Heres everything you should probably know about visiting Death Valley National Park.
And yet, in this seemingly uninhabitable landscape, there is life.
For 1,000 years the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe has called the valley home.
Sand dunes in Death Valley National Park.Credit:Jon Mattrisch/Travel + Leisure
The park is just under two hours by car from Las Vegas and around 3.5 hours from Los Angeles.
There are several paved entrances as well as a handful of dirt road entrances.
No matter which route you decide on, it pays to be prepared.
Rolling mountains in Death Valley National Park.Jon Mattrisch/Travel + Leisure
There is very little cell phone service.
The park website adds that GPS navigation to remote locations like Death Valley National Park are notoriously unreliable.
Numerous travelers have been directed to the wrong location and dead-end or closed roads by following incorrect GPS information.
Wagons going through Death Valley National Park.Courtesy Jan Jensen
Come ready to use paper maps and the map in the NPS app.
Jensen notes that there is also limited Wi-Fi within the park.
In addition, keep in mind that youre visiting a land of extremes.
Landscape of Death Valley National Park.Jon Mattrisch/Travel + Leisure
Without a doubt, always bring twice as much water as you think.
Youll also want to keep an eye on the weather.
Check weather and road conditions often, suggests Jensen.
Hiking trail in Death Valley National Park.Jon Mattrisch/Travel + Leisure
Weather can change within minutes to hours including flash floods, which are more common in the late summer.
Wind is frequent, especially in the spring, and summer temperatures regularly surpass 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
The worlds highest air temperature of 134 degrees was recorded at Furnace Creek on July 10, 1913.
Landscape of Death Valley National Park.Jon Mattrisch/Travel + Leisure
The standard entrance fee for a private vehicle is $30 and includes seven days within the park.
Generally, temperatures are ideal any time from October through April.
Best Things to Do
Drive through the expanse on nearly 1,000 miles of roads.
Ready for another superlative?
Death Valley hasmore miles of roadthan any other national park, boasting nearly 1,000 miles of roadway.
Visit the sand dunes.
For a full rundown of the parks dunes,visit the NPS website.
Stay the night to stargaze.
Many parks have been recognized by the International Dark Sky Association, but very few havegold tier stargazing.
Mesquite Springs Campground is the best for night sky viewing, said Wines.
However, the dark skies are almost as good at any of the park campgrounds.
Hike through the narrow Mosaic Canyon.
My favorite hiking trail is Mosaic Canyon.
In total, the hike is four miles round-trip and takes most people between 2.5-3 hours.
Book a multi-day bike tour.
During the parks cooler months, Escape Adventures runsmulti-day road bike and mountain bike toursthrough Death Valley.
Nights are spent in casual inns or campgrounds.
Some of the hardest bike rides in the world are in Death Valley.
And at the same time, some of the best bike rides are in Death Valley, said Fisher.
Check out the salt flats of Badwater Basin.
For the best views of the salt polygons, youll want to hike out onto the salt flats.
Wines recommends Mesquite Springs Campground, while Jensen suggests Texas Springs Campground.
In my personal opinion, the best campsites are outside of the campgrounds in the backcountry, said Fisher.
