The Best Dayhikes in Death Valley National Park
Explore the desert with our favorite hikes, short and long.
Death Valley National Park
The best hikes in Death Valley National Park will make you wonder why you ever wanted to go out in the heat. This massive park — the largest in the lower 48 — follows 156-mile long Death Valley through blistering California desert. Whether you’re planning on backpacking the grueling Death Valley Traverse or just want to peak at its top trails, prepare for a trek unlike any other. Sunscreen alone won’t cut it in July, when average temperatures can climb as high as 116˚F. If you do decide to explore one of America’s most extreme national parks, be sure to visit its highs and lows; only 15 miles from the below sea level Badwater Basin is the 11,049 foot Telescope Peak.
This California Ghost Town is the Ultimate Risk-Reward Hike
Feeling adventurous? Take on the seven-and-a-half mile hike to Panamint City, an abandoned village deep within Death Valley’s Surprise Canyon.
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Maps: If National Parks Were Middle Earth
Artist Dan Bell's dreamy maps show British and American national parks as landscapes from J.R.R. Tolkien's books. We asked him to draw a few of our favorites.
17 Things Every Hiker Should Know about Death Valley National Park
Our expert reveals his top dayhikes, overnights, and tricks for your best trip ever.
Death Valley National Park: Surprise Canyon
Splash through canyon waterfalls to an 1870's ghost town in Death Valley National Park.
Death Valley National Park: Death Valley Traverse
Walk through Death Valley National Park on this grueling, 14-day, 221-mile thru-hike of the largest national park in the contiguous United Sates.
Death Valley National Park: Ibex Dunes
Trek along the remote Ibex Dunes and wind through rugged washes on this 28-mile overnight near Death Valley National Park's southern border.
Death Valley National Park: Harry Wade Road to Stovepipe Wells Campground
Trek over dunes, sand flats, and salt pans in the shadow of the Black and Panamint ranges on this 109-mile, multi-day excursion through southern Death Valley.
Death Valley National Park: Stovepipe Wells Campground to Racetrack Valley Road
Follow the secluded Marble Canyon through Joshua trees and Cottonwood Mountains to vast playas and volcanic craters on this 80-mile trek.
Death Valley National Park: Racetrack Valley Road to the Nevada Border
Climb through gaping craters and narrow canyons before bagging 11 peaks in northern Death Valley's Last Chance Range on this 46-miler.
Death Valley National Park: Eureka Dunes via Last Chance Range
Traverse the Last Chance Range en route to the highest sand dunes in California and the abandoned Crater Mine on this difficult, 40-mile out-and-back in Death Valley.
Death Valley National Park: Eureka Dunes to Last Chance Mountain
This 28.7-mile weekend getaway travels from Eureka Dunes, the highest dunes in California, to Last Chance Mountain, an 8,500-foot peak in Death Valley.
Death Valley National Park: Badwater Basin to Gold Valley
Don't waste winter: Tackle this cross-country canyon trek in the Lower 48's largest national park.