
8 AMAZING THINGS TO DO IN DEATH VALLEY
DANTES VIEW
Dantes View is located on the southeast side of Death Valley National Park and gives a breathtaking view of the park. This vantage point is at 5,475 feet above sea level and lies more than a mile above the lowest point in North America at Badwater.
This viewpoint will most likely be your first or last thing to do (when you enter or leave) Death Valley National Park.
Fun Facts
- Dantes View is one of the most silent places in the state.
- Dantes View is 15-25 degrees cooler than Badwater.
- In Star Wars IV- Dantes View was used for Mos Eisley Spaceport Overlook.
Traveling Tips
- If driving from Las Vegas, it is about 2 hours and 15 minutes to Dantes View.
- When visiting Dantes View, it is a 13 mile one-way drive off of CA-190 to this viewpoint. This is a decent detour, but I think it’s worth it.
ZABRISKIE POINT
Zabriskie Point is an absolutely unreal viewpoint in Death Valley National Park. A golden-colored badlands dominate this unearthly landscape here and it is simply breathtaking.
Zabriskie Point is the most popular near sunrise and sunset due to the beautiful contrast of color and shadow that lies upon these hills. I thought this viewpoint was spectacular, in fact it is my favorite viewpoint in the whole park.
Zabriskie Point is a must-see sight in Death Valley and luckily it is very convenient to get to. It’s located right off of CA-190, about 30 minutes from Dantes View (and 7 minutes from Furnace Creek), so you’ll most likely be passing right by it.
Once parked in the nice-sized lot, there is a decently steep 0.2 mile walk to get up to the viewpoint. Please note that there is no shade along this path so bring plenty of water and a sun hat to help with the intense heat.
For reference, we arrived at 7pm, when the sunset time was 8:10pm. As you can see in the picture above, the landscape along the trail to the viewpoint looks slightly washed out from this angle. Yet up at the viewpoint (see below) the colors are spectacular!
Important Gear for Death Valley National Park:
- A Good Water Bottle
- A Good Sun Hat: Personally, my husband and I love this Tilley Sun Hat the best. (He has the olive and I have the navy colored one, see above)
- A Collapsible Water Bottle: this is an easy way to carry extra water when out exploring, and a great extra reserve to refill kid’s water bottles.
- If you like to enjoy cold water on the go, we found that using a Backpack Cooler Bag like this one works great. Having cold water available while exploring Death Valley was so refreshing.
- A Good Sunshade for your vehicle. This really helps keep your vehicle cool while out exploring. And since it’s collapsible, it’s easy to just throw in your suitcase.
DRIVING THROUGH DEATH VALLEY
Just driving through Death Valley is a fantastic experience! The scenery is incredible, the road is simply unreal and (when we visited) there was no one else around for as far as we could see!
MESQUITE FLAT SAND DUNES
There are a few places where you can find sand dunes in Death Valley. And the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes is the largest dune field in Death Valley, the best known and the easiest to visit.
Located near Stovepipe Wells, just off of Highway 190, these sand dunes are a ton of fun. Our kids had a blast running up and down these small dunes (that only rise about 100 feet) and my husband and I really enjoyed watching the sunset here over this magnificent desert landscape. (See Below)
I loved watching the sunset at the Mesquite Sand Dunes. Not only were the colors amazing, but the temperature was so much cooler (compared to mid-day.) We also could allow our children to play as much as they wanted in the sand before heading to our hotel which was conveniently located only 3 minutes away at Stovepipe Wells.
Stovepipe Wells was also a perfect location to stay because after getting our kids all cleaned up, and the sun had fully set, our family went back to the Mesquite Sand Dunes to take a look at the incredible night sky.
Fun Fact:
This is another Star Wars filming site. The scene where R2-D2 goes his separate way after he and C-3PO crash their escape pod on Tatooine. (This is spliced with footage shot in Tunisia as well.)
DEATH VALLEY’S NIGHT SKY
Death Valley is one of the best star gazing spots in the United States. Here, the nights are so dark that they have earned the highest classification (Gold Tier) by the International Dark-Sky Association. Celestial objects can be viewed in Death Valley that are not visible elsewhere in the world. Our family even saw the Milky Way just looking up into the sky! It was spectacular!
Viewing Death Valley’s night sky was an absolute highlight for me. The number of stars that fill the sky is completely mind-blowing (our camera couldn’t even capture just how many stars we could see.) And Death Valley’s Mesquite Sand Dunes is an incredible place to view this fantastic star-lit sky.
DEVILS GOLF COURSE
The Devils Golf Course is an immense area of rock salt that has been eroded by wind and rain. (This is not an actual golf course.)
