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Desert Wildflower Updates
Death Valley National Park comprises more than 3.3 million acres of spectacular desert scenery, rare desert wildlife, complex geology, undisturbed wilderness and sites of historical interest. Death Valley is unique because it contains the lowest, hottest, driest location in North America. Nearly 550 square miles of its area lie below sea level. Ecologically, its plants and animals are representative of the Mojave Desert.
Death Valley is one of the hottest places on earth, attaining the second-highest temperature ever recorded, 134 degrees F. in 1913. It contains the lowest point in the western hemisphere -- 282 feet below sea level near Badwater -- as well as numerous high-rising mountain peaks, including Telescope Peak at over 11,000 feet. Death Valley was named by gold-seekers, some of whom died crossing the valley during the 1849 California gold rush.
General Information
Rates & Fees
Vehicle Entrance Fee: $20.00 for 7 Days
This permit allows all persons traveling with the permit holder in one single private, non-commercial vehicle (car/truck/van) to leave and re-enter the park as many times as they wish during the 7-day period from the date of purchase.
Individual Entrance Fee: $10.00 for 7 Days
This permit allows a single individual traveling on foot, motorcycle, or bicycle to leave and re-enter the park as many times as they wish during the 7-day period from the date of purchase. If the motorcycle or bicycle has more than one rider, each rider is charged the $10.00 fee.
Activity Fees
Scotty's Castle Living History Tour Fee: $11.00 per adult
Scotty's Castle Underground Myteries Tour Fee: $11.00 per adult
Seasons / Hours
The park is open 24 hours a day, year round.
Visitor Center
- Located at Furnace Creek near the junction of California routes 178 and 190. The Furnace Creek Visitor Center is open daily in summer and winter from 8 AM to 6 PM.
- National Park Service ranger/information stations:
- Wildrose Campground, Route 178 at the west end of the park
- Stovepipe Wells on Route 190
- Shoshone, near the junction of California routes 178 and 127
- Beatty, Nevada on Route 374 near U.S. Route 95
Facilities/Features
Stores/Museums
Located in the center of the park, the Furnace Creek Visitor Center houses museum exhibits, a visitor information desk, and the Death Valley Natural History Association bookstore.
There is a contact and fee collection station at Stovepipe Wells Village with a Natural History Association book sales outlet.
The tour ticket office at Scotty's Castle also has a book sales outlet and a small museum with displays from the Castle collection.
Programs & Events
Costumed living history tours of Scotty's Castle are available every day from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Limited to a maximum of 19 people per tour, tickets are available on the day of the tour on a first come first served basis at the Castle ticket Office. The tour is $8.00 per adult. Golden Age Card and childrens discounts apply.
The Death Valley 49er's annual encampment takes place the second weekend in November. The encampment draws thousands of campers to programs, sing alongs, art shows, square dances, and backcountry tours.
 Ranger Nature Tours
During the peak season, November through April, ranger guided hikes, talks, and evening programs are presented. A weekly schedule of programs is available at the Visitor Center.
Food/Supplies
The Furnace Creek Ranch and the Stovepipe Wells Village both provide small camper stores with staple goods and limited supplies. There are also gas stations at both locations.
Accessibility
Most park facilities have been upgraded for accessibility, while others could be used with assistance.
Take a quick ride through Titus Canyon
Rules & Regulations
It is the visitor's responsibility to know and obey park rules. Regulations are designed for visitors' protection and to protect natural resources.
Accessibility
Death Valley's visitor centers, contact stations, and museums are accessible to all visitors.
The campgrounds with the exceptions of Texas Spring and the outlying campgrounds at Wildrose, Thorndike, and Mahogany Flat all have accessible sites.
The grounds at Scotty's Castle are accessible to all visitors. The first floor of the Castle guided tour is accessible, but due to severe mechanical failure, the wheelchair lift to the upper floors is out of order.
All-terrain Vehicles
ATVs and California "Green Sticker" vehicles are not allowed in the park.
Bicycling
Bicycling is permitted on all open roads, both paved and dirt, but not on trails. Roads are narrow, so ride cautiously.
Campfires
Campfires are allowed only in firepits provided in developed campgrounds. They are prohibited elsewhere in the park. Gathering firewood is unlawful.
Coping with the weather
Although rain is relatively rare in the desert, when it does come it can really pour down. Even when it isn’t raining where you are, rain in the mountains can run off so fast as to cause flash floods. Stay alert.
Day-use and Restricted Areas
Some areas within the park are privately owned; others protect wildlife or historical sites. Entering these "closed" areas is prohibited. Day-use areas are closed from dusk to dawn to protect wildlife and prevent overuse of heavily travelled areas. It is illegal to camp in a day-use area.
Dehydration
It is easy to become dehydrated here in the summer. Even if you only plan to drive through the park, you should carry some water with you.
