Death Valley National Park: Hottest, Driest & Lowest
Updated: 3 hours ago
Death Valley National Park Intro
The heat comes up off the cracked desert floor in waves, and the whole valley seems to shimmer. Death Valley is a place of hard extremes: salt flats at the bottom, bare mountains on every side, and a silence that settles in once the engine is off.
I walked out into it expecting empty ground. What I found was a country with plenty going on. Shadows slid across the washes as the sun moved, ravens rode the thermals above the ridgelines, and the mountains stood bare and rugged against a hard blue sky.
At Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America, the salt flats glared white and threw the light straight back. A lone bird called somewhere far off. Even here, life was hanging on.
As the sun dropped, the ridges went orange and then crimson, and the heat finally let go. Then the stars came out. Far from any city, the night sky was thick with them.
Every gust of wind and every grain of sand underfoot seemed to carry the same lesson about resilience. At dawn the desert lit up again in soft light, and I left knowing how hard and how beautiful this land can be. The park is also a big place with real risks, and the sections below give the field notes: what it is, where the good stops are and when to go.
Introduction and Geography
Death Valley sits in eastern California, with a slice reaching into Nevada, in the Mojave Desert. It is a long, narrow trough, a classic basin-and-range landform, where the valley floor drops away between steep mountain walls. The Panamint Range rises on the west side and the Amargosa Range on the east.
That topography explains the park's extremes. Mountains on the west block much of the moisture coming off the Pacific, so rain is rare. The low, deep basin then traps heat, and the valley floor bakes. Within one park you can go from salt flats below sea level to cold, high country on Telescope Peak, where snow can linger well into spring.
The park also holds more than the valley itself. There are sand dunes, volcanic craters, canyons cut into colorful badlands, and long gravel washes that run down from the mountains. Roads are long and services are few, so plan on a lot of driving between stops.
Those washes are worth understanding. When a storm hits the high ranges, water can race down them with little warning, even under a clear sky at your end of the valley. Alluvial fans spread out at the mouth of each canyon, and from a distance they look like gentle ramps. Up close they are loose gravel, boulders and scrub, built over a very long time by exactly that kind of flood.
Death Valley Fast Facts
Death Valley holds the lowest point in North America and some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded on earth.
Location: Eastern California and a slice of Nevada, in the Mojave Desert
Established: National monument in 1933, and a national park since 1994
Size: More than 5,000 square miles, the largest national park in the lower 48 states
Elevation: From 282 feet below sea level at Badwater Basin to 11,049 feet at Telescope Peak
Heat: A record 134°F was measured at Furnace Creek in 1913
Night sky: A certified International Dark Sky Park
Top Attractions in Death Valley
Distances are big here, so most visitors pick a few areas and give each one time. Expect to spend real hours behind the wheel, and treat each stop as its own short outing.
Badwater Basin: A huge salt flat at the lowest point in North America. Walk out past the boardwalk and the salt crust breaks into rough polygons underfoot.
Zabriskie Point: Golden, folded badlands, best at sunrise
Artist's Palette: Hillsides streaked with green, pink and purple along Artists Drive, a short scenic drive
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes: Easy-to-reach dunes near Stovepipe Wells, with clean dune lines that change with the wind
Dante's View: A lookout more than 5,000 feet above Badwater Basin, with wide-open views across the salt flats
Ubehebe Crater: A volcanic crater about half a mile across in the north end of the park
Getting the Most From Each Stop
At Badwater, keep walking past the crowd at the boardwalk. A few hundred yards out, the noise drops away and the salt crust crunches and ticks as it warms. Bring sunglasses, because the white ground throws the glare straight up.
On the dunes, go at first light, when the sand is cool and the ripples are sharp. Footprints blur fast in the wind, so the walking is easiest right after sunrise. At Ubehebe, the rim trail gives wide-open views of the crater walls, and the loose cinder footing rewards slow, careful steps.
