Death Valley National Park, in eastern California, is a certified International Dark Sky Park with some of the darkest night skies in the United States. Its vast, low-population desert basin and dry air make for exceptional stargazing, alongside an extreme landscape of dunes, salt flats, and below-sea-level valley floor.
Best season — Fall through spring (cooler); clear nights for stars
At a glance
The facts worth checking before you roll out
Conservative, source-minded facts for planning your visit — always worth confirming against current conditions before you travel.
State
California (extends into Nevada)
Night sky
Certified International Dark Sky Park
Landscape
Below-sea-level desert basin
On the ground
Far from city lights and shielded by surrounding ranges, Death Valley offers wide, dark horizons that make the Milky Way and meteor showers especially vivid on clear nights.
The same desert that makes the skies so dark is brutally hot in summer, so most visitors come in the cooler months; the official source has current road and campground status.
Official sources
- National Park Service — Death Valley National Park National Park Service
Nearby & related
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Planning an RV trip near Death Valley's Dark Skies: An RV Traveler's Guide?
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