Death Valley National Park

About Death Valley National Park

Death Valley became a national park in 1994 and at 3.4 million acres is the largest national park in the lower 48 states. It holds the world's hottest officially recorded air temperature (134°F at Furnace Creek, July 1913) and contains Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. A day trip from Vegas covers the eastern park: Zabriskie Point at sunrise (the badlands view from Star Wars), Badwater Basin (the salt flats), Devil's Golf Course, and Artists Drive. The Furnace Creek Visitor Center has water, gas, and the only reliable cell signal in the park interior. Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes near Stovepipe Wells extends a long day to a worthwhile second stop. $30 vehicle pass, valid seven days. Two-hour drive each way via Pahrump and NV-160 to Bell Vista Avenue. Do not attempt May through September — the heat is genuinely lethal and rangers will turn vehicles back from interior trailheads.