Navigate The Most Diverse and Intriguing Landscapes In the US In Death Valley National Park

When you plan a vacation all about hiking, you probably don’t even consider the hottest spots on earth as exactly conducive to this activity. But that means you’re excluding one of the most massively diverse regions in the entire country — Death Valley National Park. Navigate the most diverse and intriguing landscapes in the US in Death Valley National Park.

In fact, the park itself is massive: over 5,200 square miles of intriguing rock formations, salt flats, and hiking trails. It’s not the largest national park in the United States (that record is held by the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska — it’s over 13,000 square miles!), but Death Valley is nearly twice the size of Yellowstone (3,471 square miles) and almost three times the size of Glacier National Park (1,583 square miles) — just to give you some perspective.

The cool thing is that, even with all this land, most of Death Valley’s greatest hiking opportunities fall into the “you don’t need to be fresh out of the gym” and the “of course, the kids can come!” categories — no real elevation changes and super accessible. If you live in or are visiting the Las Vegas area for hiking at Red Rock Canyon, Death Valley is a worthwhile day trip. From Red Rock Canyon to Death Valley, it’s just a little more than four hours by car.

One of the best of these easy hikes is Badwater Basin’s Salt Flats Trail. Not only can you say you hiked over 280 feet below sea level to North America’s lowest point, but you get to admire just how enormous the cliffs are from that perspective.

This trail is just under two miles round-trip with an elevation gain of just 10 feet. It only takes about an hour to traverse the entire trail, though you may want to extend it by taking in the sights — Dante’s View is nearby. The trail can become a bit crowded during peak season and peak hours, so arrive as close to sunrise as possible. And since there’s absolutely no shade or trees to escape the hot midday sun, starting your trek at sunrise or nearer to the end of the day makes for a more pleasant stroll.

Do not miss out! Navigate the most diverse and intriguing landscapes in the US in Death Valley National Park.