Death Valley Itinerary: Two Strenuous Days, Plus Plans for 1 to 3 Days

Death Valley rewards a plan more than almost any other park. It's huge, the drives are long, services are few, and the heat can turn a short walk dangerous. My guide, Death Valley National Park: History, Highlights, and One- to Three-Day Adventures, turns all of that into nine clear plans for one, two, or three days, built around Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells.

Why go

According to the National Park Service, the park covers more than 3 million acres, and Badwater Basin, at 282 feet below sea level, is the lowest point in North America. Zabriskie Point and the Mesquite Dunes are favorites at sunrise and sunset, and Dantes View looks down over the salt flats. In winter, the surrounding peaks can wear snow.

The park is also known for record summer heat, and it keeps a dedicated heat-safety page for good reason. Cell service is limited too, so you'll want your plan settled before you lose signal.

The payoff is a landscape that doesn't look like anywhere else: salt flats, sand dunes, colored badlands, and canyons, all within a long day's drive of each other.

How many days do you need in Death Valley?

One day covers the Furnace Creek side: Badwater Road, the salt flat, Artists Drive, and sunset at Zabriskie Point. Two days let you see both halves of the central valley, adding the Stovepipe Wells side with Salt Creek, the Mesquite Flat dunes, and Mosaic Canyon, or, on the strenuous plan, a climb in the Panamint Mountains. Two nights at Furnace Creek work for every plan, though Stovepipe Wells Village, with a motel, a restaurant, a general store, and 24-hour gas, makes a good second base. Timing matters: the plans are built around the cool season, and water reaches the Salt Creek boardwalk only from about November through May. The guide has plans for one, two, and three days at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for heat, wind, rain, or a closed road.

Sample itinerary: two strenuous days in Death Valley

Here's a shortened version of the guide's strenuous two-day plan: the Golden Canyon-Gower Gulch circuit on the first day and Wildrose Peak in the Panamint Mountains on the second. Day 1 is about 10 miles of walking; Day 2 is a round-trip climb of about 8 to 8.4 miles and 2,200 to 2,600 feet, with 1.5 to 2 hours of driving each way. Two nights at Furnace Creek work fine.

Day 1: the Golden Canyon-Gower Gulch circuit and Dantes View

This day is the guide's strenuous one-day plan, start to finish. Set out at 6:45 a.m. on the 7.8-mile badlands circuit through Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch, the longest walk of the day. Then head to Badwater, and finish with sunset at Dantes View. It adds up to about 10 miles of walking, and the guide's notes on water and gas apply all day. Tomorrow's departure is 6:30 a.m., so go to bed early.

Backup plan: in rain, stay out of washes and canyons, because flash floods run through them, and check which roads are open. The one-day plan this day comes from has the full alternative.

Day 2: Wildrose Peak and the Charcoal Kilns

Leave Furnace Creek at 6:30 a.m. with a full tank and plenty of water, because there's no water at Wildrose. Drive west on Highway 190 past Stovepipe Wells, south on Emigrant Canyon Road, and up the Charcoal Kilns Road, where the last 2 miles are gravel and vehicles over 25 feet can't go. Watch for burros standing in the road. Spend 15 minutes at the row of ten kilns, built in 1877, then start up Wildrose Peak at 8:30: 8.4 miles round trip, about 5 to 6 hours, gentle through pinyon and juniper for a little over a mile, then steep. From the top you look across to Telescope Peak and down toward Badwater. Bring layers, since the summit is far cooler than the valley. Come back by way of Stovepipe Wells for a pool or shower day pass and an early dinner.

Backup plan: winter storms can bring snow to Wildrose Peak, and the high Panamints can be icy. If there's snow on the trail or the road is closed, walk the 2.7-mile Badlands Loop from Zabriskie Point and the Dantes View ridge north of the parking lot instead. In summer, this is the hike to do; the park suggests Wildrose Peak for when it gets too hot in the valley.

The full version in the Death Valley guide adds maps, meals, and wildlife to watch for, along with the other eight itineraries.

What's in the guide

• Nine itineraries: one, two, and three days at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, with timing, distances, driving, food and water, and a backup plan for heat, wind, rain, or a closed road.
• History, from the Timbisha Shoshone homeland and the lost '49ers to borax and the twenty-mule teams, the mining camps, Scotty's Castle, and the floods that reshape the roads.
• Highlights from Badwater Basin, Artists Drive, and Zabriskie Point to Golden Canyon, Dantes View, the Mesquite Flat dunes, Mosaic Canyon, Wildrose, and Ubehebe Crater.
• A wildlife chapter on 14 commonly seen animals, from coyotes, ravens, and roadrunners to chuckwallas and the Salt Creek pupfish, each with a photograph and notes on where and when to look.
• Trip planning for seasons and heat, lodging, campgrounds, gas and water, accessibility, pets, and staying safe on desert roads.
• 34 photographs and 6 orientation maps.

Who it's for

If you want the classic sights with short walks, the easy plans cover them. If you want to hike Golden Canyon or Mosaic Canyon, the harder plans make room for it. Whatever the effort level, every plan accounts for distance and heat, which is what usually goes wrong here.

Formats

You get an EPUB for Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, and most e-reader apps (Kindle readers can use Amazon's Send to Kindle), and a 97-page PDF that opens on the illustrated cover and works on any computer, tablet, or phone, or for printing. The download link arrives by email right after purchase.

This is the first illustrated edition, with research completed in October 2026. Roads and campgrounds change often here, so check the park's alerts before you go. Fill the tank, carry extra water, and catch the sunrise at Zabriskie Point.

Get the Death Valley National Park guide

Traveling with kids? See visiting Death Valley with kids for the best short walks, Junior Ranger tips, where to stay, and family stops nearby.

Before you go: see Death Valley National Park alerts and current conditions, checked daily, for current closures and what they mean for your trip.

This is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Conditions change; check the park's current alerts before you go.