Go RVing Around the Death Valley National Park
Death Valley is one of the most extreme environments on the planet, making it an exciting destination for an RV road trip. Famously the hottest, driest, and lowest national park and the largest U.S. park outside Alaska at over 3.4 million acres, it can also be somewhat intimidating to potential visitors. On the one hand, you are drawn to the uncommon natural beauty in its stark Badlands, sand dunes, and salt flats bordered by rugged mountains and canyons, plus some of the darkest night skies in the world. On the other hand, the intense heat and remoteness might make you wonder if Death Valley National Park is suitable for RVing. Good news! It absolutely is, with numerous campground options and plentiful amenities for RV campers.
Can You Handle the Heat?
Death Valley National Park is open all year, but most visitors come during spring when the weather is pleasantly warm and sunny. Temperatures start to soar by May and don’t dip until late October, making October through April the high season. Winter has cool days, chilly nights, occasional rainstorms, and snow and ice at high elevations that stay around through spring.
Precautions such as sun protection, adequate water supplies, and a sensible approach to outdoor recreation are essential whenever you visit Death Valley National Park. If you are considering a summer RV road trip, you absolutely must take the heat hazards seriously. Temperatures on the valley floor often exceed 90–100 degrees Fahrenheit at midnight and 110 degrees in the daytime. You can make a summer visit more manageable by limiting outdoor time to early mornings and evenings and choosing to camp at higher elevations.
Getting There Is Simple From Hwy 190
Death Valley National Park is on the California/Nevada border, east of California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range. Close being a relative term, the closest major cities are Las Vegas, 140 miles to the southeast, and Los Angeles, 275 miles to the southwest. If you’re flying in from another region, you can arrange RV rentals in Los Angeles or Las Vegas and hit the road from there. LA is farther away but allows for an epic itinerary of camping in California.
While the park is far from any major city, it is readily accessible via California Highway 190, which cuts through the park from east to west. U.S. Route 95 in Nevada runs parallel to the park from north to south along its easter edge. Three state routes — SR 267 at Scotty’s Junction, SR 374 at Beatty, and SR 373 at Lathrop — are the major in-park roads, giving you access to its major scenic viewpoints, attractions, and trailheads.
Death Valley is 93% wilderness, yet it has nearly 1,000 miles of roads, some paved and some dirt. Be aware of vehicle length limits and recommendations for high-clearance or four-wheel drive vehicles on certain routes, particularly those at high elevations. If your RV rental is also your primary touring vehicle, don’t let these regulations take you by surprise! Make the Furnace Creek Visitor Center (the park’s central hub) your first stop and consult a ranger about your sightseeing plans.
There Are Many Options TO Stay Around Death Valley National Park
When taking an RV rental to Death Valley National Park, rest assured there are plentiful campground options. Seven national park-run campgrounds offer RV sites, including a handful with full hook-ups. There is also a concessionaire-run campground and several private campgrounds within park boundaries. Some campgrounds are open year-round, and others only during the high season.
All of the national park campgrounds are first-come, first-served, except for Furnace Creek Campground, which accepts reservations from October 15 to April 15. You can make reservations at recreation.gov, and you should book or arrive as early as possible if you want a full hook-up site or are visiting on a holiday weekend.
National Park Campgrounds
Furnace Creek Campground is the main campground in Death Valley National Park, open year-round with 136 sites, including 18 RV sites with full hook-ups. Longer RVs might be difficult to maneuver into the sites at this campground. The Furnace Creek area, which is close to the visitor center, features multiple dump stations, potable water, flush toilets, and a camp store. This campground, which is located on the valley floor at 196 feet below sea level, gets extremely hot in summer.
Sunset Campground in the Furnace Creek area is open from late fall through spring. It’s a large campground with 230 sites and no size limits for RVs, and according to the National Park Service, it rarely fills up even during busy times. One drawback is that the campground is all desert gravel with little vegetation, and sites lack picnic tables or fire grates.
Texas Springs Campground is also in the Furnace Creek area of the park and is open from mid-October to mid-April. It offers 92 sites, which can be tricky for longer RVs. FIre grates and picnic tables are provided at each site.
Stovepipe Wells Campground is approximately 30 minutes from Furnace Creek and is adjacent to a ranger station and the Stovepipe Wells general store. It has 190 sites with no size limits for RVs, plus a dump station and potable water. The campground is open from early November to April 15 and rarely fills up. Its sea-level location offers great views of Death Valley and the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.