Here at the Devils Golf Course, jagged spires fill the ground for as far as you can see. And when you’re here, take a moment to listen carefully and put your ear to the ground. You may be able to hear tiny pops and pings as the salt crystals expand and contract in the heat. This was a lot of fun to listen to.
Driving Tip: Your GPS may take you to the wrong spot for this location. Devils Golf course is located 20 minutes south of Furnace Creek, just off of Badwater Road. After 11 miles, you’ll turn right onto Salt Pool Road and travel an additional 1.3 miles to reach the parking lot. For us, google maps took us to the right spot when we typed in Devil’s Golf Course, Salt Pool Road, California.
BADWATER BASIN
Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. And when you visit, make sure to look up on the cliff beside it to see a sign high up in the air that marks sea level. It’s a great visual to remind you just how far below sea level you really are.
Another sight to be on the lookout for here is the temporary lake that forms after a recent rainstorm. When we visited, I have no idea when it last rained, but there was a small lake right next to the boardwalk. (See below) It’s kind of crazy to see a pool of water here when the temperature is so incredibly hot each day.
At Badwater Basin you can also choose to walk the 1 mile out and back journey to the edge of the salt flats. This salt flat covers over 200 square miles!
This hike is not advisable when it’s hot. (Make sure you always have plenty of water and sun protection when walking this trail.) When we visited in June, it was already 94 degrees at 8:30am and this walk took a lot out of us.
The landscape along this path and at the salt flats is completely unreal. Here, a thick layer of salt covers the valley floor in the form of fantastic patterns that go as far as your eye can see. It’s incredible!
ARTISTS DRIVE
Artists Drive is a great one-way road (going north) right off of Badwater Road. It begins just 14 minutes south of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center and takes approximately 30 minutes to drive.
The overlook, Artists Palette, is a definite highlight along Artists Scenic Drive. Here, an array of colors (pink, orange, yellow, blue and green) appear to be splashed across the hills. It really does look like an artists palette!
Our family visited Artist Palette at 10am in June and it was already 104 degrees outside. It was still beautiful but it was not as spectacular as pictures that I have seen taken closer to sunrise or sunset. This is when these colors really seem to pop. It would also be much cooler if you are able to visit during these times.
Fun Facts
- Star Wars IV was filmed in the area of Artist Drive. This is where the miniature Sandcrawler was filmed for the shot of R2-D2 being carried up to it by Jawas.
- Artists Palette & Golden Canyon were used for the scene in the canyon where R2-D2 is abducted by Jawas. (This was also spliced with footage from Tunisia.)
Artists Drive itself is a really fun drive. We all loved this narrow one-way road that had lots of sharp turns, a few fun dips and spectacular scenery.
DEATH VALLEY ITINERARY (1-DAY)
Below is the itinerary our family used. By concentrating our time to the evening and the following morning, we were able to see a lot and limit our time in the intense Death Valley heat.
Day 1 (PM)
- 6pm: Arrive at Dantes View
- 7pm: Arrive at Zabriskie Point
- 8pm: Arrive at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes for the sunset (for us it was 8:10pm)
- Check into hotel at Stovepipe Wells
- 10pm: Drive back out to Mesquite Sand Dunes to view the stars
Day 2 (AM)
- 6am: Wake up, out the door by 7am (remember the goal is to see the most before the heat of the day sets in.)
- 7:45am: Devils Golf Course
- 8:15am: Badwater Basin
- 9:30am: Artists Drive
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK HOTELS
In the Park:
- Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel
- Old west-styled hotel (2 miles from Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes)
- Restaurant, saloon, pool (general store & gas station across street)
- For Families– Can sleep up to 5 in 2 queen room (limited roll-a-ways)
- The Ranch at Death Valley–
- Laid-back hotel on the grounds of a former ranch (Near Furnace Creek Visitor Center)
- Spring-fed outdoor pool, playground, tennis, volleyball and basketball courts, 18-hole golf course, horseback riding, carriage rides, 4×4 jeep rentals, restaurant, saloon, ice cream shop, coffee bar and general store all on site.
- For Families – Brand new cottages (2 queens + sleeper sofa) can sleep up to 6 and the deluxe queens can sleep up to 5 with the addition of a roll-a-way.
- The Inn at Death Valley
- Spanish Colonial revival-styled hotel set in a lush garden (Near Furnace Creek Visitor Center)
- 2 spring-fed pools, sauna, golf course, restaurant on-site, massages available
- For Families – The Casitas can sleep up to 6 with 2 queen beds + sleeper sofa
Have a Great Trip in Death Valley with Your Traveling Feet!
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