Best Time to Visit Death Valley National Park

Pick a month. Best months are in bold.

The best months to visit Death Valley National Park are January, February and November — computed from official NPS visitation (2021–2025 average), NOAA weather normals and daylight. March is the crowd peak (161,109 monthly visits); September is quietest at 38% of peak.

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Best months for fewer crowds

The quietest months at Death Valley, leaving out harsh weather and months when main access is typically closed.

Monthly crowd curve

Average monthly recreation visits, 2021–2025 (NPS Visitor Use Statistics). Amber bar = current month.

Death Valley month by month

Crowds: NPS Visitor Use Statistics, mean of 2021–2025 (2020 excluded as a COVID-19 anomaly). Weather: NOAA 1991–2020 monthly normals, station DEATH VALLEY NP, CA US (1 mi from park coordinates). Daylight: computed for the 15th of each month at the park's location. Methodology.

How many people visit Death Valley each year

Death Valley National Park had 1,320,134 recreation visits in 2025, 8% fewer than 2024 (NPS Visitor Use Statistics). The busiest year since 2015 was 2019, with 1,740,945. Over 2021–2025 it averaged 1,227,132 visits a year, which makes it the 23rd most-visited of the 63 national parks.

Calendar-year recreation visits as published by NPS Visitor Use Statistics. 2020 is shown here but left out of the monthly averages above, because the COVID-19 pandemic makes it unrepresentative. See how every park compares: all 63 parks ranked by visits.

What to pack for Death Valley in January

Computed from January's weather normals — Death Valley's best month above. Visiting another month? Each month page has its own weather-computed list.

• Warm mid-layer (fleece or light puffy) — mornings average 43°F
• Headlamp — only 9.9 hours of daylight in mid-January (compare other options)
• Sturdy broken-in footwear, navigation and a basic first-aid kit — every park, every month

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Common questions

Death Valley month by month: notes from the park service

• January: January sits in the middle of Furnace Creek Campground's reservation season, which the park service runs from October 15 to April 15. Reservations open six months ahead (July, for a January stay) and close two days before arrival.
• February: February is in the second half of Furnace Creek Campground's reservation season at Death Valley, which runs from October 15 to April 15. It is the only campground in the park that takes bookings, from six months ahead to two days before arrival, so a February stay can be reserved from August.
• March: March falls near the end of Furnace Creek Campground's reservation season at Death Valley, which covers October 15 through April 15. After mid-April the campground leaves its reservation season.
• April: April is the end of Death Valley's busy camping season: Furnace Creek Campground takes reservations only until April 15. For trip planning, the Furnace Creek Visitor Center is open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• May: Planning a May trip to Death Valley? The park service says not to hike in the valley or at lower elevations when it is hot; the mountains are generally cooler and offer some relief.
• June: June in Death Valley can be brutal. The park service calls it the hottest place in the world, with summer highs as high as 130°F and nights that can stay at 90°F.
• July: July is peak heat at Death Valley, where the park service puts summer temperatures at up to 130°F. Know the warning signs it lists: heat exhaustion brings nausea, vomiting, fatigue, headache, cramps and pale, cool, clammy skin; heat stroke adds confusion or disorientation and is a medical emergency.
• August: The park service warns about two hazards at Death Valley besides the roads: extreme heat and flash floods. The park warns that floods come fast and without warning, carry rocks and branches, and can badly injure anyone caught in a canyon or wash, so do not hike canyons during a rainstorm or when rain is likely, and head for higher ground if water rises.
• September: September at Death Valley can still be very hot, and the park service's heat advice holds: skip the valley floor trails while it is hot, drink a gallon of water or more each day and watch for heat illness. It is also a month to plan ahead for the cooler season: Furnace Creek Campground's reservation season opens on October 15, and bookings can be made up to six months in advance on recreation.gov.
• October: October is the month Death Valley's camping season begins. The park service opens reservations at Furnace Creek Campground for stays from October 15 through April 15, so a trip in the second half of the month can be booked on recreation.gov, as early as six months before and no later than two days before you arrive.
• November: November falls inside Death Valley's reservation season for Furnace Creek Campground, which the park service runs from October 15 to April 15. Furnace Creek is the only park campground you can book; every other park campground is first-come, first-served when it is open, and the park notes that many of them are seasonal, so check the specific campground before you count on it.
• December: For a December trip, the camping question at Death Valley is whether you booked Furnace Creek. The park service takes reservations there for its October 15 to April 15 season, from six months out until two days before arrival, so a holiday-week stay can be reserved as early as late June.

Each month page carries the full note and the NPS page it comes from.

Dive into a month

Comparing parks for the same trip? See how Death Valley ranks against all 63 parks in January, February and November.

Last verified 2026-09-24 · all parks