Death Valley: 25 Reasons To Visit This Stunning National Park

When people think about America’s famous national parks, usually the same list of names will come up. Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon are undoubtedly on the top of that list. Even more locally for us in the Las Vegas area, we’d probably mention Bryce Canyon or Zion before talking about Death Valley. But this national park on the eastern California border is in a world of its own. It’s a place that combines history, record-breaking topography, incredible views, and even a bit of mystery.

When we do talk about this national park, there’s plenty to say. Many enjoy the tales of the disappearing lake that happens after a big storm. Or the rocks that have minds of their own. Death Valley has also made a name for its extremes. Not only the temperatures in the summer, but the depth of the area. According to the National Park Service, Death Valley’s Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America, at 282 feet below sea level.

What Makes Death Valley So Different

While Death Valley is not the most popular of the national parks, it is one of the largest. According to nationalparks.org, Death Valley covers 3.4 million acres, making it the fifth largest national park in the country. It is over 1 million acres larger than Yellowstone and over 2 million acres larger than Grand Canyon. The park is 140 miles long and lies mostly in California. But a small portion does overlap the state line and reach into the Bullfrog Hills in Nevada.

But the size is not the most impressive thing about Death Valley. Actually, it would be difficult to narrow down what is. Though many people would agree it is the night sky. Once the sun sets, the lack of light pollution makes the sky in Death Valley so dark, that some objects are visible that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world, according to nps.org. Including the International Space Station.

Death Valley is one of only eight places in the country where you can see the Milky Way with the naked eye. Which makes the park a very popular place for campers. Of course, summer months are not an ideal time to visit the park, which, according to nationalparks.org, is the hottest and driest national park in the country. Summer temperatures in the park typically reach a high of 120 in the shade, nps.gov reports. Though they recorded the hottest temperature in 1913, when the heat climbed up to 134 degrees.

An unofficial thermometer reads 133 degrees Fahrenheit/56 degrees Celsius at Furnace Creek Visitor Center on July 11, 2021 in Death Valley National Park, California. Just one degree lower than the record high of 134 degrees, recorded in 1913. Climate models almost unanimously predict that heat waves will become more intense and frequent as the planet continues to warm. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

May is a very popular month for visitors in the park. Even though temperatures have already gotten to 100 degrees typically by this time, Star Wars fans flock to the area for May the Fourth. Specifically to take the self-driving Star Wars tour of the areas where two of the famous movies in the franchise were filmed.

Historians of all kinds also visit to see glimpses of what was once a thriving mining community. Death Valley’s mining history goes back to about the 1850’s. Minerals of all kinds were found in the California hills, according to nationalparks.org. Including gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, antimony, and borax. The mining communities include Harmony Borax Works, Keane Wonder Mine and the popular town of Rhyolite.

Even without all the mining and movie history, Death Valley has so much to see. In addition to the disappearing lake and mysterious moving rocks, there’s an extinct volcano, ghost towns and much more. Here are just a few of the amazing sites you would see if you visited.

25 Reasons To Visit Death Valley National Park

• Zabriskie Point At Sunset

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  Zabriskie Point is on the Amargosa mountain range. It runs 110 feet through Death Valley, along both Eastern California and Southern Nevada. The Amargosa are the group of mountains that separate Death Valley from the Amargosa Desert. And Zabriskie Point is a popular spot for visitors, especially those who want to see an amazing sunset.

• Zabriskie Point At Sunrise

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  If you have time for only one place to visit in Death Valley, consider this location. Like lots of places in the park, Zabriskie Point is beautiful at sunset. But you can tell from this photo that the sunrises there are just as picture worthy. Of course, you'll have to have one hiker stay behind to take the photo of you on the point.

• Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

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  The Mesquite Flat dunes seriously look like another planet. Which is why they made a perfect site to film part of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. This area served as Tatooine in the movie, which was shot in 1976. It is one of six locations in the area that George Lucas used for filming.
• Dunes At Sunset

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  And if you couldn't tell the size of the dunes in the last picture, here you go. See that little guy in the bottom left? That shows you just how massive these dunes are. And the glow they get at sunset makes it look more like the Sahara than California.

• Old Stovepipe Wells

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  You can't go too far in Death Valley without stumbling on some history. Just because there is so much of it. Both from mining towns and early pioneer settlers. This is an old water hole in the sand dune area of the park. It was once at the junction of two Indian trails and it is on the list of California's historical landmarks.

• Wildrose Charcoal Kilns

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  Wildrose is on the western side of Death Valley. These 10 kilns are 25 feet tall with a circumference of 30 feet. Designed by Swiss engineers and built by Chinese laborers in 1879, these kilns produced charcoal for the Modock Mine smelter, about 30 miles west of the kilns. The kilns closed after only three years of use. Because of their brief life and remote location, these may be the best-preserved examples of charcoal kilns in the West.
• The Milky Way At Dusk

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  This is one of the main reasons people from all over to visit Death Valley National Park. The night sky. Due to the lack of light pollution, there are more stars than you can imagine out here. And Death Valley is one of only eight places in the country where you can see the Milky Way galaxy with the naked eye.

