The Perfect 2 Day Death Valley National Park Itinerary
Death Valley National Park was one of the most interesting places we have ever been. Every major overlook or hike felt like we were in a completely different environment. We know so many people, some who even live in California, who have never taken the time to visit, and we want to shout from the rooftops that it is worth checking out!
Overview of Death Valley
Best Time to Visit: It is famously the hottest place on Earth. The best times to visit are late fall, winter, and spring, November through April. If you are visiting during the summer months, be prepared for very intense heat.
Entrance Fees: If you are like us and travel to National Parks often, we highly recommend purchasing an America the Beautiful Annual Pass. If you’re going to use it on more than one occasion, it has basically already paid for itself. If you do not have the park pass, the entrance fee is $30.00 per vehicle and is valid for 7 days. When we visited, no one ever even checked our passes, but in the busier months, that might be a different story.
Pro tip: Whatever pass you have, if it is plastic, don’t leave it on your dashboard because it will melt in the heat at Death Valley. The welcome center will give you a paper (melt proof) pass.
How Many Days Do You Need: We were able to see many of the things we wanted to in 2 days, but wish we had some more time. If you would like a more leisurely pace, we would recommend 3 or 4 days.
Transportation: You will need to have your own vehicle to get around Death Valley National Park. There are a few car rental places outside of the park. Remember to fill up your gas tank before entering the park for cheaper prices and to make sure you don’t run out, since some parts of the park are quite remote!
What to Bring: Water, water, and more water! Do NOT underestimate the heat here, it is intense. The wind can also be incredibly powerful and can dry you out quick. Waterproof sunscreen, a wide brimmed hat (ideally one that has ties or straps to prevent it from blowing off your head and across the entire salt flats of Badwater Basin), hiking boots, and snacks/lunch that won’t melt. Unfortunately, no chocolate covered trail mix here! Also, something to cover your face from the dust while hiking can be a big help. We like wearing lightweight clothing that keeps the sun off our skin. It seems counter intuitive wearing pants and a long sleeve shirt in the desert heat, but you are essentially creating your own shade, helping to keep you cool and protected!
Where to Stay: We stayed in Beatty, Nevada, which worked perfectly for us. We had an Airbnb that was 20 minutes from the park entrance. It was not the fanciest Airbnb, but it was nice and very affordable for the group we were traveling with. The town was small and really reasonably priced overall. Our favorite parts were the wild burros that walk around the town, and a little place called Rhyolite Ghost Town nearby, which is free to visit. Don’t feed the burros though, no matter how cute they are!
DAY ONE: DANTES VIEW, ZABRISKIES POINT, BADWATER BASIN, & ARTISTS PALETTE
We only had two days to spend in Death Valley because this particular trip itinerary out West was jam packed. We knew we wanted to make the most of this National Park, so we started doing our research. While planning, we realized that Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth! We figured we would be fine since we were going at the end of May, and let’s just say we definitely underestimated the heat.
When we arrived the temperature was 113 degrees, and it felt like it! We had a late start and didn’t get into the park until 2pm, the hottest part of the day. Not our smartest moment.
Our first stop was Furnace Creek Visitor Center so that we could pick up some maps and get some recommendations from a Park Ranger. They have fun information on the types of animals you can see there, the gorgeous places for star gazing at night in the park, and a sweet little gift shop. There are also restrooms there and a place to refill your water bottles. They were giving out these awesome newspapers that highlighted the top sights to see and interesting information about the park. I loved this newspaper and have attached their virtual copy HERE. Make sure to ask for a hard copy when you go!
Another good reason to stop and get maps, which are free with your park entrance if you get them at the Visitor Center, is because there is terrible phone reception in the park. I had not looked at a hard copy map since I was a kid, thanks to Mapquest, and now the wonderful Google Maps on my phone, but it was definitely necessary in this park.
