Update: thank you so much, friends!
I think the search is over and it isn’t how we had hoped.

A close friend in high school has been missing and she was last seen in the area of Death Valley, just wanting to get the word out

Edit to correct: SHE wasn’t seen in Death Valley, her rental vehicle was located abandoned in Death Valley
(Even scarier 😓)

I'm in Vegas this week for a conference and hoping to rent a car this Friday and visit DVNP for the day.

Does this sound like a decent itinerary?

Leave Vegas by 6am

First stop - Zabriskie Point

Second stop - Hike Golden Canyon to Red Cathedral and back

Third stop - Bad Water Basin Salt Flats

Then up to Artists Drive on my way back to Furnace Creek Visitors Center and back to Vegas

More info: will have a few gallons of water with me or in the car and quite a bit of hiking snacks (protein bars, peanut butter crackers, candy)

Heading up to Telescope Peak this coming weekend (Oct 16-17). Anyone been recently? Can you drive to Mahogany Flat campground or will I need to hike in? I have a Chevy Silverado with 4x4 so clearance shouldn't be an issue.

Is there a more local or accurate source for temperatures in DVNP this weekend, other than the big weather sources? Or are the places like weather dot com enough for planning?

TIA

TLDR: For a week in DV, can I drive thru the park/to trailheads in a rented camper van or just take my subaru?

Hi all, headed to DV my first time and want to stay in the campground in a rented camper van. if i take this as my only vehicle will I be able to access all areas of the park? photo for reference. or should i just take my all wheel drive subaru and sleep in it/tent camp? TYIA!

Visited Death Valley NP as a trip that included Joshua Tree NP. Spent 2.5 days in the park.

Logistics: Flew into Las Vegas and flew out of L.A. Stayed in an Airbnb in Beatty, NV to visit the park.

Hikes/Activities (*fan favorites):

Badwater Basin

Natural Bridge Trail

Devil’s Golf Course

Artist’s Palette via Artist’s Drive

Golden Canyon Trail to Red Cathedral

Salt Creek Trail

Mosaic Canyon*

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

Ubehebe and Little Hebe Crater Trail*

Dante’s View*

Zabriskie Point for sunset*

Darwin Falls (to this day still one of my favorite short trails I've done in a NP!)*

Father Crowley Vista

Bonus: Rhyolite Ghost Town

To Do in the Park for Next Time: Racetrack Playa, Scotty’s Castle, Grotto Canyon, Eureka Dunes

According to the conditions page (https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/conditions.htm) the following are newly closed:

• West Side Road
• Cottonwood / Marble Roads

Still closed:

• Scotty's connector
• Hunter Mountain
• Titus Canyon
• Darwin Falls

Additionally, there was enough rain that you should be ready for obstacles (rocks, sand cover, etc) on all the park roads until they can get out and plow them.

Following the rain this weekend, will conditions be right for flowers to bloom around the park? If so, when is the forecast for flowers to start blooming?

Thanks!

I realize this is a very general question and nobody can predict exactly what I'm asking, but I'm planning on visiting at the beginning of November and Telescope Peak is on my list of things to do. I was reading that I should probably have micro spikes or crampons to make that hike at that time of year. Just looking for a little insight on whether/how much snow or ice there is around that time of year.

Fitness is not an issue for making the hike, but I'm not used to the elevation either, so I just want to be realistic on whether I should keep this on my list of things to do, and buy some spikes if they will be necessary.

Anyone planning on tent camping this weekend for death valley? Thinking of rescheduling due to the rain Saturday night all through sunday. Anyone have experience camping DV with this type of weather? Would appreciate any tips or input

The 2001 Roadless rule protects public lands from future roads being built through them for logging and other purposes. This rule protects roadless public lands across the nation - including the land surrounding Death Valley.

The public comment period was supposed to end on the 21st last month - but was extended for 15 days. Today is your last chance to speak up.

Here is the link to the government webpage to submit your comment:

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/11/2026-18648/special-areas-roadless-area-conservation

I’m planning my 5 or 6 days to the west coast next month, it would like advice from the experienced travellers.

I’m planning to fly into either San Diego or LAX spending two days there and driving into the park.

Are there any Airbnb worth looking into in close proximity to Death Valley?

I have the opportunity to visit Death Valley this February for a few days. I’d love to do an 1-2 night backpacking route while I’m there. I’ve done strenuous day hikes in the Rockies and Big Bend, but I’ve never done an overnight backpacking trip.

I know that trails are iffy in Death Valley. Are there any good backpacking routes for a beginner? I would prefer a 2-night route to have a full day just on the trail and at the campsite.

Feel free to throw other Death Valley recommendations/advice at me!

I accidentally lost my gf’s water bottle that had a Death Valley sticker on it that she loved. It was this real cool stylized scorpion that almost looked like beadwork. If anyone is there visiting and can find & mail me a replacement- I’ll pay you for the sticker, postage, and your time. Thanks!

"Orbit to Earth" is a series of location-based cinematic travel films that journey from space to destinations around the world, blending satellite imagery with aerial and ground cinematography to create a continuous flight from Orbit to Earth.

Episode Two leaves the cities of Southern California and heads out into the vast Mojave Desert, arriving at Death Valley.

Home to the lowest point in North America, Death Valley is famous for its intense heat, but also for remarkable geological formations like Devil's Golf Course, Badwater Basin, and Ubehebe Crater.

I have a friend, 18, who lives in Trona, and struggles with really awful mental health, and I don’t exactly know how to help since I live out in bakersfield and have literally no idea what it’s like down there. He says his therapist won’t call him back and neither will the doctors office. He wants services but he’s clearly having issues getting them and I don’t have the resources to help, and he literally has no friends down there and his family doesn’t help him in any way whatsoever except letting him live with them. He also doesn’t go to in person school, so I don’t know if he can ask the school for help.

SF Gate reminds that the road closes again Friday, with an overview of the remaining work, and a note that it's supposed to reopen next May.

But, then, the obligatory El Niño notice.

Titus Canyon Road was severely damaged by flash flooding in 2022, then battered again by flooding from Tropical Storm Hilary in 2023, which was particularly damaging in Death Valley and Joshua Tree national parks. The road temporarily reopened this summer after some preliminary repairs, including moving boulders and grading the roadway. But more serious construction work is needed to prepare the road for future storms, including the possibility of flooding from the looming threats of this year’s El Niño forecast. 

Related? What if they don't get done? I guess a November 2027-May 2028 closure?

A few more details on the work on the Park Service news release.

This seems possible since the NPS website says Trona Wildrose Rd is “passable in most vehicles”, but can anyone weigh in firsthand on this? Planning to stop at the campground and ride my mountain bike further up to the Charcoal Kilns. Thanks!