4 Places You Need to Visit in Death Valley National Park
When you think of Death Valley National Park, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? For us - it was the HEAT (guess this makes sense with it being the HOTTEST place on earth). We opted to visit in April which is one of the most popular times to visit the park. In the spring months, visitors can expect cooler temperatures and wildflowers which is a crowd pleaser for sure. We don’t recommend visiting in the summer months as the heat can be incredibly dangerous. The highest recorded temperature in Death Valley was 134 degrees Fahrenheit in July of 1913. Make sure you are prepared before your visit and be sure to check out these incredible spots below!
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
Badwater Basin
Artists Palette
Devils Golf Course
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
If you are entering the park from the California side, you can take the 190 through Stovepipe Wells. This is how we entered the park since we were coming from Los Angeles. Continue east on the 190 for a few minutes and you will reach the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes parking lot on your left.
The dunes themselves are incredibly expansive. If you want to hike to the tallest dune, it is 2 miles round trip and will take about 1.5 hours total. The entire area is exposed to the sun without any shade, so if you decide to do this hike, be prepared for heat! We were sweating as soon as we left the car (yikes!).
One fun thing to do here is to sand board. We saw lots of people sliding down the dunes and it looked like they were having a blast!
Badwater Basin
As the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level, Badwater Basin is definitely a sight worth seeing. These salt flats are made up of mostly sodium chloride. If you’re brave enough, you can try tasting them (we couldn’t bring ourselves to do it).
To get to Badwater Basin you will need to begin at the parking lot off of Badwater Road. It is a short walk to get onto the salt flats. Once you are on the salt flats, be sure to turn around and check out the marker that indicates sea level. If you want to experience the salt polygons that the salt flats are known for, that requires a 1.5-2 mile round trip hike. We recommend going either at sunrise or sunset to avoid direct heat.
Artists Palette
To access one of the most colorful spots in Death Valley National Park, you will need to take the Artists Drive Scenic Loop which is 9 miles one way. The drive itself is beautiful, but we recommend stopping and exploring once you get to Artists Palette.
The rocks here boast some amazing colors like blues, pinks, greens, and yellows. We recommend visiting Artists Palette at sunset to really see the colors pop.
Tip: If you hike up to Artists Palette, turn around for a gorgeous view of the valley (*see photo at the top of this article).
Devils Golf Course
We saved our favorite for last! Devils Golf Course is truly out-of-this-world. Once you step foot onto the “golf course” it feels like you just landed on another planet.
The jagged salt rock terrain was formed from wind and rain erosion. It was given its name because it was said that “only the devil could play golf on such rough links."
If you’re quiet, you can hear the salt crystals popping! Such a cool experience - we highly recommend it.
Some other popular spots to visit in Death Valley National Park:
Zabriskie Point
Dantes View
Ubehebe Crater
Golden Canyon
We only had one day in the park, but if we had more time would have loved to check out the above spots. After dark, we were able to do some stargazing at Zabriskie Point which was incredible. Definitely recommend staying in the park after dark to enjoy the many stars!
Let us know in the comments what your favorite spots are in Death Valley National Park! We are looking for new places to check out the next time we visit.
