Want a memorable day trip from Vegas? Death Valley National Park is 120 miles from the strip. Explore it with this Death Valley itinerary!

If you’re visiting Las Vegas, running out of fun things to do probably isn’t something you’re overly worried about. That said—if you’re traveling with kids or want to combine your visit to Sin City with an outdoor adventure, check out Death Valley National Park. Death Valley is only about 120 miles (around a two-hour drive) from the Vegas strip. You can see a ton (although not all) of the sights with this kid-friendly one-day Death Valley itinerary.

Do you think of Death Valley as a barren, desolate place? Think again. Photo by Jill Robbins

One-day Death Valley Itinerary from Vegas

Death Valley National Park is the hottest, driest, and lowest U.S. National Park. Although the very name conjures up images of a barren, desolate wasteland, Death Valley has a unique beauty and easy-to-navigate hiking trails. If you visit in the spring or after a rare rainstorm, you may be treated to brilliant blooms that enhance the rugged landscape.

Death Valley has been protected as a national monument since 1933 and achieved full status as a national park in 1994. Its name stems from a group of pioneers stuck in the valley during the winter of 1849.

While you can’t see all of Death Valley in a day, you can see quite a bit of it. Photo by Jill Robbins

While it is impossible to see everything in a one-day visit, you can hit several popular spots and get a good feel for the park, not to mention incredible pictures, as a day trip from Vegas.

This Death Valley day tour is very kid-friendly and easy to manage for just about anyone.

How to Use this Death Valley Itinerary

This is the exact route my family and I took to explore the park on our recent visit. We arrived at the park’s entrance just before 9:00 a.m. and left at about 5:00 p.m. If you’ve got one day to spend, this Death Valley itinerary will help you hit most of the sights.

The timestamps I’ve listed are the actual times from our visit that will get you to Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes with plenty of daylight to spare, although this will vary based on the time of year. Your time spent at each stop may be more or less than I’ve listed, which is fine, but keep the bigger picture in your head. Make sure you’re not shortchanging yourself by not allowing at least an hour of daylight to explore the dunes, which is your final stop of the day.

Plan to spend a lot of time in your car traveling between the points of interest I’ve listed. You won’t need a vehicle with off-roading capabilities to navigate this Death Valley itinerary—a standard car is fine. Most of the roads you’ll travel on are paved and well-maintained. There are a few gravel/dirt roads, but you should have no trouble in a regular car. We were in a rented midsize crossover and had no problems.

How to Get to Death Valley from Las Vegas

To navigate this Death Valley itinerary as I’ve laid it out, you’ll need to be an early bird for at least this one day. You’ll want to be leaving Vegas no later than 7:00 a.m. If you’re visiting during December when the days are very short, consider leaving as early as 6:00 a.m. to enjoy maximum daylight.

Take NV-160 from Las Vegas toward Pahrump and follow the signs. We started from Vegas with a full tank of gas, and that was enough to get us there and back, plus drive around the park. If you need gas or services before hitting the park entrance, Pahrump is where you must stop. We had cell service for about 20 miles past Pahrump and then none until we reached the Stovepipe Wells Ranger Station inside the park at about 2:00 p.m.

If you have extra time and/or want a more scenic route, here are other options.

Trip Prep: Need to Know Info

There are a few practical tips that can help you during your one-day trip from Vegas to Death Valley National Park.

When driving through Death Valley National Park, it’s best to go old-school with a map. Photo by homeworks255 via iStock by Getty Images

• Check the weather conditions and the park website before you start.
• Know the times of sunrise/sunset on the day you plan to visit.
• Spring is the best time to visit Death Valley. Average highs in July/August are in the range of 115°F, so this is not a summer trip—it’s an ideal winter trip.
• You’ll be spending a lot of time in the car. Make sure you have what you need to be comfortable.
• There are limited opportunities to buy food and sundries. Pack what you need for the day, including lunch, snacks, and water.
• Dress in layers. I wore long pants and a tee shirt with a long-sleeved shirt over that and a heavy sweater. If I had a do-over, I would have also brought a jacket.
• There will be no internet/cell service. Download/cache/print maps and this itinerary so you can refer to it when you’re making your way through the park. You might also want to purchase a map. National Geographic has a great map for sale that shows the park.

Arrive at Death Valley National Park at 9:00 a.m.

You’ll probably want to get out and take some pictures of this sign, although you’ll have to drive a few more miles until you hit the automated pay station.

The pay station is a few miles after you pass this sign. Photo by Jill Robbins

The entrance fee is $30 per vehicle, and you’ll display your pass on your dashboard while in the park.

Dante’s View at 9:30 a.m.

From the pay station, you will take Furnace Creek Wash Road, following the signs for Dante’s View.

Dante’s View has fantastic views of the salt-crusted floors of the Badwater Basin—the lowest point in the United States—from the parking lot. If you’d like to adventure more, you can follow the trail for more views and photo-worthy spots.

If you’re visiting with kids, let them know that the terrain they’re looking down on is below sea level and that in a few hours, you’ll be down on those sand flats looking up at where you are standing.

A view of Badwater Basin from the top of Dante’s View. Photo by Jill Robbins

While there are some dips and loose rocks on this trail, it is pretty easy to navigate. You’re at an elevation of more than 5,000 feet, so a morning visit will offer you some of the chilliest temperatures you’ll experience inside Death Valley National Park, and you’ll be happy you brought your jacket.

Hiking trails near Dante’s View. Photo by Jill Robbins

Dante’s View is a favorite of Star Wars fans who will recognize it as Mos Eisley from Star Wars: A New Hope.

