Are you taking a tour of West America with kids and want an adventure? Then visit Death Valley with kids: a vast National Park known for its extremes. From enormous heat to salt flats, rock formations, canyons, sand dunes and mountains – this desert area in California constantly surprises you. It is the hottest and driest place in North America, with record temperatures of 54 degrees in 2013. The stunning soil, crisp clear air and optical illusions such as Fata Morganas make it seem like distances seem much shorter. In this blog, read everything you need for a great stay in Death Valley with kids.
Death Valley with kids
#1 Badwater Basin
Badwater Basin is known for being the lowest point in North America. It is 86 meters below sea level. It is about a 27-mile drive from Furnace Creek to get here. This does not seem long, but the maximum speed in Death Valley is low and it will quickly take you 30 minutes. Definitely do not skip this point, we found it to be 1 of the most impressive sights in this national park.
It is a huge salt flat that gets its name from a small pool of water that was once there. This water was enormously salty and was therefore called “Bad water,” or bad water. The plain is now 518 square kilometers in size. You can park your car at the edge of this plain and you can view it from your car (in extreme heat) or from the boardwalk.
The best part is actually walking on the salt flats! The salt flats are about 1.6 kilometers wide and take about 40 minutes to walk there and back. While walking, you have the idea of being on an alien planet.
Due to the extreme heat, we only walked a short distance up the salt flats during our visit. The conditions in Death Valley make for very cool photos, because distances are deceiving. Especially on the salt flats! Our kids really enjoyed this. It was a flash visit though, because after 15 minutes of being exposed to the heat and bright sun, we quickly sought the coolness of the air conditioning in the car. Keep applying sunscreen continuously, because you can feel the sun burning right away.
#2 Artists Drive & Artists Palette
About a 15-minute drive from the Visitor Center in Furnace Creek you will find the Artists Drive (Badwater Road). This is a one-way road that is 15 kilometers long and runs through hills that have different colors. We found it a very impressive route that was hilly and where the rocks around you really had multiple colors. Depending on the time of day, some of the colors also become more intense.
At several places you can pull the car over to admire the view. There is one stop along the route where you can actually park the car and take a walk towards
We definitely recommend this route because no matter what temperature it is, by being able to admire most of it from the car. Our kids liked that after visiting Badwater Basin. In addition, the route is adventurous with all the hills. Just be aware that certain vehicles, such as RVs, cannot drive this route.
#3 Furnace Creek
Furnace Creek is the central point from which to further explore Death Valley with kids. Here you will also find most of the facilities in the entire national park, including two hotels. The Ranch Resort also has a golf course for golf enthusiasts who would like to take a shot at the lowest place in North America. During the summer months, however, this is not possible due to the high temperatures. Furnace Creek is also home to the region’s only gas station, several campgrounds and the Furnace Creek Visitor Center.
This is the ideal base to get more information about the park before you visit it, and to be well briefed by the Park Rangers. Also, you can buy some water or loose snacks for the road here. In the Visitor Center you will find interactive maps of the national park and friendly rangers who can explain to you about the desert area, the animals that live here and the plants you can find there.
The explanations were in English, but very interactive, with stuffed animals and pieces of plants, which made it easy for our 7- and 10-year-old kids to understand. They learned about the rattle of a rattlesnake, the tracks of animals you can find and how to survive in the desert. They really enjoyed this!
In the process, they also give good tips on how to beat the heat. For example, we learned that we have been misapplying sunscreen all our lives, forgetting two important places on our face (bottom of nose and bottom of chin). These are the places that burn quickly when you visit the salt flats because they reflect the light upward.
In basically all of America’s national parks and national monuments, they have a Junior Ranger program. In many of the parks you can ask about this at the Visitor Center. This includes the Visitor Center at Death Valley National Park. If your kid wants to participate in the Junior Ranger program, you can ask a ranger about it.
For each age group, they have activity books about the park or monument. They are often assignments related to the different plants, animals, etc. they may encounter. A very fun way to learn a lot through play! Depending on their age, they must complete a minimum number of assignments, which are checked by the rangers. If the rangers give their approval, the kids receive a wooden badge, after taking the official ranger oath.
Our kids really enjoyed doing this and it was a sport for them to collect as many different badges as possible during our tour.
#4 Zabriskie Point
As you drive into Death Valley from Las Vegas, you will pretty soon drive past the famous Zabriskie Point viewpoint. This is about a 15-minute drive from Furnace Creek. You can park your car in the parking lot and then walk about 400 meters up an 18-meter-high hill. We thought: we’ll do that. That proved to be quite tough with the high temperatures and was immediately a good baptism of fire for the rest of the day.
We learned that even on this short hike, it is useful to bring water and lubricate properly. However, we also learned that Death Valley is full of surprises and is much more than just a desert full of sand. From Zabriskie Point you look out over the Badlands, golden dunes that are even more spectacular at sunrise and sunset. They have been formed over the years by water.
In the distance you can see the salt flats surrounded by mountains. You can also see from here a dune (Manly Beacon) 251 meters high, named after gold seekers who were active in this region in the past. Definitely check it out!
