Death valley how many days

The vista is a great place for sunset pictures as the setting sun highlights the colors in the rocks. For a convenient starting point to explore Death Valley, I recommend camping or lodging at the Furnace Creek area for all or part of your stay. Truly on a tight budget? Today is all about the Southern part of the Park. I hope it helps you maximize your time in Death Valley! Bring your camera and your tripod to help with steadying your low-light exposures and get ready to gape in awe.

So backtrack back to Furnace Creek and grab some breakfast! You can also pick up some grab-and-go picnic items for a quick lunch with beautiful Death Valley views later in the day!

This 2. If your timing is right, you can take the minute interpretive ranger hike that meets at the Golden Canyon parking area. Check the ranger station for times, but often it is around A. The canyon can be seen from Zabriskie Point, but drive the unpaved, one-way 2. This is the center hub of the park, and you will want to explore the displays throughout the museum, enjoy the minute park film, talk with the rangers, and browse the bookstore. This small museum features the s mining artifacts and equipment from the Pacific Coast Borax Company.

There is also a short ADA-accessible loop trail 0. After driving about a mile along a dirt road, you will come to the trailhead that leads hikers on a 1-mile slightly uphill climb. About 10 minutes into the walk, you will go around a corner and see the bridge in the distance. After taking lots of pictures at the bridge, continue to enjoy the great views of the salt flats as you return to your car.

Badwater Basin got its name from a traveler whose mules would not drink the water since it was so full of salt. This strange landscape is five miles worth of thick salt crystals that look like snow is covering the valley. As you leave your car and the parking lot, be sure to note the sea level sign feet above you on the adjacent mountain! As it goes with all of the destinations we share, remember to Leave No Trace , practice good trail etiquette , and be a responsible visitor.

This means packing out all of your garbage including toilet paper , being respectful to others, and following the established rules. Death Valley also makes for a great week of exploring nearby Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park , and Yosemite if you are willing to venture a bit further on your road trip.

Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 states. Fall, winter, and spring are the best times to visit Death Valley with milder temperatures. Spring is the most popular time due to the wildflower blooms. While the Furnace Creek Visitor Center is open year-round, summer can be miserably hot in the park.

From May — September, Death Valley is often too hot for most visitors. Furnace Creek Campground is by far the most popular and from October to April reservations can be made online for their available sites. This campground is located directly behind the only visitor center in the park making it a great starting out point for adventuring! Not into camping? Read more about non-camping accommodations in Death Valley here. It is very difficult to receive a cell signal from most places in Death Valley.

Be prepared for this by bringing maps and any other resources you might want to have on hand. Make sure to tell a friend when you plan to return from your trip and call to check in with them after you return as well. Death Valley is a vast desert that can be very hot and dry.

Also, be sure to pack adequate sun protection including sunscreen, hats, and loose long sleeve clothing. Read Next: Sun Protection for Hikers. We spent three days exploring the park and enjoyed some of the key attractions, but Death Valley National Park could easily entertain for a full week. However, seeing all the best sights can be a bit tricky especially when you have sand dunes, craters, and slot canyons to choose from. After setting up our tent, we headed towards the Stovepipe Wells Village area to hike through Mosaic Canyon.

From there it was just a short walk into the canyon narrows, where the surrounding rock walls are made up of smooth, water-polished marble. We were both in awe of how incredibly smooth the walls were.

Mosaic Canyon is considered a geological wonder, and as part of the National Park System, all of its features are protected by law, so rock collecting is prohibited! Before dinner, we drove to Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes for a stroll during golden hour. At first glance, it seemed like our plans would have to wait as clouds started to gather right over the dunes.

The wind was picking up and sand was blowing everywhere. Nevertheless, we got out of our car and ventured into the sandstorm. After a while, the clouds began to clear and the wind started to calm. The mixture between late afternoon light and ripples in the sand was quite the sight to see. On day 2 of our Death Valley itinerary, we woke up at sunrise to prepare for a full day of exploring, beginning with an easy hike around the rim of Ubehebe Crater , located at the northern end of Death Valley National Park.

The drive led us through colorful canyons, desolate badlands, shifting sand dunes, and sprawling mountains. Once at Ubehebe, you can enjoy a view of the massive crater right from the parking area, or like us you can hike down or around it. No matter how much time you have in the park, be sure to check out the salt-pan floor of Death Valley at Badwater. Click here for information on tour reservations. Then head over to nearby Ubehebe Crater—an immense crater surrounded by a barren landscape of volcanic cinders.

After Ubehebe Crater, you will probably reverse course and backtrack down to Furnace Creek. Same experience as before? Nope—Just Ahead will tell you a completely different set of stories on your way back down.

All of these itineraries and suggestions are just that: suggestions. No matter where you drive in Death Valley, Just Ahead not only points out the major sights and landmarks; we also tell you about side trips and hikes. And we tell you how long each experience will take. Fall: Starting in late October, when camping season begins and the crowds have yet to arrive, temperatures range from 50 to 70 degrees.

Winter: The months of November to February brings cooler temps ranging between 40 and 77 degrees, along with potential snowfall at high elevations.

In , flash floods ripped through the park, trapping visitors and damaging infrastructure. Spring: March to early May boasts the most ideal weather and, in wetter years, vibrant wildflower blooms, which usually peak around late March.

This is the most popular season in the park; while there are plenty of campsites to go around, a weekend arrival means you may have to drive around a bit to find a place to lay your head. The heat index is relentless from May through October; highs rocket into triple digits and can hover there overnight. For this reason, park authorities close several campgrounds and caution against outdoor activities during the day. While Sunset closed in summer and Stovepipe Wells are the largest campgrounds, with and spaces, respectively, my favorite is the site Texas Springs, which is centrally located and perched just high enough to offer great views of the surrounding area.

Be sure to park your car right next to the road to minimize impact. During hotter months, you may want to skip the campgrounds altogether and check into one of four hotels within the park. If you plan to spend several days here, schedule your activities by location. Bed down at the ten-site Mahogany Flat Campground next to the trailhead for an early start on the strenuous mile round-trip hike.

Keep an eye out for gnarled stands of ancient bristlecone pines along the way. Within a mile, the vegetation gives way to unobstructed views of the valley. The meadow between Rogers and Bennett Peaks is a good place to camp if you want to break up the hike into two days. Plenty more options abound if you hit the ground in late fall, winter, or early spring. The one-mile hike to Natural Bridge is family-friendly, with a payoff less than half a mile into the high-walled canyon at a picturesque arch caused by erosion.