Choose your dates before choosing a long hike
February's normal high is 74°F (23°C); March's is 83°F (28°C). April's 91°F (33°C) is a different starting point for a walking trip. If your dates are fixed, let the forecast determine your walking distance and time of day.
These are Furnace Creek normals for the whole month. They cannot tell you the temperature on an early-April morning or a late-April afternoon. Higher elevations are cooler, and spring wind is common; check those destinations separately.
See the landscape with less walking
Artists Drive offers a nine-mile (14.5 km) paved scenic route, with the Artists Palette view visible from its parking area. The road is one-way with a 25-foot (8 m) vehicle-length limit. At Badwater Basin, the pool and boardwalk offer a shorter stop than walking farther onto the salt flats.
Less walking does not remove the need to plan for heat. Check official conditions and service hours before deciding which stops fit your day.
Treat flowers as a bonus
The NPS lower-elevation bloom window runs from mid-February to mid-April, but spectacular displays are exceptional. A date inside that window does not promise flowers, and it does not make a hot walk cooler. Plan a trip you would still want without a display.
Questions about April
Is April a good time to visit Death Valley?
April can work for scenic stops with plans adjusted to the forecast, but Furnace Creek's normal high is 91°F (33°C). It is not our first choice for a trip focused on long valley hikes. February is cooler on average.
What is the weather like in early April?
The whole-month normal high is 91°F (33°C) and low is 65°F (18°C) at Furnace Creek. This dataset does not provide an early-April forecast or a separate average for the first week. Check the forecast for your actual dates.
Sources and limits
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals: DEATH VALLEY NP, CA US (USC00042319), -194 feet. Normal high: 91.0°F (32.8°C); normal low: 64.8°F (18.2°C). These are long-term averages, not a forecast.
NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025: 2021–2025 average recreation visits for Death Valley National Park (DEVA). The April 2025 count is 146,003. Counts measure visits, not unique people or a day's parking pressure.
Compare your dates
Independent site. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Data comes from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025; editorial analysis is ours. The NPS Arrowhead and other NPS marks are not used.