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Death Valley National Park, the hottest place on Earth! With a staggering recorded high of 134°F (57°C) on July 10, 1913, and home to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America (282ft/86m below sea level), this park is a place of remarkable extremes.
In 2024, Death Valley set a new summer record with an average high of 117.3°F (47.3°C), including 37 days over 120°F (48.9°C) and 9 consecutive days where temperatures never dipped below 100°F (37.7°C). Notably, July 2024 was the hottest month globally, with an average high of 121.9F.
It's not just the heat — Death Valley is also remarkably dry, receiving an average of only 2.15 inches (54.6 mm) of rain annually. Even a seemingly small amount of rain like the 2.2inches (55.88mm) which fell on August 20, 2023, can cause massive flooding and damage throughout the park.
A trip to this extreme environment during summer requires careful planning. Whether you choose to tour by car with air conditioning or hike at higher elevations, staying cool is key to experiencing the wonders of Death Valley.
Carry and drink plenty of water in the summer months.
NPS/Kurt Moses
Many visitors come here in the summer specifically to experience the extreme heat. The main points of interest remain open, but it is highly recommended tostay on paved roads and close to your vehicle. Here are a few tips to help you have a safe and enjoyable summer visit:
Drink and Carry Plenty of Water: Drink at least one gallon (4 liters) of water per day to replace loss from sweat; drink more if you are active. Sweating also leads to salt loss, so be sure to eat salty foods or drink electrolyte beverages in addition to water.
Travel Prepared to Survive: Stay on paved roads in summer. If your car breaks down, stay with it until help comes. Carry extra drinking water in your car in case of emergency. Ensure you have proper equipment for changing tires, as tow companies can be hours away. Have an emergency plan, including sharing your itinerary with a trusted friend or family member not on your trip.
Watch for Signs of Trouble: If you feel dizzy, nauseous, or get a headache, get out of the sun immediately and drink water or a sports drink. Dampen clothing to lower body temperature. Be alert for symptoms in others. Heat illness can be severe and sometimes deadly.
Some of the best times of day at Death Valley are sunrise and sunset. In the early morning, light turns the mountains to the west a rosy pink and wildlife enjoy the last moments of shadow before the sun rises above the peaks to the east, bringing with it the full heat of a summer day in the hottest place on Earth. With nightly low summer temperatures often still above 100°F, the coolest time of day in Death Valley is usually just before sunrise.
Although temperatures are much hotter at sunset, a quick moment outside air conditioning gives visitors the opportunity to experience the last rays of light and if you’re lucky, brilliant orange and red colors painted in the clouds. If it isn't too hot, stay out long enough to watch the moon rise and nocturnal animals wake.
Ranger sunrise favorites:
Dantes View or Zabriskie Point: see the light hit the top of the Panamint Mountains and move down to the valley floor below
Mesquite Sand Dunes: experience golden dunes with dark shadows.
Ranger sunset favorites:
Father Crowley Vista Point: watch light change the colors of the mountains to the east.
Mesquite Sand Dunes: notice shadows grow longer and ripples come into sharper focus.
Dantes View or Zabriskie Point: see the sun set behind the Panamint Mountains.
Badwater Basin: watch shadows grow across the salt flats.
Artists Drive: enjoy highlights and shadows among colorful hills.
Explore More with the Free App!
Planning a trip can be overwhelming; luckily, there's an app for that!
Trip planning information is built into this printed visitor guide, but for those who prefer location-based digital experiences and self-guided audio tours, this app offers even more opportunities!
The app covers all National Park Service sites, with specific Death Valley information written by expert rangers at the park.
With limited internet and phone service available around the park, we recommend saving the Death Valley information for "Offline Use" so that location-based app features will work while you are visiting.
Death Valley is seeing an increase in damage from illegal off-road driving; you can help solve this problem by staying on designated roads and reporting incidents to rangers.
These Scars Can Last a Lifetime
Driving off roads scars the fragile desert landscape, leaving damage that can last for decades. These tracks don't just disappear with the next rainfall!
Visitors come from around the world to enjoy the vast landscapes and scenic beauty. This photographer's paradise is diminished by every track that cuts through the pristine and unblemished desert; don't let poor decisions ruin others' enjoyment!
Wildflowers & Wildlife
Tires crush and destroy native plants. Ruts compact soils and break up important soil crusts, which prevents plants like wildflowers from growing in future years.
Tires also spread seeds from weeds which crowd out native plants and cause health problems for wildlife.
Further, driving off roads can crush wildlife such as the desert tortoise
It is Illegal
In addition to harming the park, driving off roads is also illegal. A person driving off-road can be fined at least $750 and/or get 6 months of jail time (36 CFR § 4.10).
