5 Must-See Spots in Death Valley

Death Valley National Park is a study in extremes: the weather, the solitude, and the unbelievably varied landscapes are such a fun challenge to explore. I’ve pulled together a few of our favorite stops from our last trip here; some of these view points are easily accessible, and others require a little bit of a hike, but nothing strenuous.

Driving into Death Valley, you might feel that you’re on an eerily desolate and alien planet sometimes. But that’s part of this park’s charm, the otherworldly emptiness. The rugged mountains, colorful canyons, and rolling sand dunes come out of nowhere while you’re driving in, and it’s hard to decide where to go first.

A few things to know about our trip:

• I was extra careful to stock up on lots of water, fill up on gas, and have a downloaded Google Map for when we didn’t have reception
• We visited in early April before the heat got too unbearable, but it was still pretty hot under the midday sun
• We don’t have a 4WD, so we opted for relatively easy-to-access stops. You can make it to all of these with no problem in a normal sedan or SUV

Here are our top 5 favorite spots for photography, exploring, and just plain great views.

Badwater Basin

One of the most famous Death Valley spots, Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America at 282 ft below sea level. After you park in the parking lot, you’ll walk down onto a short path that eventually fades into straight path on the salt flats. There’s zero shade out here, so I don’t recommend this during the hottest part of the day.

When you first walk out, the salt crystals will probably just look like random lumps, but as you walk further out, you can usually find those famous hexagon-shaped salt crystals that have formed after the water evaporates. For photos, it helps to get a little lower to the ground so you can see the raised shapes more clearly.

Zabriskie Point

Zabriskie Point was easily my favorite place in Death Valley. It’s a scenic overlook with a parking lot and an easy paved path up to the view point, so you’ll find plenty of people to share this view with. It’s a popular spot for sunrise and sunset for photographers, as well.

If you’re looking to get away from the crowds a bit, walk to your right from the parking lot to hike up to the ridge. It’s a stunning view along the ridge, and you’ll get a different perspective of all the colorful layers of hills and canyons. We went for sunrise, so ended up turning around at about 2 miles so we could go back to camp and make breakfast.

Artist’s Palette

The pastel, multi-colored mountains that give Artist’s Palette its name are fantastic. It’s especially hard to believe that they’re naturally occurring, but in fact, the colors come from the oxidation of different metals like hematite, volcanic ash, and manganese within the rock.

You’ll drive to Artist’s Palette on a loop on Artist Drive, which is, on it’s own, a particularly fun drive, with lots of winding curves and dips. You can park in the lot and walk in amongst the colorful hills to see them up close.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

These shifting, soft sand dunes don’t look overwhelmingly big when you’re driving up, but once you park and start walking in, it’s easy to see how people get lost in the desert. Each dune rises up higher than the last, and takes enormous amounts of energy to climb. Most of the visitors don’t go past a few sand dunes, so you’ll be able to find untouched sand if you keep going.

I’d recommend visiting the dunes first thing in the morning or at golden hour just before sunset, so you can catch the shadows growing and accentuating each dune’s curves.

Golden Canyon to Red Cathedral Trail

This quick 2.5 mile hike was a perfect way to end our weekend in Death Valley. It’s mostly flat, walking along a wide canyon river bed, but the golden colors of this aptly named canyon are very pretty and always changing. As you round a curve, you’ll suddenly find yourself beneath the towering crimson cliffs of Red Cathedral. This trail will actually take you right up to them, and the last stretch is a fun adventure of clambering over boulders, through narrow slot canyons, and under arches.

I love that Death Valley is only a four hour drive from Los Angeles, and I’m sure we’ll be back soon (once it cools off again). I’d love to know your favorite hikes there that we can check out next time!

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All photography by Andy Fortson photography and myself.