Hiking to Badwater Basin Salt Flats (Death Valley National Park) - Trip Report

A must-see stop for anyone making the trip out to Death Valley National Park for a number of reasons. One being that it’s the lowest point in all of North America at 282 feet below sea level. Another reason being an absolutely beautiful spot to watch the sunset in the desert. It’s also a very accessible hike, I went out one mile to get away from the crowds, but you could go whatever distance your comfortable with and still get beautiful views.

Hiking Information

Location: Death Valley National Park (along the Badwater Road, close to Furnace Creek)

Trailhead & Parking: Google Maps

Date Hiked: March 9, 2021

Trail Type: Out & Back

Elevation Change: 10 ft

Distance Roundtrip: 2 miles (can vary based on how far out you want to go)

Nearest Restrooms: at the trailhead

Fees: There is a fee to enter Death Valley National Park, here is information on Death Valley entrance park fees.

Season Accessibility: Year round, but it’s only safe to go when the temperatures are low enough, typically late fall through late spring.

Trail Tip: This easy hike is perfect to catch the sunrise or sunset with such an open view of the desert.

The Drive/Parking

The trailhead for this hike is along Badwater Road near Furnace Creek, here is a map with the trailhead for directions. The parking lot has about 30 spots for cars as well as a bathroom. You likely won’t miss it because the view of the salt flats along the road becomes more and more obvious the closer you get to it.

The Hike

This trip report will be pretty short and sweet mostly because the views along the hike stay the same until the reaching the wider section of the salt flats. I headed out in the late afternoon to the trailhead once I saw the clouds opening up, allowing for beautiful rays of light to get through.

As I made my way down the trail, more and more light rays started popping through the clouds and I was getting really excited to set up my camera.

Once I reached the part of the trail that widen up to a much wider access to the Salt Flats, I set my tripod up and enjoyed the show. The light danced around and eventually made it’s way out of the clouds completely for a few minutes.

Once the sun dipped below the mountain side, the colorful part of my night began. The colors started golden and light, eventually turning into oranges, reds, and pinks then fading to dark hues.

This hike was the perfect sunset spot, kicking off my Death Valley trip with phenomenal views. I especially enjoyed that you could find a spot away from everyone because of how large the area was, something I don’t always get to enjoy when I capture the sunset. I hope you enjoyed my trip report and/or my video, and as always… Happy Trails!

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Tiare Kirkland

Hi! My name is Tiare, but you can just call me ‘T’. I’m a California based hiker and I spend most of my free time taking photos and videos of some of my favorite hikes. You can usually find me ‘Out Hiking’ in the Sierra Nevada mountain range or road-tripping to new areas. Read more about me here and follow along with my adventures by subscribing below!