Best time to visit Death Valley National Park.
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- Closures, fire restrictions, construction and water: NPS Death Valley current conditions
- We are independent of the National Park Service. The official pages above are the source of record for anything that changes.
Compare Death Valley by month.
Compare monthly visit counts with the March peak, check average weather, and read the seasonal planning notes. Linked months have their own guide. Road access needs a separate check.
Weather · NOAA normals, DEATH VALLEY NP (-194 ft)
| Month | Crowds | Weather | Roads & lodging | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January |
Moderate
58% of March · 93K avg
|
Ideal
67°F / 43°F (20°C / 6°C)
|
Plan by route
Winter nights can reach freezing; higher elevations are cooler.
|
Cool valley days and fewer visits than March. Bring layers for the cold nights.Read the January guide |
| February |
Busy
73% of March · 118K avg
|
Ideal
74°F / 49°F (23°C / 9°C)
|
Plan by route
Check road conditions separately from low-valley weather.
|
Warmer than January, still a useful choice for valley walks. Nights stay cool.Read the February guide |
| March |
Peak
100% of March · 161K avg
|
Good
83°F / 57°F (28°C / 14°C)
|
Plan by route
Spring wind is common; check the forecast before walking.
|
The busiest month. Valley afternoons warm up; spring flowers are not guaranteed.Read the March guide |
| April |
Peak
88% of March · 141K avg
|
Rough
91°F / 65°F (33°C / 18°C)
|
Plan by route
Higher elevations are cooler, but road access needs its own check.
|
Valley heat builds. Choose a cooler month if long walks are your main goal.Read the April guide |
| May |
Busy
66% of March · 106K avg
|
Rough
101°F / 75°F (38°C / 24°C)
|
Plan by route
Check official road conditions and seasonal service hours.
|
Average valley highs pass 100°F. Fewer visitors do not mean better hiking weather. |
| June |
Moderate
46% of March · 74K avg
|
Rough
111°F / 84°F (44°C / 29°C)
|
Plan by route
NPS advises against lower-elevation summer hiking.
|
Severe valley heat. NPS advises against summer hiking at lower elevations. |
| July |
Moderate
51% of March · 83K avg
|
Rough
117°F / 91°F (47°C / 33°C)
|
Plan by route
NPS advises against lower-elevation summer hiking.
|
The hottest average month. Low visitation is no reason to plan a valley hike. |
| August |
Moderate
47% of March · 76K avg
|
Rough
116°F / 89°F (47°C / 32°C)
|
Plan by route
Late-summer thunderstorms can cause flash floods.
|
Extreme heat persists. Late-summer thunderstorms can bring flash floods. |
| September |
Quiet
38% of March · 61K avg
|
Rough
108°F / 79°F (42°C / 26°C)
|
Plan by route
Low visitation does not tell you which roads are usable.
|
The fewest average visits, but valley temperatures are still very hot. |
| October |
Moderate
55% of March · 89K avg
|
Rough
93°F / 64°F (34°C / 18°C)
|
Plan by route
Check official road conditions and seasonal service hours.
|
Cooler than summer, still hot in the valley. November is a cooler alternative.Read the October guide |
| November |
Busy
68% of March · 109K avg
|
Ideal
77°F / 51°F (25°C / 10°C)
|
Plan by route
Backcountry roads need a suitable vehicle and driving experience.
|
Cooler valley days return, with fewer average visits than the March peak.Read the November guide |
| December |
Busy
72% of March · 116K avg
|
Ideal
66°F / 41°F (19°C / 5°C)
|
Plan by route
Winter nights can reach freezing; higher elevations are cooler.
|
The coolest average highs. A good valley-walking choice, with cold nights.Read the December guide |
Open the full Death Valley crowd calendar
Rain, snow, latest-year counts, and the weather station
Furnace Creek low-valley station. Do not apply these normals to higher-elevation trails or mountain districts. Temperature normals include NOAA representative records with fewer than 30 observed years.
| Month | Visits in 2025 | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 123,593 | 0.37″ | 0.0″ |
| Feb | 119,257 | 0.52″ | 0.0″ |
| Mar | 144,755 | 0.25″ | 0.0″ |
| Apr | 146,003 | 0.10″ | 0.0″ |
| May | 105,278 | 0.03″ | 0.0″ |
| Jun | 76,156 | 0.05″ | 0.0″ |
| Jul | 89,276 | 0.10″ | 0.0″ |
| Aug | 97,214 | 0.10″ | 0.0″ |
| Sep | 91,865 | 0.20″ | 0.0″ |
| Oct | 110,294 | 0.12″ | 0.0″ |
| Nov | 91,122 | 0.10″ | 0.0″ |
| Dec | 125,321 | 0.26″ | 0.0″ |
How these scores are computed (and why there's no combined "best month")
Crowd score
Formula: 100 − (this month's visits ÷ park's peak month visits) × 100. Each park scored against its own peak, not against other parks.
Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package 2025, Recreation Visits (TRV), 5-year monthly mean (2021-2025). Reproduce these numbers on the NPS IRMA Stats portal.
Reading it: March at Death Valley reads 0 (peak). September reads 62 (quietest). A 50 means about half the park's peak crowd.
Weather score
Formula: weatherScore = round(max(0, min(100, dayComfort − precipPenalty − snowPenalty − freezePenalty))). The piecewise day-comfort function is continuous at every boundary.
- Day comfort:
tmax < 50°F →
max(10, (tmax − 20) × 2)(cold tail); 50–60°F →60 + (tmax − 50) × 4(ramp to 100); 60–78°F → 100 (plateau); 78–85°F →100 − (tmax − 78) × 5(ramp to 65); > 85°F →max(30, 65 − (tmax − 85) × 5)(hot tail). - Precip penalty:
max(0, prcpIn − 1.5) × 8; kicks in above 1.5 in / month. - Snow penalty:
snowIn × 2.5. If the selected station does not publish a snowfall normal, the score applies no snow penalty and labels snowfall as unavailable. - Night-freeze penalty:
max(0, 32 − tmin) × 1.5when tmin < 32°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station DEATH VALLEY NP, CA US (USC00042319, -194 ft).
Caveat: Furnace Creek low-valley station. Do not apply these normals to higher-elevation trails or mountain districts. Temperature normals include NOAA representative records with fewer than 30 observed years.
Road access
Road access is described in the route notes. We do not assign a percentage where the available evidence cannot support one. Seasonal patterns are not a guarantee that a road will be open on your trip.
Why no combined score?
A combined "best month" number forces a weighting: how much do you care about crowds vs. weather vs. access? Those weights are personal. A photographer optimizing for golden light weights differently than a parent locked to school break weights differently than a winter visitor with a 4WD. We show the inputs and let you decide. Use the per-month grid above to navigate to a deeper page.
When are roads and lodges open?
Roads, entrances, and lodges by season. Road closures and lodge seasons decide what a month can actually offer. Verify with NPS before you travel; these change.
Last updated · Oct 15, 2026
Check the road, not just the month
Some roads, facilities and services have seasonal or daily hours. Check NPS operating hours and conditions before setting your itinerary.
Plan backcountry drives separately
NPS warns that remote GPS directions can be unreliable. Backcountry roads require a suitable vehicle, tools and experience. A cooler day does not establish that your route is passable.
Keep low-valley weather in perspective
Higher elevations are cooler. Winter nights can reach freezing; late-summer thunderstorms can cause flash floods. See NPS weather guidance.
Questions about when to go.
What is the best month to visit Death Valley?
The best time to visit Death Valley National Park is November through March for cooler valley walks. Road conditions and service hours need a separate check. Start with NPS operating hours and the official conditions page.
When should I avoid Death Valley?
March has the highest average recreation visitation. For weather, the tougher month is July, when conditions limit how much you can comfortably do.
What are the quietest months at Death Valley?
The quietest stretch is September, June, and August. September is the low point, averaging about 61,474 recreation visits, roughly 38% of the March peak.
Which month has the best weather at Death Valley?
Choose January or February for cooler valley walks. January is our compromise, with an average high of 67°F (20°C) and 58% of March's visits. These valley-station averages do not describe the park's higher elevations; choose your route and check the forecast.
How hot does Death Valley get?
The low-valley station's July average high is 117°F (47°C), with an average low of 91°F (33°C). These are monthly normals, not record extremes. Read NPS summer safety advice before planning a hot-weather trip.
Is spring best for Death Valley wildflowers?
Spring can bring wildflowers, but spectacular displays are the exception. Do not choose your dates on a bloom promise. NPS explains how rainfall and weather affect blooms.
Can you drive through Death Valley?
Plan your route using NPS directions, then check conditions. Do not assume a GPS route is suitable for your car, especially on backcountry roads. Cooler weather alone does not confirm road access.
How this page
is built.
Not affiliated with or endorsed
by the National Park Service.
Crowd numbers on this page are the Recreation Visits column from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025. Monthly figures are five-year arithmetic means (2021-2025) against each park's own peak month. We do not compare parks against each other for the crowd score: only against themselves.
Weather numbers are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, drawn from the DEATH VALLEY NP, CA US station (USC00042319). The station sits at -194 ft; the station caveat explains how well these normals represent the places you plan to visit.
Access notes are an independent summary of NPS operating posture. We do not republish NPS pages; we link them. Conditions change; confirm road status, reservation requirements, and lodging windows on https://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm before travel.
Annual visit totals, records, and year-over-year changes: Death Valley visitation by year.
- Air quality: AirNow.gov; real-time air quality and smoke conditions.
- Park conditions: NPS Death Valley current conditions, verify before you drive.
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