Death Valley's claim to fame is as the hottest, lowest and driest place in the USA, with temperatures topping an insane 130 degrees. That being said, the park is also home to a diverse array of colorful canyons, desolate badlands, shifting sand dunes and sprawling mountains, and 1,000 species of plants, plus salt flats, historic mines and hot and cold spring oases. Highlights include Badwater Basin, the lowest elevation in North America, and tons of spooky ghost towns.

This national park contains the lowest point in the Americas, at 282 feet BELOW sea level! The heat in the summertime should not be underestimated—it is often deadly. But in the winter Death Valley provides a fantastic desert getaway filled with stunning canyons, salt flats, and towering peaks. You need only go in the cooler months to enjoy the best of this landscape. From easy scenic jaunts to difficult scrambles up slot canyons, you can find any flavor of hike you’re looking for!

Located just over 2 hours west of Las Vegas, Death Valley National Park makes for the perfect addition to your family’s trip to this region. Your kids will love sliding down the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes and exploring the salt flats in Badwater Basin. Come summer, Death Valley is one of the hottest places on Earth, so a visit during this time of year requires taking extra precautions to avoid overheating.

Once viewed as a wasteland, Death Valley is, in truth, a magical land. Dune fields ripple the park’s interior, geology shows its pastel hues at Artists Palette, and an oasis rises above a “furnace.” Hike the sandy hills on the dunes that slightly rise above this sweltering landscape or explore the salt pan that makes up the floor of Death Valley, 282 feet below sea level.

At Death Valley National Park, your kids can slide down the towering Mesquite Sand Dunes, hike through the aptly named Golden Canyon, and marvel at the salt polygon patterns found at Badwater Basin. The park’s large size provides a variety of natural features to see and offers a lesson in the types of life that flourish in an extreme climate. The landscape is hauntingly beautiful, and its remote setting allows you to truly unplug and enjoy time together.

Stark in appearance and haunting in name, Death Valley is a very-much-alive desert set between high, snow-capped mountains. The name doesn’t do justice to the vibrancy of Death Valley—the mysteries of the life sustained in this arid and isolated landscape capture the attention of adventurers. As America’s lowest, hottest, and driest national park, adventurous visitors enjoy its many extremes and mysteries, such as the sailing stones.

Death Valley National Park harbors some of the darkest night skies in the U.S., far from cities and carefully managed to protect darkness. Nights in the park are so dark that the park is classified at the highest level by the International Dark-Sky Association; many celestial objects which can be viewed from Death Valley are not visible elsewhere in the world! The top ranger suggestions for star gazing locations include Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Badwater Basin, and Ubehebe Crater.

Death Valley is the hottest, lowest and driest place in the United States, with temperatures topping an insane 130 degrees. Plus, it's home to Badwater Basin, the lowest elevation in North America. That being said, the park also boasts a diversity of colorful canyons, desolate badlands, shifting sand dunes and sprawling mountains, as well as more than 1,000 species of plants, plus salt flats, historic mines and hot and cold spring oases.

Draping across the border of southern California and Nevada lies Death Valley National Park, east of the Sierra Nevada mountains. This is the largest national park in the contiguous United States, containing a portion of the Mojave desert as well as salt flats, sand dunes, badlands, valleys, canyons and mountains. The majority of the park is a designated wilderness area, housing an array of desert-adapted plant and animal species. When visiting, you can camp, hike, drive, bike, backpack & more.

Once viewed as a wasteland, Death Valley is, in truth, a magical land. Dune fields ripple the park’s interior, geology shows its pastel hues at Artists Palette, and an oasis rises above a “furnace.” Hike the sandy hills on the dunes that slightly rise above this sweltering landscape or explore the salt pan that makes up the floor of Death Valley, 282 feet below sea level.