NPAD: Death Valley ItineraryWhile it might seem like a desolate area, the park is roaring with activities. There are hiking, historic site visits, horseback riding, camping, tours, night sky viewing, and more! For a park with “death” in the name, it sure is full of life!AuthorsNPADTravel
DestinationsDeath ValleyItinerary

Must-Do Hikes

Desolation Canyon Road
This is a 3.5-mile out-and-back trail with 787 feet of elevation gain, and it’s beautiful! Visit this canyon trail to see all the painted colors of the geological features of Death Valley. This was a fun hike that was mellow until we reached the end. The end has a steep, loose sandy section, but the views are incredible.
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Golden Canyon Trailhead
This was my favorite trail that we did! It is listed as a 2.9-mile hike, but we put in around 5 miles with the additonal options. The trail leads you to a beautiful rock canyon wall. When you arrive, you’ll see trails that lead upwards—walk up them! It was the most incredible view of any trail we visited.
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Furnace Creek Visitor Center
Grab some pupfish merch at the visitor center and adopt one to help with conservation efforts. Then head out to this accessible walking trail located outside the Furnace Creek entrance. Here, you are guaranteed to see the rarest animal in the world: the pupfish!
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Must-Do Activities

Death Valley Wilderness
We used Truro to rent a camper van, but there are many rental companies. There are plenty of BLM areas outside the park and campgrounds inside the park, making it easy to find places to park and sleep under the stars. Be careful, though; some of the roads are rough, and while on BLM land, we had to be towed out!
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Scotty's Castle
This castle is full of history from the roaring '20s when one man pretended to find million-dollar mines. While the money wasn’t real, he convinced a millionaire to build this beautiful castle oasis in the park. It was shut down due to flooding for the past decade but has recently reopened!
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Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
This was such a beautiful place to visit. We walked around barefoot through the dunes, which was great, but be aware of prickers! There is no established trail here; you can just walk around and enjoy :)
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Badwater Basin
The lowest point in the United States, at 282 feet below sea level! It features a really interesting landscape. When we were there, a ranger was giving a talk about this area specifically. It's an easy drive to get there and accessible for everyone.
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Ubehebe Crater
This is a large volcanic crater that is 600 feet deep! You can walk the trails around the top of the crater or do what we did and hike into it. The landscape here is truly otherworldly and feels so different from other areas of the park. If you’d prefer to just drive here and not hike around, that's cool too. Take pictures from the parking lot; the views are incredible as well.
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Area 51 Alien Center
Home of the aliens! This shop is a fun stop located at a gas station with all the alien merch you could ever want. Also located here is an alien brothel (not actual aliens). It was a big surprise because we forgot that Nevada had legal brothels, but it's important to note that there are some intersting characters around here because of it. We felt completely safe, though.
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Tours

Small Group One Day Tour Death Valley National Park and Rhyolite Ghost Town
With over 3 million acres of diverse terrain featuring canyons, dunes, and craters, a guided tour can be a great call. You'll gain historical insight, find epic vantage points, and great photography opportunities. Your knowledgeable guides will also take you to spots like Harmony Borax Works and the once-booming Rhyolite Ghost Town.
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Death Valley Small Group Day Tour with Sunset and Stargazing
If you’re in Las Vegas, this is a fantastic tour option. You’ll visit highlights like Furnace Creek, Badwater Basin, and Dante’s View. Catch a breathtaking sunset at Zabriskie Point, then stargaze under some of the darkest skies on Earth, with expert insights along the way.
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Death Valley Sunset and Stargazing Tour from Las Vegas
Enjoy a hassle-free, small-group tour from Las Vegas to Death Valley. Discover stunning badlands, salt flats, and scenic spots like Dante’s View, Zabriskie Point, and Artists Palette. End with magical stargazing at a dark-sky site before returning to Vegas.
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Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour in Death Valley National Park
Download the self-guided audio tour to discover fascinating stories, local tips, and automatic directions based on your location. Visit famous highlights and hidden gems, and a winding one-way road through colorful rocks. Explore offline at your own pace—no WiFi or cell service needed. One purchase per vehicle.
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Lodging

Big Dune Recreation Area
If you’re looking for Free99, this is an awesome spot. It's a half-hour outside of the park and is BLM land where you can park and camp. The road to get there is a little rough with washboard dirt roads, but it's fairly quick. Stick to the main road, though; the roads toward the dunes themselves are for off-road vehicles, and we found ourselves needing to be towed out of there! Still recommend it, though.
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The Ranch at Death Valley
This is a full resort next to the Furnace Creek entrance. They have hotel rooms, a general store, gift shops, pools, a gas station, and more. It’ll run you about $300 per night. We did not stay here, but I like to give options. We stayed in the Furnace Creek Campground, which was directly next to this. The hotel allows you to use their pool showers if you need them for a $10 fee. The receptionist told us it was hot water, but it was lukewarm at best, and the room was not heated, so it was easily one of the top three worst showers of my life, as it was very cold out. The campground was nice, though!
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Stovepipe Wells Campground
This was a very basic campground right next to the Mesquite Sand Dunes. It had tent camping and RV camping spots. It was amazing for stargazing, though, as there is no light pollution here. A bonus was that they had a general store with coffee, snacks, camp food, and Death Valley merch!
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