Death Valley National Park
A comfy campout with 2 to 5 mile hikes
Driving to and sleeping at a campground
Ideal for first-timers
Trip · 3-day camping trip
For · Friends and new campers
Vibe · Relaxing and chill
Reservations · Yes, book a site at Furnace Creek Campground
Drive · 4.5 hours from LA
Ideal dates · October to April
Pets · Welcome at camp, but not on trails
Death Valley National Park (DVNP) is a land of extremes: It's the largest national park in the country outside of Alaska at over 3.4 million acres. It's home to Badwater Basin: the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. Death Valley was the hottest place on Earth ever when it reached 134 degrees Fahrenheit in July 1913! Most importantly, it's an ideal place for desert camping during the winter. From salt flats to sand dunes, Death Valley is a fascinating departure from the everyday.
Official National Park Website
Download Park Visitor's Guide
Main image credit: Nate Rickert
Each campsite comes with a:
Death Valley NP has nine campgrounds: Furnace Creek, Sunset, Texas Springs, Stovepipe Wells, Mesquite Spring, Emigrant, Wildrose, Thorndike, and Mahogany Flat. Furnace Creek is the only campground that can be reserved ahead of time. All others are first-come, first-serve. You won't find hot showers at any of the campgrounds, but there is drinking water and toilets at most (Emigrant, Thorndike and Mahogany Flat do not!).
Check-in: After 1 PM · Check-out: Before 2 PM
Nightly Rate: $22
In 1933, President Herbert Hoover established Death Valley National Monument and it became a national park in 1994
The Timbisha tribe lived in Death Valley for a millennia. They named the area "tümpisa", which means "rock paint
In 1849, pioneers prospecting for gold gave the CA valley its English name, "Death Valley," after 13 people died during an early expedition
You won't be saving money, but you'll save space and weight with these camp sandals.
Clothes
Sleepover! This is a tent you can stand up in and have plenty of space for air mattresses, doggos, and more.
Shared Gear
A reliable, popular, and relatively affordable dual-burner camping stove that is fairly heavy, but performs well.
Kitchen
It's pricey, but the New York Times' Wirecutter recommended this attachment as a way for wheelchair users to navigate uneven terrain.
Essential Items
Instead of transporting stuff on your lap, use this storage bag to easily store items underneath your wheelchair.
Essential Items
Never dig around your pack to find some hand sanitizer. Instead, hang this one on the outside of your pack.
Personal Stuff
If you're an experienced backpacker, this is the lightest full-size, full-featured, frameless pack made.
Essential Items
Add a little magic to your experience by hanging these twinkling lights around your tent every night.
Shared Gear
Sometimes you just want a camp chair that gets the job done. Nothing glamorous or fancy. Well, this is it.
Shared Gear
The more you backpack the lighter your shelter becomes, and the lighter it is, the more expensive it can be.
Shared Gear
Camp underneath the stars and watch glorious sunrises in Joshua Tree National Park, the second largest national park in California.
