Guide on When to Visit Death Valley National Park

We all know Death Valley National Park as the hottest place on earth, and it doesn’t hold that title lightly. Temperatures have soared to a sweltering 134.1°F or 56.7°C, the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth. Although this record was set in 1913, the record was almost broken this year with a temperature of 128.5°F or 53.6°C. As Death Valley National Park is in the northern hemisphere, temperatures cool down between October and April to pretty pleasant levels. The park is around two hours from Las Vegas and 3.5 hours from Los Angeles, making a day trip to Death Valley possible. The landscape of this park is fascinating as it has been shaped to survive extreme temperatures. Among this landscape are several sites to see, we’ll cover those down below.

What to See and Do in Death Valley

Before deciding when to visit Death Valley National Park, you need to know what to do. The good news is that there’s a lot to do, more than enough for a day or even multiple days. The first place I recommend is Zabriskie Point, getting here is simple as you can either hike or drive. The views from here are insane and some of the most photographed in the park. You can view Badwater Basin, salt flats covering the lowest point in North America reaching a depth of 282 feet or 86 meters below sea level. Saltwater once flowed here but quickly dried due to the intense heat, leaving just the salt behind. Behind the salt flats are the Panamint Mountains. These mountains reach an elevation of over 11,000 feet or 3,350 meters. You’ll be surprised to hear that these mountains get a consistent amount of snow while overlooking the hottest place on Earth.

The next must-visit place is Badwater Basin, if you can view the place, might as well visit it too. Observe the salt flats up close while taking in the rest of the scenery. Another place you need to visit is the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, these dunes cover a surprisingly vast area and are a much-needed change of scenery from the normally rocky terrain. The tallest dune is around 100 feet tall, not giving you the greatest views but it’s at least something. If you have some skis, a snowboard, or even a sled, make sure to bring them as sandboarding can be fun.

The last place you need to visit is Furnace Creek, I refer to the place as a base camp in Death Valley National Park. If you’re planning to stay the night, a hotel is conveniently placed here so that you can wake up in the center of Death Valley. Some Death Valley lodging is possible here along with Death Valley camping. A campsite is located nearby but keep in mind that it might get cold in the winter months. Need something to eat? The Last Kind Words Saloon has got you covered. This is also one of the few places in the park with some greenery, it must be crazy difficult to maintain that greenery but they’ve managed to do it. There is even a golf course here in case Death Valley golfing is your thing.

Best Time to Visit Death Valley?

In most of my other blog posts, I end by saying that there’s no right or wrong time of year to visit. I feel like this blog post is different, you’ll start to see why visiting in summer might not be the best time. The main reason is temperature, which we’ll get to below.

worst time to visit death valley

Continuing my previous statement, there’s certainly an answer to this question. The worst time to visit Death Valley is summer, as temperatures can reach extreme heat. This type of heat is not only unenjoyable but also dangerous, meaning anyone visiting at this time must take extra precautions or stay indoors.

From my experience, elevation makes a huge temperature difference. You might be able to visit higher elevation spots like Telescope Peak and Scotty’s Castle but Furnace Creek and Badwater Basin should be at all costs avoided in summer, it’s quite frankly unbearable to be exposed to these kinds of temperatures.

Temperature

As this is the hottest place in the world, expect the temperatures to be too hot to bear in the summer. The winters are surprisingly quite decent and even get a bit cold at night. The temperatures are also subjective to the elevation you’re on. If you’re planning to visit the Panamint Mountains, summer will be just fine for you. But if you’re planning to visit Badwater Basin, please just avoid summers. The temperatures shown below are the average for the entire park, so keep that in mind.

January: Average high of 67°F, low of 40°F

February: Average high of 74°F, low of 46°F

March: Average high of 82°F, low of 55°F

April: Average high of 90°F, low of 62°F

May: Average high of 100°F, low of 72°F

June: Average high of 110°F, low of 82°F

July: Average high of 116°F, low of 88°F

August: Average high of 114°F, low of 86°F

September: Average high of 107°F, low of 76°F

October: Average high of 93°F, low of 62°F

November: Average high of 77°F, low of 48°F

December: Average high of 65°F, low of 39°F

I would include rain in this article but it’s pointless as Death Valley gets no rain. There might be an occasional drizzle of rain in the winter but hardly enough to even notice. Death Valley’s annual rainfall averages around 2 inches per year. For reference, Olympic National Park gets over 100 inches per year. So with the weather out of the way, let’s explore some other factors that might influence your decision on when to visit Death Valley National Park.

Crowd

Death Valley National Park receives over 1 million visitors per year on average. This sounds like a large number but if you consider the size of this park, it’s not that many people. The National Park is 5,270 mi² or 13,649 km², making Death Valley the 5th largest National Park in the United States. As you might have guessed, almost nobody visits here in the summer. The months of June through September are the hottest and make visiting here miserable. If you are foolish enough to visit during this time, just know that nobody else will be around. The most popular time of year is between mid-March and April, due to spring wildflowers peaking at this time. Crowds are moderate during the winter months with people around but not too many people.

Events

Events at the park are few and far between with the few events being in the cooler months. If you want to see Death Valley in a group, consider joining a group tour. They’re fun, relatively inexpensive, and reduce the need to research Death Valley yourself. These tours will take you to all of the places I mentioned above and provide food, transportation, and everything else that you need for that day.

Summary

Before I answer the question of when to visit Death Valley National Park, I’ll answer the question of when is the worst time to visit Death Valley National Park. If you want to have a pleasant time at the park, avoid summer. Death Valley’s summer heat is dangerous, especially in the lower elevations. Anytime from October to April is great as the temperatures are low enough. I visited in December and found the park to be amazing at this time. Zabriskie Point was a bit cold but the rest of the park was at perfect temperature. It allowed me to focus on the geographical features of the park rather than the weather. Hopefully, this answered your question about when to visit Death Valley National Park, I hope you have an amazing trip!