Mesquite Spring Campground is 1 hour, 15 minutes from Furnace Creek and open year-round. It sits at 1,800 feet above sea level, making it an excellent base for exploring the northern parts of the park. Mesquite Spring has 40 sites, flush toilets, a dump station, and potable water.
Wildrose Campground has 23 sites suitable for RVs up to 25 feet and trailers up to 10 feet. Note that the road to the campground is steep, and the area of the park — 1 hour and 15 minutes from Furnace Creek, in the Panamint Mountains at 4,100 feet in elevation — is prone to high winds. It’s open all year and has potable water and vault toilets.
Mahogany Flats Campground has nine sites for RVs up to 25 feet and trailers up to 12 feet with high clearance. The primitive site has no amenities and is remote, so consult a ranger before bringing an RV rental there. The campground is open from late spring through fall and sits at 8,200 feet amid pinyon pine and juniper forest with fantastic views over the valley floor.
Other RV Campgrounds
The concession-run Stovepipe Wells RV Park (not to be confused with Stovepipe Wells Campground, run by the park service next door) offers 14 full-hookup RV sites and is open year-round. It is part of Stovepipe Wells Village, which includes a general store and the Toll Road Restaurant and Badwater Saloon. With a swimming pool and Wi-Fi included with rental rates, this campground is a great choice if you want a few more luxuries with your camping experience.
The privately run Panamint Springs Resort has six full-hookup sites and 26 dry sites for RVs. Nine are reservable online or over the phone, and the rest are walk-in only. The resort is historical with a Western vibe and is located in the Panamint Valley area of the national park on Hwy 190. Book a site here, and you’ll have access to showers, restrooms, a restaurant, bar, gas station, and general store, along with great views of the mountains and distant sand dunes.
Fiddlers’ Campground is part of the private Oasis at Death Valley complex, which includes restaurants, a general store, a natural spring-fed swimming pool, a laundry facility, and sports courts. Fiddlers’ Campground has back-in sites for RVs only and has community fire pits and picnic areas in central locations.
Take In The Scenic Stops Around Death Valley National Park
Most of the scenic highlights of Death Valley National Park are accessible by car or RV and are within a few hours of the Furnace Creek hub. Be sure to traverse the Artists Drive Scenic Loop, a detour off Badwater Road, to take in the rainbow-hued hillsides of Artists Palette. You’ll also get expansive views of the Black Mountains and mesmerizing salt flats. Note that the loop road is restricted to vehicles up to 25 feet.
Zabriskie Point is another of the park’s most popular vistas, especially so at sunrise and sunset. If you’re a photography enthusiast, this panorama over the Badlands is unmissable. It’s only 15 minutes from the Furnace Creek Visitor Center and offers access points to hiking trails.
The vast salt flats of Badwater Basin are another must-do scenic stop in Death Valley National Park. The remarkable site spanning nearly 200 square miles is the lowest point in North America, at 282 feet below sea level. The Basin contains the evaporated remains of an ancient inland lake, where the salt deposits form a mesmerizing geometric display viewable from a boardwalk.
If you have the time and inclination for a slightly longer trip, consider Dantes View for remarkable vistas over the valley and salt flats and Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, which is sculpted by wind and beckoning for cross-country exploration. Learn about the historic 20-mule teams at the Harmony Borax Works, or head to the curious beehive-shaped Wildrose Charcoal Kilns to hear more about the valley’s mining heritage.
Play Golf, Hike And View The Night Sky at Death Valley National Park
In addition to scenic drives and viewpoints, there are many activities to inspire you to go RVing to Death Valley National Park. Golfers should be sure to play a round at Devil’s Golf Course, the lowest-elevation course in the world. Also, look at the schedule of ranger programs, which might include night sky programs, walks, hikes, or demonstrations of flintknapping: i.e., creating tools from stone.
The park presents a wide range of easy, moderate, and difficult hikes along a small number of maintained trails plus many natural routes through canyons, on ridges, and across open wilderness. Limit summer hikes to early mornings or higher elevations. It is even one of the stops for UltraMarathon Athletes. Prepare for snowy and icy conditions at higher elevations in winter and spring.
P.S. Don’t Forget to take lots of water!
Death Valley’s rugged landscape and remote location call for a comfortable RV in tip-top condition. You can find vehicles of all sizes to meet those needs at RVnGO.com.
Pack plenty of water, sun screen and hats! Read more about what to pack for any road trip in our packing checklist.
Check out America’s Top 20 National Parks for Your Summer Vacation.