Death Valley National Park Overview
Death Valley National Park protects about 3,422,024 acres of salt flats, dunes, badlands, mountains, canyons, volcanic craters, and desert basins in California and Nevada. The park recorded 1,320,134 recreation visits in 2025, despite being the hottest, driest, and lowest national park in the United States. Because the park is enormous, travel times, heat, water, fuel, and road conditions are part of the planning, not side details.
Badwater Basin sits below sea level, while Telescope Peak rises over 11,000 feet above the valley floor. That vertical range creates very different experiences within one park, from salt flats and desert washes to high mountain viewpoints. Winter and spring are the most comfortable seasons for many visitors, while summer hiking can be dangerous outside the highest elevations.
Death Valley was first protected as a national monument on February 11, 1933, and became a national park on October 31, 1994. Its history includes Timbisha Shoshone homelands, mining, borax transport, desert travel routes, and long-running efforts to protect a vast and extreme desert landscape.
Death Valley National Park Hiking and Backpacking
NPS Hiking information covers popular day routes including Golden Canyon, Gower Gulch, Mosaic Canyon, Natural Bridge, Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, and Badwater Basin salt flats. Many routes are exposed, dry, and best started early in cool months, with more water than the distance might suggest.
NPS Backpacking guidance is important for remote canyons, washes, and mountain routes because these trips require desert experience. Water sources are scarce or unreliable, permits and road conditions should be checked, and summer overnight travel in low elevations is generally unsafe.
Things to Do in Death Valley National Park
Scenic driving is one of the best things to do in Death Valley National Park because the park is enormous. Badwater Basin, Zabriskie Point, Dante View, Artist Drive, Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Ubehebe Crater, and Father Crowley Vista can anchor a first visit.
Hiking in Death Valley is best planned for cooler months, early mornings, and higher elevations when needed. Golden Canyon, Gower Gulch, Mosaic Canyon, Natural Bridge, Badwater Basin, and Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are popular routes, but heat and water planning are serious safety issues.
Backpacking, canyoneering, and remote road travel are possible for experienced desert travelers. Visitors should use Backpacking and Safety resources, check road conditions, and carry extra water, food, fuel, navigation, and tire equipment.
Stargazing, wildflower viewing in strong bloom years, photography, geology, and historic mining sites give the park strong year-round content beyond the most famous viewpoints.
Death Valley National Park Camping and Lodging
Use NPS Camping details for Furnace Creek Campground and the park's other campgrounds, many of which operate with limited services. Summer heat can be dangerous, so check conditions before camping or hiking.
Official Death Valley National Park Resources
Use the official NPS page, park map, and current alerts, plus reservation links when planning a trip to Death Valley National Park.