There are areas on nearby BLM and Forest Service land where "off roading" is permitted in accordance with those agencies' policies. National parks are set aside for conservation and recreation that does not damage the resources they protect.
Night Skies
Death Valley is an International Dark Sky Park with a Gold Tier rating. The skies here are virtually free of light pollution, so stars can be seen by the thousands!
Stargazing under some of the darkest night skies in the country can be an unforgettable experience!
During your visit, we encourage you to take a moment to look up and experience the wonder of truly dark skies. Here, thousands of stars can be seen without needing a telescope!
Why is stargazing here so great? The answer is simple: darkness. With so few lights "polluting" our night skies, stars are visible here by the thousands like they were to generations past.
Our dark night skies can be attributed not only to the remoteness of the park, but also to rethinking our lighting.
Low energy, downward pointing lights at Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells help protect the night sky.
You can be a dark sky ambassador for your neghbordood by helping bring stargazing opportunities like those at Death Valley closer to your own home. If you, your neighbors, and local businesses took just a few small steps to help reduce light pollution, the changes could add up to be significant!
Consider these simple steps: turn off outside lights when they're not needed, use shielded fixtures to cover bulbs, and use energy saving features such as timers or motion sensors so lights are only on when needed.
During your visit we recommend checking out the dark night skies at:
Harmony Borax Works
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
Ubehebe Crater
Father Crowley Vista Point
Badwater Basin
Most roadside pull-outs
Night Sky Viewing Tips
Seeing the stars at Death Valley can be an incredible part of your visit! Here are a few suggestions for the best possible experience:
Visit during the new moon or when they moon sets early! This is when the moon isn't reflecting any light into the night sky and it is the darkest.
Stay out long enough! It takes about 30 minutes without looking at light for your eyes to adjust to the darkness.
Use a red light. Cover flashlights with red cellophane if possible. Red light has the least impact on adjusting your eyes.
Seek a large horizon. If you are too close to hills or mountains, they may block large areas of stars from view.
Bring binoculars! These can help bring a greater number of stars into focus.
Location! Most every area of the park can be good for viewing as long as you get a short distance from areas with light such as campgrounds and buildings.
What's in a Name
Many Death Valley locations have frightening names, but don't be intimidated; these places are not as scary as they sound.
In the early 1930s when mining opportunities in the area were drying up, mining companies decided to tap a new revenue source: tourism. Companies used the fear of the unfamiliar to draw tourists to their hotels and lobbied to make Death Valley a national monument to further increase its appeal. How better to entice tourists to come to a remote area than to give it interesting and frightening names?
As you drive around the park or look at your map, notice how many places have scary names such as: Devils Golfcourse, Hells Gate, Coffin Peak, Funeral Mountains, and Dantes View.
Were these names part of what drew you to the park? How do the names we choose for places impact the way we view that place? Despite its intimidating name, we hope your time here will show you that Death Valley is a place full of life!
Resister creosote bushes have small, waxy leaves which help prevent water loss.
Surviving the Extreme
The plants and animals which call Death Valley home have developed incredible strategies to live in one of most extreme environments on Earth.
At first glance, it is easy to mistake Death Valley for a lifeless wasteland, full only of rocks, wind and scorching heat. However, upon closer observation, visitors to this otherworldly landscape are treated to signs of abundant life: the tracks of reptiles and kangaroo rats at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, the shadow of a raven as it flies overhead, the red of a high elevation wildflower and the sound of a coyote howling at night.
Humans can turn on the air conditioning in a vehicle or building, but how are plants and animals able to survive the harsh conditions of a Death Valley summer?
Avoiders
Some organisms have short life spans and only live when conditions are ideal. In the spring, when temperatures are warm but not hot, wildflowers grow rapidly, bloom and seed. The seeds are dispersed and can withstand extreme summer heat (sometimes for many years) until conditions once again become favorable and new seedlings sprout.
Other plants grow in only the most favorable environments in the park such as near springs and at higher elevations.
Seekers
These organisms survive by seeking or moving to more ideal conditions when temperatures rise. This could mean moving to higher elevations or limiting activity to nighttime, when temperatures are the coolest.
An example of this is the Salt Creek Pupfish, which must swim upstream toward the spring during the summer, where the water is deeper and overhanging banks and vegetation provide protection from the sun.
Resisters
These plants and animals are some of the most impressive–they are able to stay put and survive, despite the harsh conditions. Plants such as mesquite trees have roots up to 80 ft (24 m) long that allow them to reach water deep underground.
Did you know that there is a small snail that lives at Badwater? The Badwater snail has adapted to live in water temperatures that range from 4°F (5°C) to 104°F (40°C) and can survive a huge range of salinity; measurements of the pool have varied from 18–115 parts per thousand!
