Notable Campgrounds
- Best for winter camping: Furnace Creek Campground is open all year long and allows reservations from mid-fall through mid-spring.
- Best for a quiet experience: With only 23 campsites, Wildrose Campground offers a quiet alternative to busier campgrounds.
- Best for families: Near the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Stovepipe Wells Campground offers creature comforts such as flush toilets and a dump station.
Tips for Snagging a Campsite Reservation
- Most campgrounds are closed during the summer months due to extreme heat. Those that are open are made available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- If you want to camp on a summer holiday weekend, such as Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Labor Day, it's wise to arrive a couple of days early to secure your spot.
- Sunset Campground and Stovepipe Wells Campground are your best bets if visiting during a busy period.
- Furnace Creek Campground is available for reservation from October 15 through April 15 and operates on a first-come, first-served basis during the rest of the year.
When to Go
The best time to visit Death Valley is either in spring or fall, when the temperatures are warm but not unbearable. Springtime in particular is pleasant and often gets wildflowers. Summer can get crowds, especially on three-day weekends, despite the fact that temperatures in the valley often hover well above 110°F. Winters are considerably cooler, and the park sometimes get snow at high elevations.
Know Before You Go
- The temperatures in Death Valley can get incredibly hot. It's wise to drink at least one gallon of water per day and avoid hiking in low elevations when the weather is hot.
- Always stay on paved roads, particularly in summer, so that you can be easily reached by emergency vehicles. Driving off of designated roads is illegal.
- Keep an eye out for rattlesnakes, scorpions, and poisonous spiders, all of which live in this desert.
- Cell service is limited throughout much of the park, though Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells generally get some coverage.Download offline maps before you head out.
Death Valley National Park
Take in magnificent desert scenery in the hottest, driest place in North America.
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Encompassing over 3 million acres of the Mojave Desert, massive Death Valley National Park offers adventurous campers the chance to explore one of the hottest places on earth. This geologically rich area features a mix of peaks, canyons, and Sahara-esque sand dunes and is a great place to hike, rock climb, mountain bike, and camp. The park's remote location, coupled with its generally clear skies, make it an excellent spot for stargazing, and it's common to spot celestial wonders in the Death Valley night sky, even with the naked eye.
Encompassing over 3 million acres of the Mojave Desert, massive Death Valley National Park offers adventurous campers the chance to explore one of the hottest places on earth. This geologically rich area features a mix of peaks, canyons, and Sahara-esque sand dunes and is a great place to hike, rock climb, mountain bike, and camp. The park's remote location, coupled with its generally clear skies, make it an excellent spot for stargazing, and it's common to spot celestial wonders in the Death Valley night sky, even with the naked eye.
Activities in the park
9 campgrounds in Death Valley National Park
On a ridgeline of the Panamint range awaits Mahogany Flat, one of the only Death Valley campgrounds where you’ll appreciate the shady reach of trees. And not just any kind of tree, but the sweet smelling breezes stirred up in a Juniper forest. Take in jaw dropping views of the Death Valley basin and plenty of hiking, backpacking and mountaineering Read more...
In the asperous hills above the Furnace Creek area, Texas Spring provides 92 options that include both tent and RV camping and enviable views of the valley. You can expect spots situated right under the open sky, beside slopes of rock that gleam gold beneath a noontime sun, as well as water, flush toilets, picnic tables, a dump station and fire pi Read more...
Saying the words Wildrose Canyon elicits a sense of the mythical, perhaps even the magical, camping experience. Its namesake, Wildrose Campground, resides in this poetically named canyon, near the impressive Panamint Range, near the southwestern edge of Death Valley National Park. These 23 campsites are coveted and they position you near some seri Read more...
Mesquite Spring is your chance to avoid crowds and recharge with some winter camping, minus the noise of RV engines (as many of the RV winter campers grab a spot at Stovepipe Wells first). Even if you miss winter, this year round spot is sure to stun you. Considered one of the prettiest campgrounds in Death Valley, with astounding spring wildflow Read more...
This tents only, year round campground is awaiting your need for seclusion, with only 10 spots for the picking! No dump station or fire pit (no fire allowed) but water, flush toilets (that’s right, flush toilets at a 10 site campground) and tables are there to make up for it. At 2,100 feet above sea level, you’ll be privy to some jaw dropping vi Read more...
At 7400’ elevation, with a camping season that runs March through November, Thorndike campground is not for everyone. Accessible to high clearance vehicles only, (4-wheel drive may be necessary), Thorndike offers six sites, no fees, picnic tables, fire pits, pit toilets and all the rustic truth of roughing amidst in the desert’s surreal beauty. Read more...
Imagine the curved ripple of velvety sand against a backdrop of serrated peaks. The nearby sand dunes make Stovepipe Wells a good spot to park your RV and stay awhile (as long as it’s between September 1st and Mother’s Day weekend). This flat 190 spot parking lot campground has water, flush toilets a dump station, a smattering of picnic table an Read more...
One of the most centrally located campgrounds in Death Valley, Furnace Creek is seated in a cradle of astonishing ruggedness, surrounded by the weatherbeaten stretches of Death Valley mountains. If you’ve ever wondered what an abandoned borax mine looks like, you can find one nearby, as well as bike paths, hiking trails and a visitor’s center. Thi Read more...
This large, flat parking lot campground is primarily for RV camping and sits within a mile’s reach of the Furnace Creek Ranch Resort and the Furnace Creek Hotel. There are 270 spots, a dump station, flush toilets and water available. With a season that runs October through May, Sunset is perfect for a pre-summer excursion when your bones ache from Read more...
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Notable Campgrounds
Notable Campgrounds
Tips for Snagging a Campsite Reservation
When to Go
The best time to visit Death Valley is either in spring or fall, when the temperatures are warm but not unbearable. Springtime in particular is pleasant and often gets wildflowers. Summer can get crowds, especially on three-day weekends, despite the fact that temperatures in the valley often hover well above 110°F. Winters are considerably cooler, and the park sometimes get snow at high elevations.
Know Before You Go
Public campgrounds (book externally) —