← California guide · National Park
Death Valley · A day that begins with one good stop.
See your first dayWhy this place matters
In this below-sea-level basin, steady drought and record summer heat make Death Valley a land of extremes. Yet, each extreme has a striking contrast.
Read the full NPS story ↗
A flexible first day
These are ways to explore, not a timed itinerary. Check conditions before you set out.
Choose a viewpoint near your entrance and carry plenty of water.
Move between dunes, salt flats, and night sky when conditions fit.
Extreme heat and flash flood damage can close routes.
Find your bearings
Switch stops to see where this chapter sits in the wider state.
Outline: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 cartographic boundary files. Points show guide starting areas and NOAA stations.
NOAA 1991–2020 · monthly normals
These stations show two parts of the state; neither is a forecast or necessarily local to this site.
No monthly snowfall normal is published for this station. Choose the other station to compare snow.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | 30.1 | 30.8 | 34.3 | 38.9 | 46.6 | 54.6 | 62 | 61.4 | 55.4 | 45.9 | 36.8 | 30.2 |
Normal = 1991–2020 average at the named NOAA station. Snowfall is new snow over a month, not snow currently on the ground. A blank NOAA snow series is shown as unavailable, never as zero. See current NOAA snow depth ↗
Weather changes the trip
Extreme heat and flash flood damage can close routes. The graph above uses a named NOAA station; conditions at this place may differ with elevation and weather. Check the local NWS forecast ↗
Keep exploring California
Pair park time with San Francisco, Los Angeles, or a smaller gateway town rather than driving the state in one weekend. See current events ↗
Make the trip yours
Tell WTDO your dates, where you start and how you travel. The first plan is free.
Plan this trip free