Information, Death Valley National Park

Basic Information

An entrance fee is required for the park.

Learn About The Park

Death Valley is a national park of superlatives - lowest, hottest, driest, largest in the lower 48 - and its dramatic landscape encompasses everything from sand dunes to mountains.

Basic Information

Death Valley National Park is open 24 hours every day.

Basic Information

Death Valley National Park is open year-round but, unlike many other National Parks, it's winter, not summer, that is considered the high season.

Basic Information

California Highway 190 crosses Death Valley National Park from east to west and is the main access road into the park.

Basic Information

It's best to keep your fuel tank full as distances between gas stations are great.

Basic Information

There are a number of spots inside the park to pick up books, maps and other souvenirs.

Basic Information

Cell phones don't work in Death Valley.

Basic Information

You can find restaurants at four resorts within the park; the bookstore at Scotty's Castle sells sandwiches, snacks and drinks as well.

Basic Information

Staying hydrated is vital: Death Valley is one of the most extreme places on Earth, with temperatures that average 116 degrees in the summer.

Basic Information

Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth; it's also the driest and sits at the lowest elevation.

Learn About The Park

Death Valley National Monument was proclaimed on Feb. 11, 1933, by President Herbert Hoover.

Learn About The Park

Because of the great range in elevation (from -282 feet to 11,049 feet), Death Valley supports a wide variety of wildlife.

Learn About The Park

Despite its forbidding name, Death Valley is full of life, with over three million acres of Mojave and Great Basin Desert terrain.

Basic Information

There are restrooms at both the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, as well as Scotty's Castle Visitor Center.

Activities

On and off road, Death Valley offers some of the greatest and most-varied auto touring opportunities of any national park.

Activities

Bicycles are permitted in certain designated areas within the park.

Basic Information

Although pets are allowed in Death Valley, there are many restrictions as to their movements and location.

Basic Information

Although many of Death Valley's facilities were built before current accessibility standards were enacted, much of the park still remains available to people with disabilities.

Activities

Hundreds of species pass through the park on both spring and fall migrations.

Activities

There are great opportunities for both sunrise and sunset viewing inside the park.

Activities

With little to no light pollution, the International Dark Sky Association has designated Death Valley a "Gold Tier" International Dark Sky Park.

Activities

Death Valley National Park has nine established campgrounds.

Activities

Dante's View is the classic viewpoint over Death Valley, but it's hardly the only one.

Activities

There are picnic facilities at most of the campgrounds, as well as near Emigrant, Wildrose, Scotty's Castle and Furnace Creek Visitor Center.

Activities

There are a number of museums, including one at the Visitor's Center, Scotty's Castle and Borax Museum at Furnace Creek Ranch.

Activities

There are opportunities to see wildlife in many areas of the park.

Activities

High heat, harsh terrain, and lack of water make most of Death Valley an unwelcoming place for horses.

Activities

You can swim at the Stovepipe Wells Resort and Furnace Creek Ranch.

Activities

Death Valley has seemingly endless backcountry roads and opportunities for backcountry camping and backpacking.

Activities

Rangers lead a number of tours throughout the park from late fall through spring, as well as conducting tours of Scotty's Castle.

Basic Information

Key telephone numbers and websites for the park.

Activities

If you didn't drive your own 4WD with a lift kit to Death Valley, you can rent a fully equipped Jeep in the park.