Contrary to its name, Death Valley is rather a beautiful desert park. In fact, there is a village at the center of the park called Furnace creek, where one can find a visitor center, campgrounds, restaurants, a store, gas station, and even a resort.
However, Death Valley is a scorching hot place. In fact, one of earth’s hottest ever temperatures, 129.9 F (54.4 C), was recorded at Furnace Creek this summer on Aug 19, 2020.
Death Valley is one of the largest parks in the USA, and one of the top national parks in the United States. Visitors are met with a great variety of scenic attractions from sand dunes, salt flats, lakes, mountains, and craters. The park make up for some of the most spectacular and dramatic scenery in the USA, and really deserves its reputation as a must see national park.
One thing really likable about the park is that the main attractions are an easy hike from parking. One can see almost all the main attractions in one day at a fast pace.
In two days, one can also head to Charcoal Kilns. The 1.5 h drive on Emigrant Canyon Road that leads there is really scenic drive. Nearby, there are 3 free-of-charge first-come-first served dispersed campgrounds (Wildrose, Thorndike, Mahogany Flat). From, Charcoal Kilns, two great hiking trails are possible and both are partly shaded! These are Wildrose Peak, and Telescope Peak.
My favorite trail is the 7 miles (3000 ft elevation gain) hike to the top of Telescope peak at 11049 ft/3368 m. The trail goes through, surprisingly, a pines forest and features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as difficult. The trail is best hiked from June until October. The peak offer panoramic view of the entire death valley.
Top 5 Highlights
1. Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
2. Artist palette
3. Telescope peak
4. Badwater Basin
5. Devil’s Golf Course
https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/must-see-highlights.htm
More Attractions
Death Valley is a huge park and it takes hours to drive it all. If you have time, there are many highlights to see. In addition to the top 5 recommendations above. Notable: Ubehebe Crater, Father Crowley Point, Dantes View, Zabriskie Point, and the Racetrack. Please see the visitor guides below.
Resources
Death Valley Visitor Guide (Winter/Spring)
