Death Valley National Park Things to Do

Experience the stark beauty of Death Valley at this iconic vista overlooking badlands and salt flats.

Ten beehive shaped structures used to produce charcoal needed for Death Valley mining operations in the late 1800s.

The stories of borax (white gold) and the famous 20-mule teams come to life at this historic borax processing site. Walk: 0.4 mi (0.6km)

Death Valley’s best-known dune field.

Natural mosaics and sculpted narrows beckon hikers along this quintessential Death Valley Canyon.

A short walk up a canyon brings hikers to a natural rock bridge formation spanning the canyon.

A private resort within Death Valley National Park, featuring a restaurant, bar, lodging, camping, gas, and convenience store.

Ryan Kiosk, location at the east entrance to park on Hwy 190. Information, park guides, restrooms & an entrance fee station are available.

Take a stroll along the boardwalk to discover the unique organisms which depend on the saline waters of Salt Creek.

An authorized concessionaire with the NPS, offering restaurant and bar, lodging, camping, gas, and convenience store.

Hike to the tallest peak in Death Valley (elevation: 11,049 ft/ 3368 m).

A private resort within Death Valley National Park, featuring oasis-like landscaping and a historic ornate lodging and restaurant.

A private resort within the park boundary, featuring oasis-like landscaping, lodging, restaurants, golf, pool, stables, stores, museum, post office, gas, and other amenities.

Scenic dirt road drive through bare yellow hills.

A strenuous trail leads to this spectacular peak in the Panamint Mountains.

Explore the remains of one of the most productive gold mines in Death Valley history.

Peer into a vast aquifer in the Mojave Desert to observe one of the most endangered fishes on the planet.

The route up Fall Canyon is a moderately strenuous hike with towering narrows.

Death Valley's most popular short hike.

Golden Canyon Self-guided Hike Stop 1

Ranger station is located on North Highway. Wayfinding, park guides and an entrance fee station are available.

This scenic vista offers a stunning glimpse into Death Valley’s colorful volcanic past.

Explore the ruins of the historic Ashford Mill and office building.

The lowest point in North America is a surreal landscape of vast salt flats. The basin sits 282 feet (86 m) below sea level where a temporary lake may form after heavy rainstorms.

A strenuous hiking route along a ridge to a high point, with stunning views of the floor of Death Valley and the Panamint Mountain Range.

Considered one of the best scenic vistas in the park, Dantes View provides a birds-eye view of Death Valley.

A lush oasis and year-round waterfall in the desert.

A favorite trail-less canyon for hiking and geology enthusiasts.

The Eureka Dunes lie in the remote Eureka Valley, an enclosed basin at 3000 foot elevation located northwest of Death Valley. The dunes cover an area only 3 miles long and 1 mile wide, yet they are the tallest sand dunes in California, possibly the tallest in all of North America. They rise suddenly more than 680 feet above the dry lakebed at their western base. As tall as these dunes are, they are dwarfed by the impressive limestone wall of the Last Chance Mountains.

A favorite stopping spot of Death Valley’s beloved priest, Father Crowley Vista Point affords incredible views of Rainbow Canyon and Panamint Valley.

At this stop you will notice a flat, dark tan colored rock at about knee height approximately 10 ft (3m) long.The top layer is 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) thick, and is made up of a conglomerate of many small rocks. A sandy rock layer is slowly eroding out from under the top.

Look at the canyon walls around you. At this stop you will notice light brown, crumbly, fine textured sediment covering the rocky canyon walls. The closest wall is approximately 30 ft (9m) tall, and the dry mud coats the entire wall.

Evidence of ancient water is present at this stop. Careful observation of the nearby canyon wall reveals multiple areas of textured rock surface approximately 10 ft (3m) tall. This texture is ancient water ripple marks 3-4 feet (1m) long and 4-5 inches (10cm) apart, which rise and fall on the face of the brown rock.

Here you will notice that the canyon walls are made of delicate, horizontal rock layers. Pay attention to the white, grainy minerals that form small crystals approximately 1/4 - 1/2 inches thick (0.6- 1.3 cm) between the rock layers.

At this stop you will find bare, light tan hills approximately 50 feet (15m) high. No plants grow on the hills, but dry caked mud covers the steep slopes.

This is the final stop along the Golden Canyon Hiking Tour. Here, a deep red rock wall towers 600 ft (183 m) above and behind the yellow and brown slopes and walls of Golden Canyon.The red rock has eroded into pillars in some areas, primarily on the right side of the wall.

Hell's Gate is located on Daylight Pass Road. Information, park guides, restrooms & an entrance fee station are available.

Discover Death Valley’s explosive past at this volcanic crater.

Learn about the different flowers you might be able to see in Death Valley during spring months.

Roadrunners and ravens and hummingbirds- oh my! With many resident and migratory species, bird watching opportunities abound in Death Valley.

Harmony Borax Works was instrumental in drawing people to Death Valley in the late 1800s and in the subsequent popularity of the Furnace Creek area. The 1/4 mi (0.4 km) paved walking path at this site takes visitors back in time by exploring the ruins of the plant and associated townsite and an original twenty mule team wagon. 

A short scenic drive along an unpaved road through colorful badlands.

Enjoy a scenic drive through a geologic rainbow! Artists Drive is a one-way, nine mile (14.5 km) drive which passes through eroded, colorful desert hills. Artists Palette (a viewpoint) has the most colorful scenery along the road.

Death Valley is just as spectacular at night as it is during the day- learn about a few ways you can explore the park after dark.

Go for a run in Death Valley! The park can be a very interesting and challenging place to test your road running or trail running abilities. Over 1,000 miles of paved and dirt roads, plus almost endless cross country opportunities await you. To enjoy the park safely, please run in the cooler months.

Looking for somewhere to hike in Death Valley? The park has interpretive trails, hiking trails, and unofficial hiking routes, and is open to cross-country travel by foot in most places.

Badwater Basin is the lowest elevation in North America at - 282 feet (- 86 m) below sea level. A visit to this otherworldly salt flat will provide you with a unique experience and a landscape that appears to stretch on forever. A short 1/4 mile (400 m) hike will you bring you to the polygon salt formations that Death Valley is famous for, or in the summer months, the view can be enjoyed from the parking area.

Due to the extreme weather, it is not usually a good idea to bring a pet to Death Valley if you want to do any exploring out of your vehicle. If you are traveling through the park with a pet, and want to know where they are allowed to go, this is where to find that info! Stick to the roads, developed areas, and campgrounds. Pets are not permitted in the Wilderness or out of the areas listed above.

Hundreds of miles of dirt roads are available for mountain biking exploration.

Stop by the visitor center to speak with park rangers and pay park fees and purchase national park passes. View the exhibits about Death Valley's history and natural wonders. Watch the park film, which is 20 minutes in length and plays throughout the day. Shop at the bookstore - light snacks/sandwiches/water are available for purchase. Become a Junior Ranger! Complete the activities in the booklet and earn a badge.

Whether you prefer flat and straight or mountainous and curvy, Death Valley has paved roads suitable for all levels of cycling enthusiasts.

An immense area of rock salt eroded by wind and rain into jagged spires. So incredibly serrated that "only the devil could play golf on such rough links." Listen carefully and you'll hear sounds like tiny pops and pings. The sound is literally billions of tiny salt crystals bursting apart as they expand and contract in the heat.