5 Fun Things to Do in Death Valley National Park for All Ages

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Winter and spring are great times to visit several U.S. national parks in desert areas, including California’s Death Valley National Park, which falls within the Mojave Desert near the border of California and Nevada. While you definitely want to avoid this park during the warmer months of the year, considering it is the hottest place on Earth, temperatures during the winter and early spring are more than manageable.

I recently visited Death Valley with my family of four, including two kids under age eight. During our stay, we had several adventures that I would recommend for outdoor lovers of all ages. We stayed inside the park by camping at Furnace Creek, but non-campers can also easily access the park by staying at one of two hotels, the Inn at Death Valley or the Ranch at Death Valley.

>> Here is some extra info about camping in Death Valley from the National Park Service.

Since we were traveling with kids, we focused on short, manageable hikes and activities that would appeal to multiple ages. If that’s the sort of trip that appeals to you too, you can’t go wrong with these five suggestions.

5 Fun Things to Do in Death Valley National Park

Hike the Golden Canyon Trail to Red Cathedral. This is a fun trail with some mild scrambling once you hit the slot canyon toward the end. While it’s not wheelchair or stroller friendly, for those who can walk about 3 miles, this out-and-back trail is one that my family loved. We did the hike toward the end of the day, and as we were hiking out of the canyon, the sun was setting, providing a gorgeous backdrop to an already-gorgeous setting.
Go sand sledding at the Mesquite Flats sand dunes. Kids and kids at heart will love the challenge of figuring out how to get going fast down a sand slope (because it’s not as easy as snow sledding). We didn’t splurge on a sand sled; we used a snow sled, but it worked after we found the right dune and created a smooth path for the sled down the hill. All four of us had fun sledding down the sand dunes, and we did it for hours. Families with teenagers and clusters of young adults were also sand sledding, and you could hear laughter echoing across the dunes from every group.
Explore Artists Palette. Our top activity at Death Valley was exploring Artists Palette. It’s spectacular. To get there, you’ll need to take the Artists Drive Scenic Loop, a one-way 8.5-mile detour off Badwater Road. When you see the signs for Artists Palette, park and then prepare to be amazed. Volcanic deposits of various colors give this landscape an unreal quality, as if someone painted it. There’s no official trail here, but you can climb the hills and hike around the area to your heart’s content. We also watched the sunset here.
Get food/ice cream at The Oasis. Even if you’re a hard core camper, it’s still fun to take a break from the rugged Death Valley and have someone serve you a nice meal. The Oasis offers not only lodging but also shops and restaurants, including an ice-cream parlor. We ate lunch at the ice-cream parlor one day, then we went off for a hike and returned later in the day for ice cream. 10/10.
See the salt flats at Badwater Basin. An ancient lake once covered Badwater Basin, the lowest place in North America at 282 feet (86 meters) below sea level. The salt flats this ancient lake left behind are unlike I’d ever seen, and for that reason, it was unforgettable. We enjoyed seeing this unusual place and inspecting the bizarre salt formations, and my kids even licked a loose piece of salt to report on just how salty Badwater Basin is (OK, maybe I did it, too).