#5 Dante’s View
Another beautiful viewpoint is Dante’s View. This viewpoint is at an altitude of 1,500 meters in the mountains surrounding the valley. Because of the altitude, the temperature here is also a bit more pleasant. This viewpoint can be reached without hiking from the parking lot, so it is easily accessible. This road can only be driven by passenger cars; it is not suitable for RVs.
You will find this viewpoint a 1-hour drive from the visitor center. Unfortunately, during our visit to Death Valley, we did not have enough time to make the drive to this viewpoint. However, the viewpoint is considered one of the must-do’s in the park.
#6 Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
On our way through Death Valley, we drove past the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. This is an area full of sand dunes about a 30-minute drive from Furnace Creek. Due to the high temperatures at the time – it was around 2 p.m. in the afternoon – we were unable to make another stop here.
The rangers at the Visitor Center do recommend it as a stop during your visit to the park, especially in the mornings or early evening. This is because this is also one of the places where you can spot multiple animals, and because of the sand, the tracks are also easy to see.
Here you can encounter desert rats, sidewinders (snakes) and scorpions, among other things. They are happy to give more information about this at the visitor center. Unfortunately, we were only able to admire the dunes from the car.
Family-friendly hotel Death Valley National Park
Because of the extremes in Death Valley, you don’t have a lot of options for staying overnight. There are a total of four places to stay: Furnace Creek, Ranch and Inn Resorts, Stovepipe Wells Village and Panamint Springs Resort. Most people visit Death Valley on transit and stay overnight outside the park (depending on your route). We stayed overnight in Ridgecrest.
You have a number of family-friendly accommodations in the Death Valley area that are well-reviewed. We list these below.
Budget accommodation: Longstreet Inn & Casino
Mid-range accommodations: Stovepipe Wells Village
Luxury Accommodation: The Inn at Death Valley
Also check out the entire list of family-friendly accommodations around Death Valley.
For the families who really like adventure, there are also camping options in the park. However, campsites in the lower areas of the valley are too hot in the summer months to be comfortable, even at night. The campsites high in the mountains are too cold to stay in during the winter months. So it is important to familiarize yourself with the options, depending on the time period you want to visit Death Valley with kids.
Tips Death Valley with kids
Some things that are important to know before your visit to Death Valley with kids:
To visit national parks in the United States, you must pay entrance fees. If you are traveling around America and want to visit multiple parks, it is beneficial to purchase an America the Beautiful pass.
This pass costs $80 and then allows access to all national parks (not state parks). The pass is valid for one year. You can buy it online and have it sent to the Netherlands. We found it more convenient to purchase it at the entrance to the first national park we visited (you can purchase the pass at any national park).
Depending on the available time you have in Death Valley with kids and the heat, we recommend the following places to visit: #1, 2, 3 and 4 when visiting for about 2-3 hours. The remaining points at the possibility of staying longer.
Best travel time Death Valley
As described above, Death Valley is the warmest and driest place in North America. This is because the rain often falls in the mountains surrounding the valley and, as a result, it hardly rains in Death Valley itself. On the occasions when it does rain, there is a chance of flooding, because the ground is too dry to absorb moisture.
In the period between May and September, the temperature is between 35 and 50 degrees. Especially in the months of July and August, it is very hot. It is therefore advisable to visit Death Valley with kids as early in the morning as possible, because temperatures rise quickly.
In the other months, maximum temperatures average between 18 and 30 degrees. In the nights then (depending on where you stay) it can cool off considerably. In the valley, the nights remain quite warm throughout the year.
We visited Death Valley in July while in transit from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. We left early in the morning, but by the time we arrived in Death Valley, it was well warm. Think 40+ degrees at 10 in the morning. So the earlier you get there, the better and the more you can still enjoy the beautiful park.
Check locally which sights are best to visit and also let this depend on the weather at the time and the time you can spend in the park. Furthermore, it is very important to bring enough water and food, sunscreen and a hat, because the UV radiation is high! It was really hot, but we are glad we visited this park and found it very special to experience.
Transportation to and in Death Valley
For most families, Death Valley is a stopover on a tour of America. The nearest airport is Las Vegas. It is about a 2.5-hour flight away. A tip is to book your plane tickets early, as they are often cheaper then. Sites like skyscanner.com or kiwi.com make it easy to figure out the best flights for your family.
At the Las Vegas airport you can rent a car, for example through Sunnycars. Since distances in America are great (even within cities), renting a car is recommended. To visit Death Valley, a rental car is a must. The distances within the park are great, but the route to get in and out of the park is also long and at times you feel like you are alone in the world. We encountered no one during our drive for several hours.
Because of this, good preparation is key! Rental cars are generally well maintained by rental companies. Make sure you rent your car from a well-regarded party to avoid problems. Also, fill up on time, because in the park itself you can only fill up in Furnace Creek.
In the hot summer months, the car can have a tough time, especially when driving over the mountains when entering and leaving the park. When driving uphill, we found that it was best to turn the air conditioning down low or off to avoid overheating the car. Look online to rent a car in Las Vegas.
Family-friendly restaurant Death Valley
Because there are few options for food, it is important to prepare well for your trip and bring plenty of drinking water and food yourself. This is to avoid running out along the way.
About the author: We, Ronald and Maartje love to go “on adventures” with our 2 kids, discovering the world and making memories for life.