One of the most popular hikes to do in Death Valley is the Golden Canyon Trail, and that was our initial plan after the Visitor Center, since it is only a 6 minute drive from there. But we were quickly advised that during the summer, that particular hike has to be done very early in the morning because of how hot it gets. They wouldn’t even recommend it at the end of the day, since the rocks all around the trail will still be so hot from soaking in the sun. The ranger sent us to higher elevation, where the temperature would be cooler. About 5 degrees cooler in fact for every 1000 feet of elevation we gained. So we headed up to Dantes View at over 5,500 feet above sea level. Once we got there, we were very thankful they had rerouted us. There were incredible views of the mountains and the Badwater Basin below. It felt dramatically cooler up there too.
After we spent some time admiring the scenery, we decided to head to Zabrinksies Overlook. We had passed it on the way to Dantes View and wanted to check it out. It was a steep, super short walk up a paved road to get to the overlook, and it is worth it.
One of the great things about Death Valley National Park is that most of the highlighted spots to see are very close to each other, so you can see a lot in a short amount of time. After Zabrinskies Point, it was starting to get later in the day and we knew we wanted to see the Badwater Basin too which was only a 25 minute drive away. We highly recommend Badwater Basin either before or after the heat of the day, because it is so beautiful, but it is also the lowest point in North America. So all of that “cooler temps at higher elevation” talk does not apply here.
On the drive back from the Badwater Basin, there is a one way road called the Artists Drive Scenic Loop that will lead you right to the Artists Palate. This was another one of our favorite spots. We had never seen anything like it. Because of mineral deposits in the earth, the mountains and hillsides were such beautiful bright colors. It felt like exploring another planet, hiking these hillsides that switched from green to purple to red. It was a lot of fun wandering around, and we stayed here as the sun set.
DAY TWO: UBEHEBE CRATER, MOSAIC CANYON TRAIL, & MESQUITE FLATS SAND DUNES
Since Ubehebe Crater is farther away from the rest of the places we wanted to see, we decided to start there for day two, and it is definitely worth the drive over. We decided, on a bit of whim, to climb all the way down into the crater, but, I wouldn’t recommend that for beginners, as getting back out was quite challenging. The sand and volcanic stone are slippery and the steep elevation makes every step up feel like you would slide back down halfway. But we took lots of breaks, and eventually made our way out. Looking at the crater and exploring around at the top is another great way to enjoy it!
After that we headed back towards Mosaic Canyon Trail, which is a super cool trail where some of the rock formations look like mosaic works of art, and there are beautiful patterns of marble. All of the different colors and textures were really incredible.
There were parts of this trail that reminded us of other slot canyons we had been in, like Antelope Canyon. You could see the erosion and weathering and how it has carved its way through the rocks, bit by bit, creating all sorts of interesting patterns and pathways.
Pro tip: This hike is narrow and the stones trap in heat, so we would recommend this hike either earlier in the morning or later in the evening. This trail is also off of a gravel dirt road so drive carefully.
Our last stop was the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. We couldn’t believe that there were sand dunes out here at all, in this vast salt crust and rocky environment, but then, sure enough! The sand was so soft, we took our boots off and went walking through the dunes. Some people even brought camping chairs out to set up and watch the sun disappear and the stars take over.
We were sad that our second day was ending, but we had one more wonderful surprise in store for us. Death Valley is renowned for having some of the darkest night skies available to us in the United States, and as we were driving out of the park, the most beautiful stars were appearing. Due to minimal light pollution in the area, Death Valley is classified as a Dark Sky Park and star gazers and astrophotographers come from all over to enjoy some of the best views that we can get of the cosmos that exist beyond our great sphere. We pulled over to a safe spot, got out, and laid out on a tarp, marveling at all we could see. We even saw some shooting stars, which was just the cherry on top!
We would have loved a third day to do more exploring at this magnificent park, but for our first time visiting, we really made the most of it. We saw so many incredible sights, and can’t wait to go back during another season to see how the terrain changes.
We hope you found this blog helpful, interesting, and most importantly, we hope it gave you that itch to go see all of these beautiful places for yourself! Like we said at the beginning, all you need is that park pass, sunscreen, some snacks and water, and then you too can adventure all over Death Valley National Park!
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