Earn the coveted Decal when you hike two of the National Park's trails through mind-bending landscapes. You can hashtag #HikeDeathValley on social media to share your experiences. Here are some of the park's most spectacular trails:
This challenging eight mile hike takes you through a swathe of rocky wilderness, along a minature canyon and finally on a steep ascent up Corkscrew Peak. There is no trail to follow, just signposting and the hike lets you put your fitness to the test, requiring you to scramble over rocks before a panoramic payoff.
A 26 mile walk along dirt road and cross country, Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Loop takes you on an ascent of over a thousand metres, passing crystalline streams and impressive valleys. Peer across Deadhorse and Marble Canyons and you won't regret embarking on this long walk.
Discover the park's lush oases on this easy two mile walk that eminates from the town of Darwin. You will pass through desert landscapes into a steep canyon filled with vegetation and marbled with streams. Exercise caution as you step from stone to stone as they can be slippery. Swimming is not permitted but marvelling at the miniature fish that dart in this earthly paradise is.
Your family will treasure memories of stays in Death Valley National Park Cabins. The hottest, driest, lowest-lying National Park in the country is rich with varied exosystems and intriguing salt mines, luminous stars and mile-high dunes. Here are some of the best experiences for families:
Ground yourself at the lowest point in North America. This strange landscape looks a little like the surface of the moon and children and adults alike will be awed by this unforgettable vista. Close by, the Devil's Golf Course shows visitors the opposite kind of salt formation. Jagged, crystalline spires of salt emit a crunching sound as they expand and contract in the heat.
Little ones are fascinated by this accessible loop trail. Look out for rare bird species as you wind through a labyrinth of marked boardwalks that float over the salt marsh ecosystem. A five mile round trip, it's long enough to take you all day, but still achievable on little legs, with plenty of rest stops and amenities.
There are seven dune systems in Death Valley National Park but of them all these are the most famous and dramatic. The highest of them stands a full mile high, and there is no marked trail to follow, making discovering these dunes even more of an adventure.
From the States' lowest point (Badwater Basin) to their highest (Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevada range), Death Valley National Park encompasses some of the country's most otherworldly outdoor environments. Here are the adventures that draw visitors from across the world to Death Valley National Park Cabins:
Arguably, it's worth staying in hotels near Death Valley National Park just so you can take the Artists Drive through spectacular sedinmentary landscapes. Just fifteen minutes from Furnace Creek Visitor Center you can enter another world, where the pastel colors of the setting sun bounce off the vast swathes of undulating rock. The drive unfolds for nine miles of photo-ready splendor.
The park's best known vantage point gazes out over aureate badlands known as Furnace Creek. Hike from this vista through the badlands loop, from which you can access more of the park's outdoor marvels, including Golden Canyon, Gower Gulch and the imposing Red Cathedral rock formations.
Brace yourself for the most arresting view in Death Valley National Park. Otherwise, this heart-stopping view could almost earn the park it's name. At nearly 6,000 feet elevation, America's lowest point is embraced by the Panamint Mountains, which melt into the Sierra Nevada, way in the distance. The observation point is about a forty minute drive from Furnace Creek Visitor Center, and worth every minute of the scenic journey there.
