DEATH VALLEY, Calif. — As Death Valley National Park is internationally recognized as a Gold Tier Dark Sky Park, officials there are encouraging would-be visitors to enjoy its celestial wonders.
As stated in a news release, Public Information Officer Abby Wines noted as 2025 begins, tourists should consider planning a visit to Death Valley during National Park fee-free days for some good old-fashioned star-gazing periods and splendid isolation at the 5,000 square-mile desert park.
Plan ahead
Visitors may want to bring along binoculars or a telescope.
“The park is far enough away from cities to have little light pollution,” Wines said. “The extremely dry climate means clouds are unlikely to block your view of the sky. With a little advance planning, scheduling a visit during a crescent or new moon phase will maximize how many stars are visible. Park rangers conduct Night Sky Talks most Friday and Saturdays through March. Ranger programs are posted at nps.gov/deva about two weeks in advance.”
The 2025 free entrance days began Jan. 9, with a remembrance observance for late President Jimmy Carter, followed by Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 20.
Additional free entrance days include the months of April, June, August, September and November.
Mild winter weather conditions
Wines also said that Death Valley can provide for a relatively warm winter destination.
“In December and January, the bottom of Death Valley has an average daily high in the mid-sixties, with overnight lows dipping to 40 degrees on average,” she noted. “Typical weather in the spring and fall ranges from 50 to 90°F. October through April are ideal for camping and hiking at lower elevations.”
Below sea level at Furnace Creek, 113 degrees is considered an average high temperature during summer, according to Wines.
“Death Valley has reached an extreme of 130 degrees twice in recent years,” she recalled. “Overnight lows occasionally stay above 100 degrees. The park’s three hotels stay open year-round, but most low-elevation campgrounds close due to heat. Park rangers only recommend hiking in the park’s mountains during the summer heat.”
Death Valley National Park is the homeland of the Timbisha Shoshone and preserves natural resources, cultural resources, exceptional wilderness, scenery, and learning experiences within the nation’s largest conserved desert landscape and some of the most extreme climate and topographic conditions on the planet.
Learn more at www.nps.gov/deva.