Death Valley National Park
The hottest, driest and lowest national park — salt flats, dunes and painted badlands.
- 87named trails
- 267trail miles mapped
- Californialocation
Popular hikes in Death Valley
- Zabriskie Point · about 0.5 mi · Easy
- Salt Creek Interpretive · about 0.5 mi · Easy
- Natural Bridge · about 1.4 mi · Easy
- Badwater Basin · about 1.9 mi · Easy
- Dante's View Ridge · about 1 mi · Moderate
- Ubehebe Crater Loop · about 1.5 mi · Moderate
- Mesquite Flat Dunes · about 2 mi · Moderate
- Darwin Falls · about 2 mi · Moderate
- Golden Canyon · about 3 mi · Moderate
- Mosaic Canyon · about 3.5 mi · Moderate
- Golden Canyon–Gower Gulch Loop · about 4.3 mi · Moderate
- Telescope Peak · about 14 mi · Strenuous
Best months to visit
- January: The hottest place in North America is at its gentlest: days in the 60s mean you can hike canyon floors at midday, which in July would be dangerous.
- February: Still cool enough for the long canyon hikes. In a wet winter, late February is when desert gold and other annuals begin to carpet the southern valley.
- March: Peak wildflower season in wet years, with days in the upper 70s before spring heat arrives in April. This is the last really comfortable month for the long lowland hikes.
- November: The season opens: highs drop into the 70s, and long hikes like Golden Canyon–Gower Gulch are comfortable again.
- December: Cool, clear and quiet before the holiday rush. December is excellent for dark-sky stargazing and long canyon hikes.
Permits and reservations
No reservation is required to enter the park.
- Backcountry camping permit: Required year-round for all overnight backcountry trips and picked up in person at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center area. Not needed for day hiking.
- Campgrounds: Some campgrounds (such as Furnace Creek) take reservations up to 6 months ahead. In summer the open campgrounds are first come, first served.
Entrance fees
- Private Vehicle: $30
- Motorcycle: $25
- Per Person: $15
- Commercial Entrance - Per Person: $15
Official park site: nps.gov
All 87 trails in Death Valley
- Aguerberry Camp · 0.06 mi round trip · Easy
- Aguereberry Point · 0.24 mi round trip · Easy
- Amargosa View · 6.42 mi round trip · Moderate
- Anvil Springs Canyon · 13.74 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Artists Drive Hill · 0.4 mi round trip · Easy
- Artists Palette · 0.52 mi round trip · Easy
- Ashford Canyon · 4.06 mi round trip · Moderate
- Badlands Loop · 4.12 mi round trip · Moderate
- Badwater Boardwalk · 0.14 mi round trip · Easy
- Badwater Salt Flats · 0.78 mi round trip · Easy
- Bighorn Gorge · 24.02 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Chloride Cliff · 1.54 mi round trip · Moderate
- Copper Canyon · 3.56 mi round trip · Moderate
- Corkscrew Peak · 6.72 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Corridor Canyon · 25.36 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Cottonwood-Marble · 28.84 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Dantes Peak · 1 mi round trip · Moderate
- Dantes View South · 0.48 mi round trip · Easy
- Darwin Falls · 1.92 mi round trip · Easy
- Death Valley Buttes · 1.44 mi round trip · Easy
- Desolation Canyon · 2.98 mi round trip · Moderate
- Desrt Hound · 5.92 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Dodd Springs · 11.84 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Dry Bone Canyon · 34.04 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Eureka Dunes · 3.12 mi round trip · Moderate
- Fall Canyon · 5.48 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Fall Canyon (First 1/2 mile) · 1.34 mi round trip · Easy
- Funeral Canyon hiking route · 6.9 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Golden Canyon · 2.5 mi round trip · Easy
- Golden Canyon to Zabriskie · 3.6 mi round trip · Moderate
- Gower Badlands Loop · 0.64 mi round trip · Easy
- Gower Gulch · 4.8 mi round trip · Moderate
- Gower Gulch Golden Canyon Connector · 4.3 mi loop · Moderate
- Grotto Canyon · 5.24 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Hanaupah Canyon · 7.12 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Harmony Borax Furnace Creek Bike Path · 2.7 mi round trip · Easy
- Harmony Borax Interpretive Trail · 0.39 mi loop · Easy
- Hummingbird Spring · 1.78 mi round trip · Moderate
- Hungry Bill's Ranch · 12.5 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Indian Pass · 22 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Jail Canyon to Hall Canyon · 10.2 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Keane Wonder (Big Bell) extension · 5.72 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Keane Wonder Mine · 3.92 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Keane Wonder Spring · 2.04 mi round trip · Easy
- Kit Fox Hills · 10.52 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Last Chance Mountain · 8.92 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Leadfield · 0.5 mi round trip · Easy
- Lemoigne Canyon (east section) · 7.46 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Lemoigne Canyon (west section) · 9.78 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Little Bridge Canyon · 6.02 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Little Hebe Crater · 1 mi round trip · Easy
- Lower Monarch Canyon · 5.94 mi round trip · Moderate
- Mesquite Flat Dunes · 2 mi round trip · Moderate
- Mosaic Canyon · 3.5 mi round trip · Moderate
- Mount Perry · 7.82 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Nadeau Trail · 4.04 mi round trip · Easy
- Natural Bridge · 1.24 mi round trip · Easy
- Nemo Canyon · 17 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Panamint Dunes · 4.84 mi round trip · Moderate
- Racetrack Moving Rocks · 1.44 mi round trip · Easy
- Red Wall Canyon · 9.66 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Saddle Peak Hills · 2.66 mi round trip · Moderate
- Salt Creek Interpretive Trail Boardwalk · 1.1 mi round trip · Easy
- Saratoga Springs · 0.56 mi round trip · Easy
- Scotty's Canyon · 7.58 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Scottys Grave · 0.32 mi round trip · Easy
- Sheep Canyon · 14.88 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Sidewinder Canyon · 3.12 mi round trip · Moderate
- Skidoo Mill · 0.22 mi round trip · Easy
- Surprise Canyon · 11 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Telephone Canyon · 6.4 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Telescope Peak · 11.98 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- The Grandstand · 1.06 mi round trip · Easy
- Thimble Peak · 3.16 mi round trip · Moderate
- Titanothere Canyon · 24.48 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Trail Canyon Spur · 2.76 mi round trip · Moderate
- Ubehebe Crater Bottom · 1 mi round trip · Easy
- Ubehebe Crater Rim · 2.62 mi round trip · Easy
- Ubehebe Peak · 4.24 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Upper Marble Canyon · 11.12 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Upper Monarch Canyon · 1.94 mi round trip · Easy
- Upper Trail Canyon · 6.54 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Virgin Springs Canyon · 8.78 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Wildrose Peak · 8.26 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Willow Canyon (lower) · 4.26 mi round trip · Moderate
- X-country route to Rogers Peak · 0.6 mi round trip · Easy
- Zabriskie Point · 0.5 mi round trip · Easy
Trailbound shows every one of these on an interactive map with live weather, park alerts and elevation profiles. It's free to browse.