• The Milky Way In Dead Of Night

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  Not only can you see the Milky Way here, but Death Valley is also the only place on the planet where some celestial bodies are visible. Including NASA's International Space Station. Any time of the night is amazing for stargazing. Can you imagine sleeping in an open tent under this sky?

• Teakettle Junction

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  Teakettle Junction is one of the more mysterious places in Death Valley. Some locals believe it was used back when early settlers were coming in. Allegedly, the marker indicated there was water nearby. Now it serves as a mile marker for those on their way to Racetrack Playa.
• Racetrack Playa

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  Racetrack Playa is located on the northwestern side of the park. It is famous for these rocks. This one is basking in the beautiful sun on the dry lakebed. But these rocks are more mysterious than they look at first glance. They're actually called "sailing stones", because they have a tendency to move on their own. Seriously.

• Sailing Stones On the Racetrack Playa

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  Here's a photo of the actual marks the stones leave behind them when they're moving. The name of the area is appropriate, since it looks like these little stones are racing. How is this happening? There are no footprints. No human moved these things. Crazy.

• Ubehebe Crater

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  This is Ubehebe Crater in Death Valley. It's the largest crater in the park. Definitely larger than it seems in a photo. It is 600 feet deep and half a mile in diameter. It's an extinct "Maar Volcano". Which is a class of volcanoes created by steam and gas explosions. The National Park Service says the Ubehebe was created possibly 2,000 years ago.
• Ubehebe Crater From The Outside

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  Here's that same extinct volcano. Seen from the outside. This photo makes it seem small. However, at half a mile in diameter, it's anything but.

• Mosiac Canyon

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  This canyon wall shows why "Mosiac Canyon" is such a perfect name for this area of Death Valley National Park. The erosion lines look like a painter just swept across the surface with his paintbrush. Look at the bottom right of the photo. Those layered colors are from different minerals that have been exposed in the rock. So cool!

• 20 Mule Train Wagon

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  This is a historic piece in the park. It's an old mule train wagon at Harmony Borax Works townsite. Which is at the entrance of Furnance Creek Ranch. In the 1880's, this site was used to process ore and borax. And parts of the site, including this old train wagon, are still on display.
• Harmony Borax Works

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  Here's another shot of the same area during the day. You can see the same wagon train in the background. There is this kind of history all over in the park. And enough of it still intact that you can imagine the miners of the day working.

• Lake Manly At Badwater Basin Salt Flats

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  Whether you know it or not, you may have heard about Lake Manly. This temporary lake happens whenever there is excess rainfall at Badwater Basin. This photo was taken after the flooding from Tropical Storm Hilary in October 2023. The storm delivered a year’s worth of rain to Death Valley in a single day and the flood damage forced the park to close for eight weeks. Even though it was only a few inches deep, the lake was two miles wide and four miles long!

• Temporary Lake At Badwater Basin Salt Flats

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  Tons of visitors showed up to see the temporary lake. Because the lake was so shallow, it looks like people are walking on the water. It takes a lot of rain to get even that much in a basin this large. But when it happens, it's gorgeous.
• Sunrise Over Badwater Basin

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  When Badwater Basin doesn't have water in it, this is the incredible view of that area. The basin floor is covered with white salt deposits. Crystal formations make hexagonal shapes in the sand as far as you can see. So cool.

• Badwater Basin Crystal Formations

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  And in a photo, those hexagon crystal formations might seem small. But you can see in this photo that an adult can easily fit inside of one. These hexagons are typically one to two meters across. That's three to six feet!

• Artists Palette

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  This rock formation is a "must see" when you visit the park. These painted hills are a natural occurrence. The various colors are made from all the different minerals found in the rocks. It was named "Artists Palette" because it looks like different paints splashed on a palette. Definitely stop by this spot if you visit the park.
• Death Valley Wildflowers

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  In spite of its name, Death Valley is actually quite thriving with life. There are many animals that call the park their homes. And after the area gets a heavy rainfall, yellow wildflowers like this bloom. It's breathtaking when they cover the ground all over the park.

• Wild Burros At Death Valley

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  If you do visit the park, keep an eye open for wild burros. They are everywhere and not always easy to see. The light brown one in this photo is easy to see. But look again. There are two more behind her. These burros are descendants of the donkeys used by the early miners in the area.

• A Stroll At Sunset

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  Death Valley is known for its sunsets. And this photo explains why. Many people who are in to meditation come out to the national park to "ground". They take their shoes off and walk across the sand in their bare feet. So peaceful.
• Natural Bridge Canyon

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  Just like neighboring areas in Nevada and Utah, there are cool rock formations in Death Valley. There are many natural bridges that have formed out of the rock. This one is in a place called Natural Bridge Canyon. And it's not small. You could probably stack four or five adults foot-to shoulder under that archway.