If you are going to be hiking or biking, you will want to take along two gallons per person. The park does Not recommend hiking during the summer at low elevation. Please check with us for ideas for cooler summer hikes. Drink water and do not economize. When the water is half gone, it is time to turn back.
Emergency Phones
Telephones are located at all of the park communities, resorts, contact stations, and museums. In an emergency, dial 911.
Cell phones do not work in Death Valley! Do not depend on a cell phone for your safety. If a cell is all that you have and you are in danger, try calling 911! 911 is a mandated service for all cell phone providers and may work in certain areas.
Firearms and Weapons
Firearms, including fireworks, traps, bows, BB guns, paint-ball guns, and slingshots are not allowed in Death Valley National Park. Do not bring them with you.
Food Storage
Store food in hard-sided containers or in your vehicle to prevent ravens, coyotes, and other wildlife from getting into it.
Keep Wildlife Wild
Feeding coyotes, ravens, road runners and other wild animals is strictly illegal and is very destructive to them and to their wild nature. Our food causes them great harm and creates conflicts with humans that often result in the death or destruction of the animal. Do Not Feed Them.
Leave No Trace
During your visit please pick up trash around campgrounds and trails. Your actions will inspire other park visitors.
Lost & Found
Report lost items, and turn in found items, at any visitor center or ranger station. We do our best to get items back to their owners.
Off-road Driving
Vehicles, including bicycles, are restricted to established open roads. No off-road driving is allowed. There are 785 miles of paved, high-clearance, and 4X4 roads in the park, and they are open to all licensed vehicles.
Park Off the Road Surface
Park roads are narrow and winding and sometimes have poor line-of-sight around corners. Please do not stop in the road to admire Mr. Coyote or look at a map. If you wish to stop, pull cautiously off the side of the road so that all four tires are off the edge of the pavement. Also, be cautious of parking around a corner where oncoming traffic cannot see you.
Pets
While pets are allowed in the park, their activities are restricted. All pets must be on a leash at all times and cannot be more than 100 feet from a road, picnic area, or campground; they are prohibited from trails, and they must never be left unattended—not even in a vehicle.
Potable Water
Water is available at all park communities, visitor centers, contact stations and museums. It is available at most campgrounds with some exceptions. See the Visitor's Guide for campground information.
S.C.R.
The most deadly the most dangerous thing in Death Valley National Park! It is not the sun, it is not the snakes, it is not the heat. It is the Single Car Rollover. Our roads date from the 1930s. To drive these narrow twisting gravel- sided roads at 70, 80, or 90 miles per hour is a death wish. Caution! The SCR kills more people in Death Valley than all other dangers combined.
Stay Out and Stay Alive
There are literally thousands of abandoned mines, mines shafts, and mining structures in Death Valley. The National Park Service has tried to cover the openings of the most dangerous of these shafts with a protective wire mess, but hundreds of dangerous sites remain. If you choose to visit any mining sites, please use extreme caution and do not enter old mine workings.
Sun Safety
That desert sun can damage eyes as well as skin. Wear a hat and sunglasses and use sunblocking lotion liberally.
Take Only Pictures
Over one million people visit Death Valley National Park each year. If each visitor took only one rock or one wildflower, the park, our national treasure, would be denuded. This has happened to parks in the past and those parks no longer exist! Removal, disturbance, destruction, or disfigurement of anything in the park is a crime, and for good reason.
Trash
Our dry desert climate cannot quickly decompose such things as orange peels, apple cores, egg shells, and other picnic remains. Loose paper blows into bushes creating an unsightly mess, and plastic six-pack rings can strangle wildlife. Dispose of your trash in a responsible manner and recycle whatever you can.
Vehicle Laws
Park roads are narrow, winding, and rolling with many sharp and blind corners. Some areas are congested. Speed limits are there for your safety and the safety of others. State and federal vehicle laws apply within the park.
You Are Responsible
You are responsible for knowing and obeying park rules. Check at visitor centers, at entrance stations, and on bulletin boards to find out what they are. When in doubt, ask a ranger. There is bound to be one around somewhere.
Camping
- Camp only in designated locations. Check with a ranger for more information.
- Campfires are allowed only in fireplaces and portable stoves. Wood collecting -- dead or alive -- is prohibited throughout the park so bring or buy your own.
- Trash and waste must be placed in proper containers. Place a container under camper or trailer drains. Dump liquid waste, including dishwater, only at stations or restroom camper sinks.
- Camping is limited to no more than 30 days per year (October 1 through September 30) throughout the park. Camping limits are 14 days at Furnace Creek Campground and 30 days at all others.
- Quiet hours are from 10 PM to 7 AM. Generators may be operated, except at Texas Springs Campground, between 7 AM and 7 PM.
- Campground Reservations may be made five months in advance for the Furnace Creek Campground and its two group sites. Call 1-800-365-2267 or go to the National Park Service Reservations website at http://reservations.nps.gov.
Safety Precautions
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