Death Valley NP Camping

Death Valley NP Camping

Backcountry camping is allowed in areas that are at least 2 mi from maintained campgrounds and the main paved or unpaved roads, and ¼ mi from water sources. You will need a high-clearance or a 4x4 vehicle to reach these locations. For your own safety, fill out a voluntary backcountry registration form so the rangers will know where to find you.

You may build fires in the fire grates that are available at all campgrounds except Sunset and Emigrant. Fires may be restricted during summer at Thorndike, Mahogany Flat, and Wildrose (check with rangers about current conditions). Wood gathering is prohibited at all campgrounds. A limited supply of firewood is available at general stores in Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells, but since prices are high and supplies limited, you're better off bringing your own if you intend to camp. Camping is prohibited in the historic Inyo, Los Burro, and Ubehebe Crater areas as well as day-use spots including Aguerberry Point Road, Cottonwood Canyon Road, Racetrack Road, Skidoo Road, Titus Canyon Road, Wildrose Road, and West Side Road.

Campgrounds & RV Parks

Furnace Creek. This campground, 196 feet below sea level, has some shaded tent sites. Pay showers, a laundry, and a swimming pool are at nearby Furnace Creek Ranch. Reservations are accepted for stays between mid-October and mid-April; at other times sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Two group campsites can accommodate 40 people each. Hwy. 190, Furnace Creek. 301/722-1257; 800/365-2267 reservations. www.recreation.gov. 136 tent/RV sites. Flush toilets, dump station, drinking water, fire grates, picnic tables, public telephone, ranger station. AE, DC, MC, V credit cards accepted for reservations only, otherwise, no credit cards.

Panamint Springs Resort. Part of a complex that includes a motel and cabin, this campground is surrounded by cottonwoods. The daily fee includes use of the showers and restrooms. Hwy. 190, 28 mi west of Stovepipe Wells. 775/482-7680. 775/482-7682. 11 full-hookup RV sites, 26 tent sites, 30 water-only sites. Flush toilets, full hookups, partial hookups (water), dump station, drinking water, showers, fire grates, picnic tables, public telephone, general store, service station (gas only). AE, D, MC, V.

Stovepipe Wells Village. This is the second-largest campground in the park. Like Sunset, this area is little more than a giant parking lot, but pay showers and laundry facilities are available at the adjacent motel. Hwy. 190, Stovepipe Wells. 760/786-2387. 190 tent sites, 14 RV sites with full hookups. Flush toilets, dump station, drinking water, public telephone, general store, swimming (pool). Reservations not accepted. No credit cards. Mid-Oct.-mid-Apr.

Mesquite Springs. There are tent and RV spaces here, some of them shaded, but no RV hookups. No generators are allowed. Since Mesquite Springs is the only campground on the north end of the park, it attracts younger campers intent on getting away from the crowds. Access road 2 mi south of Scotty's Castle. No phone. 30 tent/RV sites. Flush toilets, dump station, drinking water, fire grates, picnic tables. Reservations not accepted. No credit cards.

Sunset Campground. This campground is a gravel-and-asphalt RV city. Hookups are not available, but you can walk across the street to the showers, laundry facilities, and swimming pool at Furnace Creek Ranch. Many of Sunset's denizens are senior citizens who migrate to Death Valley each winter to play golf and tennis or just to enjoy the mild, dry climate. No fires are allowed here. Sunset Campground Rd., 1 mi north of Furnace Creek. 760/786-2331. www.nps.gov/deva. 1,000 tent/RV sites. Flush toilets, dump station, drinking water, public telephone, play area, ranger station. Reservations not accepted. No credit cards. Mid-Oct.-mid-Apr.

Texas Spring. This campsite south of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center has good facilities and is a few dollars cheaper than Furnace Creek. No generators are allowed. In spring, not all sites may be available for RV use. Off Badwater Rd., south of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. 800/365-2267. 92 tent/RV sites. Flush toilets, dump station, drinking water, fire grates, picnic tables. Reservations not accepted. No credit cards. Mid-Oct.-mid-Apr.

Mahogany Flat. If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle and want to scale Telescope Peak, the park's highest mountain, you might want to sleep at one of the few shaded spots in Death Valley, at a cool 8,133 feet. It's the most scenic campground, set among pinyon pines and junipers, with a view of the valley. Off Wildrose Rd., south of Charcoal Kilns. No phone. 10 tent sites. Pit toilets, fire grates, picnic tables. Reservations not accepted. No credit cards. Mar.-Nov.

Thorndike. Folks who visit the park in summer often travel to this alpine campground high in the Panamint Mountains. During certain road conditions, you may need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to access the road. 1/2 mi east of Charcoal Kilns. No phone. 6 tent/RV sites. Pit toilets, fire grates, picnic tables. Reservations not accepted. No credit cards. Mar.-Nov.

Wildrose. Since it's on a paved road at a lower elevation (4,100 feet) than nearby Mahogany Flat, Wildrose is less likely to be closed because of snow in winter. The view here is not as spectacular as that from Mahogany Flat, but it does overlook the northern end of the valley. Wildrose Canyon Road, 37 mi south of Stovepipe Wells. No phone. 23 tent/RV sites. Pit toilets, drinking water (Apr.-Nov. only), fire grates, picnic tables. Reservations not accepted. No credit cards.