Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park is a large desert park on the California-Nevada border known for its extreme elevation range, desert landscapes and record high temperatures. It contains North America’s lowest point at Badwater Basin and mountains that rise over 11,000 feet within the same park.

Visitors come for iconic sites such as Badwater Basin (the salt flats), Zabriskie Point and Dante’s View, dune fields like the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, and scenic drives such as Artist’s Drive. The park contains notable contrasts - broad salt pans and alkali flats at very low elevations and high, snow-capped peaks at Telescope Peak.

The area was long used and traversed by Indigenous peoples and later by miners and settlers; it received federal protection as a national monument in the 1930s and was redesignated as a national park in 1994. Management focuses on visitor safety, historic-resource protection and fragile desert ecology.

The park covers a vast portion of eastern California and western Nevada, roughly northwest of Las Vegas and northeast of Barstow, with primary access points and visitor services clustered near Furnace Creek and other developed areas inside the park.

• Park designation: Designated a national park in 1994 after earlier federal protection as a national monument, it spans great elevation extremes from below sea level to high mountain peaks.
• Extreme heat: Furnace Creek holds the highest reliably recorded air temperature on Earth - 134 degrees Fahrenheit in July 1913 - and summer conditions can be extremely hazardous; visitors should plan accordingly.

What to See #

• Badwater Basin: The lowest point in North America, a salt flat sitting about 282 feet below sea level with expansive pan views and boardwalk access for visitors.
• Dante's View: A high-elevation overlook offering panoramic views over the valley floor, dark badlands and Furnace Creek, popular at sunrise and sunset.
• Artist's Drive and Palette: A colorful, narrow one-way driving route known for its mineral-streaked rock formations and short scenic pullouts along the loop.
• Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes: A field-scale sand dune area and commonly visited dunes near the Stovepipe Wells area that allow short walks among shifting sand ridges.
• Furnace Creek Visitor Center: The park headquarters and visitor center near Furnace Creek that provides orientation, exhibits, park maps and up-to-date safety information.