At Zabriskie Point, the walk from the parking area is short, but the light changes the whole scene. Come before the sun clears the ridge and the folds of the badlands go from gray to gold in minutes. Artists Drive is best in the late afternoon, when low light brings out the mineral colors on the hillsides.
Tip: Chase the Edges of the Day
The best light and the only comfortable temperatures in warm months come around sunrise and sunset. Do dune walks and badlands viewpoints early, then save driving stops and shaded lookouts for the middle of the day.
Best Times to Visit Death Valley
Late fall through early spring is the best time to explore, with mild days and cold nights. Pack layers, because the temperature swing between afternoon and dawn can be sharp. Spring can bring wildflowers after a wet winter. Summer is dangerously hot, often well over 110°F, so keep summer visits to scenic drives, short stops and early mornings.
Winter and Spring
Winter is the season for long walks on the valley floor, and nights can drop near freezing, so bring a warm jacket and a headlamp. Spring is short. Wildflowers depend on winter rain, so some years bring a bloom and others bring bare gravel. Check the National Park Service website for current conditions before you plan around a bloom.
Summer Heat
Death Valley's summer heat is not just uncomfortable, it can kill. The valley floor holds the heat through the night, and hiking in the middle of the day is a real risk. Cars can break down on long, empty roads, and an overheated engine becomes an emergency fast.
Heat Rule
From late spring into fall, do not hike at low elevations after about 10 a.m. Carry more water than you think you need, stay close to your car, and turn around early.
History and Culture of Death Valley
The Timbisha Shoshone have lived in this valley for generations, moving with the seasons between the valley floor and the cooler mountains. They knew where the springs were and when the high country offered pinyon nuts and relief from the heat. A Timbisha village still stands at Furnace Creek today, and their roots here run far deeper than any mine or road.
From Monument to National Park
Emigrants lost in the valley during the 1849 gold rush are said to have given it its name. Borax mining followed in the 1880s, hauled out by the famous twenty-mule teams across some of the hardest ground in the country. The work was grueling, and the wagons crossed long stretches with little water and no shade. Death Valley became a national monument in 1933, and the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 expanded it and made it a national park. Old mine sites and ruins still dot the park, so look, take photos and leave them as you found them.
Wildlife and Ecology
Life here is tougher than it looks. Desert bighorn sheep live in the high, rocky ranges, and coyotes, kit foxes, roadrunners and ravens work the lower country. Most mammals keep out of the heat and move at dusk or after dark. Tiny pupfish survive in a few salty springs and creeks, left over from wetter times.
Plants tell the same story. Creosote and other scrub hold the lower slopes, and mesquite grows where groundwater sits near the surface. After a wet winter, the desert floor can turn yellow and purple with wildflowers. Stay on trail and off the biological soil crust, which takes a long time to recover.
Higher up, the country changes. Pinyon and juniper hold the cooler slopes in the Panamint Range, and the air smells of resin. Watch for tracks in the washes at first light, where the night's traffic is written in the sand.
Reptiles do well here too. Lizards dart between creosote bushes in the warmer months, and sidewinders move across loose sand at night. Give any snake plenty of room and never reach into crevices or under rocks. At dusk, bats work the air over the springs, and the first calls of coyotes carry a long way in the still air.
Plan Your Visit
Fill up on gas and water whenever you can, and do not count on cell service. Check the National Park Service website for current entrance fees, road closures and heat warnings before you go. Start early, carry plenty of water per person, and tell someone your plan if you head down a dirt road.
A basic loadout goes a long way here: a full spare tire and jack, extra water in the car beyond what you carry on foot, a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, salty snacks and a paper map. Gas stations are few and far apart, so top off the tank before every long leg. Give yourself time too. Even the short drives between sights can take an hour or more.
For the full picture of Death Valley, use these companion guides:
Death Valley National Park Travel Guide: getting there, where to stay and the best hikes
Death Valley National Park Highlights: the top sights at a glance
Death Valley National Park Reflections: the desert in a quieter, more personal light
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