Death Valley National Park
The lowest, hottest, driest — Badwater's salt flats, Zabriskie's badlands and the open desert highway that dead-ends in Nevada.
Salt flats and mountains at Badwater Basin, Death Valley
What to expect at Death Valley National Park
Death Valley straddles the California-Nevada line and the Nevada side — accessed through Beatty on US-95 — is the emptier, cheaper approach: no crowds, real diner breakfasts, and 20 miles of open desert highway before you drop past sea level. Inside the park sit Badwater Basin (-282 ft), Zabriskie Point's rippled badlands, Mesquite Flat's dunes, and the Racetrack's sliding stones. November-March it's paradise; June-August it hits 125°F.
Enter from Beatty via NV-374 through the ghost town of Rhyolite — a proper photo stop — and pay the $30 fee at the self-serve kiosk at Hell's Gate. Do Zabriskie at sunrise (30 min from Furnace Creek), Badwater mid-morning, dunes at sunset. Fuel up in Beatty; gas inside the park costs almost double. Sleep at the Stovepipe Wells Village or the Longstreet Inn back in Nevada.
Questions about Death Valley National Park
$30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person on foot or bike, valid 7 days. Self-pay kiosks accept card.
Yes — four federal fee-free days per year: MLK Day (January), Great Outdoors Day (June), National Public Lands Day (September) and Veterans Day (November).
A full day minimum from Vegas (2h drive each way + 6h in the park). Two days let you add Dante's View, Ubehebe Crater and Mesquite Dunes at sunset.
The park is open 24/7 every day. The visitor center closes December 25. Some backcountry roads (Titus Canyon, Racetrack) close after rain.
No booking for entry. Lodging at Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells fills 3-6 months ahead for peak season (October-April).
Beatty, Nevada — 8 miles from the park's NV-374 entrance on US-95, with gas, motels and diners.
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