What Is the Best Time to Travel to Death Valley National Park?

The spring and fall are the most popular times to visit Death Valley National Park, but you could get better deals visiting in the summer or winter.
Written by Payton Ternus
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
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If you’re looking to see beautiful wildflowers, camp and hike, or visit the hottest place on the planet, the best time to visit
Death Valley National Park
will depend on your interests and heat tolerance. The spring and fall are the most popular times to visit this national park, but you could find better travel deals in the summer or winter.
Death Valley National Park is infamous for its scorching temperatures—but it can be tricking the right time to visit this notorious spot. Crowds, travel costs, and extreme heat can affect how fun your trip is, so you’ll need to carefully plan everything out.
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The best times of year to visit Death Valley National Park

While you plan your trip, you’ll need to consider a few key factors. If you’re wanting to catch the wildflowers in bloom, you’ll need to go during one of the most popular seasons: spring. If you’re more focused on getting the best deals on lodging and other travel costs, your best bet will be the summer or winter months.

Peak season: March-May and October-November

Cacti blooming in Death Valley.
The good: Wildflowers, pleasant temperatures, more outdoor activities permitted
The bad: Busy seasons, larger crowds, more expensive
The weather: lows in the 50s-highs in the 90s for both seasons
Spring and fall in Death Valley National Park bring more pleasant temperatures than the hot summers. The last week of March through the week of Easter is the busiest time to visit, along with
Death Valley 49ers Week
and Thanksgiving in the fall.
Wildflower season
, spring break, and 49ers Week are the biggest tourist attractions during Death Valley National Park’s peak seasons. The park will most likely be the most crowded during these times, and travel costs will be at their highest costs.
Pro Tip Spring is particularly busy with spring break, so if you plan to visit during these months make sure you book well in advance.

Off-season: December through February

The open road in Death Valley.
The good: Cooler temperatures, smaller crowds, less expensive
The bad: Less daylight, rainiest season
The weather: Rainy, snow in higher elevations, 60s-70s in the day and can even dip to freezing temperatures at night
Believe it or not, if you visit the hottest place on Earth during the winter off-season you may actually need a coat! Temperatures can dip to freezing during the winter, a far cry from summer heatwaves. Higher elevations, like
Telescope Peak
, can even see snow!
The park gets very busy between Christmas and New Year, but overall it’s a fairly slow season. There are still plenty of things to do in the winter at Death Valley National Park, like hiking to
Golden Canyon
, going down
Badwater Road
, or making the trek to
Desolation Canyon
.

Shoulder season: May-September

View of the colorful peaks in Death Valley National Park.
The good: Most visitors stay in their cars, lower travel costs
The bad: Certain outdoor activities not allowed due to high heat, thunderstorms, flash floods
The weather: Lows of 80s, highs over 120s
The summertime is the “shoulder season” of Death Valley National Park—or the time period between peak and off-seasons. You’ll see smaller crowds than the peak seasons, but there’s one thing you’ll have to deal with—the hottest summer on the planet. You’ll need to bring plenty of water and sunblock!
Camping and hiking at Death Valley National Park are not recommended during the summer months. If you do want to be outdoors at lower elevations, you’ll want to do it before 10 a.m. Most summer tourists travel the park by car and stop at the
Points of Interest
, but there are two summer hikes at higher elevations you can do:
Telescope Peak
and
Wildrose Peak
.

The cheapest time to visit Death Valley National Park

Want the cheapest trip to Death Valley National Park? Book your visit for the winter. The park is less busy during this time period, so you’ll be able to score the best deals on lodging and other travel expenses.
If you want to experience Death Valley’s notorious heat, you can still get pretty good deals during the summertime. It will be extremely hot and you’ll need to make sure you’re fully prepared, but there are beautiful views to be seen in the summer months!

Find the best month for your visit to Death Valley National Park

Ready to start planning your trip to Death Valley National Park? Take a look at this table to figure out the ideal time for you to visit the park based on your interests.
Activity
Best month to visit
Why?
Lectures and guest speakers
Year-round
Guest speakers and lectures vary by month and year, so check online for upcoming talks.
Wildflower season
March-April
Wildflowers reach their peak blooming around March and April, and they are quite a sight to behold!
Camping
Year-round excluding summer
You can camp out at the campgrounds at the park, but it’s not recommended during the summer heat.
Hiking
Year-round
Lace up your hiking boots and visit the sites like
Golden Canyon
,
Telescope Peak
,
Desolation Canyon
,
Badwater Road
, and
Wildrose Peak
Death Valley 49ers Week
November
49ers week
celebrates Death Valley, and is a fun way to learn about its history.
Pro Tip Lectures and other events at Death Valley National Park change every year, so make sure to check with the National Park Service website for their event schedule.

How to save on car and rental insurance

Whether you decide to take a road trip to Death Valley or rent a car when you land at the nearest airport, you’ll need to be covered by the right car insurance policy.
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With Jerry, the savings are the real deal—the average Jerry user saves an average of $887 per year on car insurance premiums. Savings like that could mean another vacation in your near future!
MORE: How to use a car rental coupon
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FAQs

There isn’t a “worst” time to visit Death Valley, but the temperatures in the summer can be dangerous. Summer temperatures are regularly above 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and most outdoor activities are restricted or advised against doing altogether.
August is usually the hottest month in Death Valley, reaching temperatures as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit during the day.
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