20 Mule Team Canyon at 10:45 a.m.

The drive from Dante’s View to 20 Mule Team Canyon will take about 45 minutes.

You’ll find a small turnout a little more than halfway through 20 Mule Team Canyon. This is a great place to stop and explore. The hiking/climbing here is easy to moderate.

You can drive through 20 Mule Canyon, but to get the full experience, take a short hike through these hills. Photo by Jill Robbins

If you drive straight through without stopping, you’ll need about 30 minutes. We spent about 45-50 minutes exploring the hills and enjoying the view.

Zabriskie Point at 11:30 a.m.

It’s a short 10-minute drive from 20 Mule Team Canyon to Zabriskie Point. Zabriskie Point is one of the most popular spots in the park. This is probably where you’ll see the most people in one spot throughout your day.

The path up to Zabriskie Point is steep but fully paved. Photo by Jill Robbins

There’s a paved pathway up to the top, where you’re treated to stunning views. The steep paved path is an easy climb. You’ll feel the burn of walking uphill, but there are no rocks or dips to navigate.

Lunch Break at Noon

You probably won’t need more than half an hour to explore Zabriskie Point. There’s a restroom in the parking lot, so this is a good place for a pit stop. We had a tailgate-style picnic here before moving on to our next stop.

We packed a cooler with sandwiches, chips, jerky, fruit, and cereal treats. As a reminder, you won’t find any place in the park to buy food until the latter part of your trip, and you won’t want to wait that long to refuel. Hangry and day trips don’t pair well together, and anyone who has ever traveled with kids knows the success of your outing is directly related to the quality and abundance of your snack stash.

Badwater Basin at 1:00 p.m.

At 282 feet below sea level, Badwater Basin is the lowest elevation point in the United States. These salt flats seem to stretch on forever, and you can walk out quite a ways if you’re up to it or have extra time. You might want to tell kids that while the salt flats are “real” salt, it isn’t what you’re supposed to eat. That said, I’m pretty sure my kids licked chunks of salt they picked up off the ground when I wasn’t looking.

The salt-crusted floor of Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park is the lowest elevation point in the United States. Photo by Jill Robbins

This is an ideal place for kids to run and play. The area is entirely flat and level. It’s also a lot of fun to turn around and look up at Dante’s Peak and talk about how different Badwater Basin looks from above.

If you’re on schedule, you’re starting to feel the heat about now and will probably want to shed a layer or two.

If you’re ahead of schedule, you can opt to check out the Devil’s Golf Course, which is salt that has formed into lumps. You can walk out onto the salt formations, which can be sharp and rough. We gave this a look from the road and opted to skip. While adults and teens might enjoy the novelty of walking on the Devil’s Golf Course, it’s not something I wanted to explore with two rambunctious 11-year-olds.

These rocks bordering Badwater Basin look similar to the formations at Devil’s Golf Course but are safer for kids. Photo by Jill Robbins

I think the extra time is best spent at your final stop on this itinerary, especially if you’re visiting with kids. You can get a taste of the same type of terrain in Badwater Basin, and it doesn’t feel quite so precarious.

Artist’s Drive at 1:45 p.m.

The Artist’s Drive is a 9-mile scenic journey through some of Death Valley’s most stunning landscapes.

As you leave the parking lot of Badwater Basin, you’ll travel north on Badwater Road for about five miles and turn right onto Artist’s Drive—it’s hard to miss.

Your must-see spot on Artist’s Drive is the Artist’s Palette. These rainbow-hued hills are the result of oxidized metal in the soil. This display of blue, green, yellow, and purple resembles an artist’s palette. This is easily the prettiest part of Death Valley National Park.

Artist’s Palette in Death Valley National Park. Photo by Jill Robbins

The Artist’s Palette is beautiful from the road, but I recommend parking and exploring for a closer look. This is an enjoyable place to play and climb and kicks up the “wow factor” as a backdrop for family pictures.

There’s a restroom and water fountain in the parking lot if you need a pit stop.

Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes at 3:30 p.m.

It will take 30 to 40 minutes to travel from Artist’s Drive to Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes. We passed the Stovepipe Wells Ranger Station on the way and stopped in quickly for a look.

There’s not much to see—there’s a small gift shop with a limited amount of souvenirs and sundries and a gas station nearby if you need it. This was the only spot in Death Valley National Park where I had cell service.

Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes will be the highlight of your trip to Death Valley, especially if you have kids. Photo by Jill Robbins

If you’re visiting Death Valley with kids, Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes might be the highlight of your trip. We completely kicked ourselves for not doing better research and bringing sleds or something our boys could use to slide down the higher dunes. They still had fun playing in the sand, but if you’ve got kids (or kids at heart) in your group, bring something to slide on. A traditional sled would work great, but a piece of cardboard would be fine in a pinch.

After about an hour in the dunes, you’ll notice the sun dipping and feel a chill. That’s your signal to start heading back to Vegas.

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Visiting Death Valley National Park

If you’re anything like me, you’ll leave marveling at how quickly your day zipped by and wanting to plan a longer trip to explore more of Death Valley National Park.

This Death Valley itinerary has shown you the highlight reel. Make plans for a more extended stay. Book a room at The Oasis at Death Valley (incredibly popular, so you’ll need a good bit of lead time.) Plan some longer hikes and start thinking about where you will watch some epic sunrises and sunsets.

Death Valley will be waiting for you. Until then, you’ll have memories of your day trip and lots of pictures. Be sure to check out Wander With Wonder for more things to see and do when you visit National Parks, Las Vegas, and other spots in the Western US.

One-Day Death Valley Itinerary: Plan a Day Trip from Vegas