Death Valley is a hiker's paradise. The abundance of trails and routes offer the opportunity to discover diverse flora and fauna, rugged terrain, and stunning vistas. Here are just a few examples of hikes which are ideal for first-time visitors:
Mesquite Flat Sand DunesThe most famous and accessible dunes within the park, there’s no formal trail to hike here. But once you park up, you can explore yourself – it’s one mile to the summit of the dunes, with a 185 ft (65m) elevation gain. Although short, the hike up can be quite strenuous due to the sandy surface. You’re rewarded with an incredible panorama at the top, though.
Ubehebe Crater LoopA route that takes you close to the edge of Ubehebe Crater over a 500 ft (152m) elevation gain, this isn’t a hike for those with a fear of heights. The main loop is 1.5 miles (2.4km) and would take the erage walker about an hour, but lee plenty of time to take in the views.
Mosaic CanyonAnother popular place to hike, you can make this a longer adventure by exploring beyond the initial narrow canyons. Depending on the route you take, there may be some short sections of rock scrambling involved, but you can expect to see Mosaic Canyon Breccia – tiny but beautiful angular fragments of various types of rock.
Titus Canyon NarrowsThe route to the parking for the Titus Canyon Narrows is as beautiful as the hike itself, with a grel car park located at the end of a bumpy road. Most people hike the well-marked three miles (4.8 km) through the narrowest canyons, but you can go further if you want to try and look for bighorn sheep.
Darwin FallsHiking to Darwin Falls takes you through a dusty canyon before reaching a lush oasis that leads directly to a waterfall in the desert. It’s yet another reminder of the varied landscapes you find in Death Valley. The roundtrip is about two miles (3.2km) from the starting point where you park.
Natural Bridge CanyonAnother easy two mile hike, this route takes you to a natural bridge that’s been formed over thousands of years due to flash flood events that he carved the shape of the canyon. As with many of the hikes in Death Valley, you can go further than the bridge to explore more. Expect to see more examples of interesting geology including dry falls, vertical chutes and hanging canyons.
The best time to hike in Death Valley is from November through March, oiding the highest temperatures in summer.
For keen runners, there’s lots of cross country opportunities for rocky runs too. Death Valley is known as a good place for technical trail running. But it does require good orientation skills and safety preparation, as well as experience on uneven terrain.
StargazingWith some of the best stargazing in America, it’s important to see Death Valley at night. In fact, it’s been designated as the largest Dark Sky National Park in the country by the International Dark Sky Association and designated as a ‘Gold Tier’ Dark Sky Park, the highest level awarded. Great measures are taken to minimise light pollution in the area.
You can either join local stargazing tours or plan your own trip. There’s no shortage of fantastic spots to stop and enjoy the night sky. It’s best to try and go during the new moon phase (when there’s no bright moon to wash out the light from fainter stars) and pick an elevated area to view the stars from. Remember to give your eyes time to adjust to the dark too – it’s not an experience you need to rush.
During winter and spring, Death Valley National Park Rangers host several stargazing events within the park. In spring, they hold the annual Dark Sky Festival – a collaboration between Death Valley National Park, Death Valley Natural History Association, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Ames Research Center, SETI Institute and California Institute of Technology.
Wildlife spottingGiven its extreme climate, you might assume Death Valley is an inhospitable place for wildlife. But that’s not the case and there’s plenty of wildlife for visitors to try and see. The species you find here he adapted to the harsh conditions, taking advantage of the diverse habitats ailable.
After all, Death Valley is more than just a desert. So while the salt pan, valley floors and lower slopes he no or limited flora, there are other vegetation zones – typically where water is ailable (annual precipitation reaches over 15 inches in the higher mountains, according to NPS). So you can find natural oases, woodlands and pine forests, where a great diversity of plants and animals thrive.
Animals that live throughout Death Valley National Park include:
Desert bighorn sheep Roadrunners Coyotes Desert kit foxes Tortoises Kangaroo rats Sidewinder rattlesnakes Blacktail jackrabbits Bobcats Gophers Bats LizardsIn fact, over 400 species call the park home. The most intriguing, perhaps, is the Salt Creek pupfish – a fish that’s not found anywhere else in the world. Remnants of the Ice Age, they’re now found exclusively in the Salt Creek drainage of Death Valley.
There’s no guarantee you’ll spot any of Death Valley’s animals, but some tips for wildlife spotting include:
Take binocularsIn order to keep a respectful distance but increase your chances of seeing animals, using wide-angle binoculars will help.
Be quiet and stillIt often takes time and patience to spot wildlife, as you’ll need to limit your movements and try to blend into the environment. You should never try to approach the animals.
Visit water sourcesThe water sources scattered throughout Death Valley, including Darwin Falls and Saratoga Springs, attract animals.
BirdwatchingBirdwatching is also particularly popular, as the park falls on the migration route for hundreds of species of birds. Death Valley also has lots of birds year-round, including wrens, warblers, thrashers, sparrows and finches.
The spring or fall migrations are, of course, popular times for birdwatching. But you can also boost your chances of seeing more birds by visiting some of Death Valley National Park’s birding hotspots:
Furnace Creek Scotty’s Castle Saratoga Spring Wildroe Panamint Range PhotographyUnsurprisingly, Death Valley National Park is a great place for amateur and professional photographers. Whether you plan your visit specifically to capture the destination’s unique beauty or you just want to he memorable photos of your trip, the diverse range of landscapes, from sand dunes to salt flats, and unique geological formations, provide endless opportunities to capture unique and awe-inspiring shots.
A note on backpacking and backcountry drivingWith three million acres of designated wilderness in the park, backpacking and backcountry camping (staying in areas which aren’t designated camping sites) has always been popular. Trellers can explore and access remote locations, trelling along the bottom of canyons, across open desert washes, around alluvial fans and on abandoned roads. Ped and dirt roads also intersect the park.
However, Death Valley National Park was hit by historic floods in August 2023, closing many of the roads and making many areas difficult – or impossible – to access. As a result, the current advice from the National Park Service is to oid backcountry trel:
‘Many backcountry roads were heily impacted or closed by recent flooding – backcountry trel is not advised. Visitors should expect additional hazards and roads in far worse condition than stated in the Backcountry and Wilderness Access Map. Many areas he not been assessed for damage. Some areas are impassable – do not plan on through trel. If you choose to trel on backcountry roads, be aware that rescue is likely to be extremely delayed. Trel prepared to survive, with two full size spare tires and extra food and water.’