Trip Idea

Death Valley "Must See" Spots in 1-3 hours

Multiple Parks

A vast salt flat stretches into the horizon with a cloudy sunset sky.
Topic(s) Geology, Mineral Deposits, Photography, Canyons and Canyonlands, Mountains, Night Sky, Rock Landscapes and Features, Scenic Views, Roads, Routes and Highways, Ancient Seas, Foothills, Plains and Valleys, Lakes
Activities Scenic Driving
Parks Death Valley National Park
  • Death Valley National Park

    Visit Badwater Basin
    • Activity Fee: Yes
    • Reservations: No
    • Activity: Scenic Driving
    • Pets: No
    • Location: Badwater Basin
    • Duration: 1–2 Hours
    • Season: Winter, Spring, Fall
    • Time of Day: Day, Dawn, Dusk
    An expansive salt flat with distant desert mountains and a pink sky sunset.

    Badwater Basin is the lowest elevation in North America at - 282 feet (- 86 m) below sea level. A visit to this otherworldly salt flat will provide you with a unique experience and a landscape that appears to stretch on forever. A short 1/4 mile (400 m) hike will you bring you to the polygon salt formations that Death Valley is famous for, or in the summer months, the view can be enjoyed from the parking area.

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  • Death Valley National Park

    Tour Artists Drive
    • Activity Fee: Yes
    • Reservations: No
    • Activity: Scenic Driving
    • Pets: Yes with Restrictions
    • Location: Artists Drive
    • Duration: 25–45 Minutes
    • Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
    A vehicle drives along a single lane road through colorful, eroded hills.

    Enjoy a scenic drive through a geologic rainbow! Artists Drive is a one-way, nine mile (14.5 km) drive which passes through eroded, colorful desert hills. Artists Palette (a viewpoint) has the most colorful scenery along the road.

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  • Death Valley National Park

    Check Out Devils Golf Course
    • Activity Fee: Yes
    • Reservations: No
    • Activity: Scenic Driving
    • Pets: No
    • Season: Winter, Spring, Fall
    • Time of Day: Any Time
    Sharp, eroded salt formations stretch into the background.

    An immense area of rock salt eroded by wind and rain into jagged spires. So incredibly serrated that "only the devil could play golf on such rough links." Listen carefully and you'll hear sounds like tiny pops and pings. The sound is literally billions of tiny salt crystals bursting apart as they expand and contract in the heat.

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Last updated: October 6, 2020