Events & What’s Happening
World-famous 135-mile ultramarathon starting at Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America, and finishing at the trailhead of Mount Whitney, contested in the brutal July heat as an ultimate endurance challenge.
💡Spectating at Badwater Basin at the start is a memorable experience for older kids; keep young children out of direct sun and bring far more water than you think you need.
Long-running annual gathering commemorating the pioneers who crossed Death Valley in 1849, featuring gold panning demonstrations, guided hikes, cowboy poetry, storytelling, and historical presentations at Furnace Creek.
💡Gold panning demonstrations are a huge hit with kids; the cooler November weather makes this one of the most comfortable times for families to visit the park.
Annual golf tournament held at Furnace Creek Golf Course, the lowest-elevation golf course in the world at 214 feet below sea level, drawing players who come for the novelty and the mild fall climate.
💡Non-playing family members can explore the Furnace Creek Visitor Center and nearby Borax Museum while golfers play; the course is a fun photo stop for kids.
Annual celebration of Death Valley's International Dark Sky Park status featuring ranger-led stargazing programs, telescope viewing, astronomy talks, and night sky photography workshops held across the park.
💡Bring blankets and red-light flashlights for kids; the ranger programs are excellent for curious children and run family-friendly hours before midnight.
In years with sufficient winter rainfall, Death Valley erupts in spectacular wildflower superbloom events drawing visitors from around the world to see carpets of desert gold, phacelia, and other native wildflowers across the valley floor and hills.
💡Check the NPS wildflower hotline before visiting; Badwater Road and Jubilee Pass are great low-effort viewing spots that work well for families with strollers.
Annual running event held in the cooler spring months through the scenic landscape of Death Valley National Park, with routes passing iconic park features and offering participants a truly unique racing environment.
💡The finish line celebration near Furnace Creek is festive and family-friendly; younger kids can cheer on participants while older children may be eligible for the shorter distances.
Free evening programs led by Death Valley National Park rangers at Furnace Creek Amphitheater covering topics like geology, wildlife, history, and dark skies; schedule varies by season.
💡Arrive 15 minutes early for good seating; bring a light jacket as desert temperatures drop quickly after sunset and kids get chilly fast.
Children can pick up a Junior Ranger booklet at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center any day it is open and complete age-appropriate activities throughout the park to earn an official Death Valley Junior Ranger badge and certificate.
💡Pick up the booklet first thing in the morning and plan your park stops around the activities; kids are incredibly motivated to earn the badge and it structures the whole visit beautifully.
Short informal ranger talks presented inside or just outside the Furnace Creek Visitor Center covering Death Valley history, geology, and ecology, offered several times per week during the peak visitor season.
💡The indoor setting is a welcome air-conditioned break; the talks are short enough to hold children's attention and rangers are great at engaging young audiences with props and stories.
Seasonal ranger-guided morning walk across the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes near Stovepipe Wells, exploring dune ecology, animal tracks, and desert adaptation stories in the cool morning hours.
💡Start time is early but the cool morning air makes it the best dune experience for kids; bring sand-friendly shoes that tie securely and watch for animal tracks from the night before.
Planning Your Visit
Neighborhoods & Areas
Local Tips for Families
- 💡Fill your gas tank completely in Pahrump (Nevada) or Ridgecrest before entering the park — in-park fuel at Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells costs roughly $1.50-2.00 more per gallon than outside the park, and running out of gas in the backcountry is a genuine emergency situation.
- 💡The Death Valley Junior Ranger booklet, available free at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, has a 'lowest point in North America' stamp activity kids can complete at Badwater Basin — collect the stamp at the visitor center after showing a photo from the basin.
- 💡Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are most magical and coolest between 6:30–8:30am in winter and spring — the low-angle light creates dramatic shadows across the dune ridges that make for incredible photos, and temperatures are 20 degrees cooler than by noon.
- 💡The Furnace Creek Visitor Center shows a free 20-minute film called 'Death Valley: The Wilderness Experience' on the hour — it covers the park's geology and Timbisha Shoshone history and is a great 15-minute cool-down break for families before heading back out.
- 💡Scotty's Castle in the park's northern section has been closed since 2015 flood damage but is expected to reopen for tours in phases — check nps.gov/deva before your trip as the historic Spanish-style mansion and its story of con man Walter Scott are among the most compelling in any national park.
- 💡Artist's Drive, a 9-mile one-way paved loop past the multicolored volcanic deposits of Artist's Palette, is best visited between 3–5pm when the afternoon sun hits the pink, green, and purple hillsides directly — the colors are dramatically muted in morning light.
- 💡Bring at least 1 gallon of water per person per day even in winter — the extreme dryness of the park (average annual rainfall is 2.2 inches) causes rapid dehydration that doesn't feel as obvious as sweating in humid climates, and kids are especially vulnerable.
- 💡The Racetrack Playa, home to the mysterious sliding rocks that leave trails across the dry lakebed, requires a 27-mile drive on a rough washboard dirt road from Ubehebe Crater — only attempt it with a high-clearance vehicle and check road conditions at the visitor center the morning of your visit.