Death Valley Sunset Planning Guide
- Eric Beuning
- Feb 24
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 23
Death Valley has designated dark sky areas, which also makes it a great place for basking in some otherworldly sunsets. Yet given the potentially extreme conditions and the insane number of tourists you might have to deal with, it does require a little planning.
Death Valley Stargazing and Sunset Tours
If you're not comfortable with driving yourself, there are some great Death Valley Stargazing and Sunset Tours, with pick destinations on the Las Vegas Strip. It's a very cost-effective way to experience Death Valley, while the expert guide handles all the technical details.
The Best Places in Death Valley for Sunset
The three best places in Death Valley to watch sunset and do a little star gazing are Badwater Basin, Zabriskie Point, and the Mesquite Sand Dunes. However, each requires some special considerations and planning.
Zabriskie Point is best if you just watch to catch a quick sunset picture and beat the rush out of the park. If you’re staying outside the park, and you don’t care for star gazing, this is your best option.
Badwater Basin offers a great dark sky experience if you want to wait an hour or two after sunset. However, it’s deep in the park and you’ll face a lot of congestion if you try to drive out right after the sun goes down.
Mesquite Sand Dunes offers an otherworldly sunset, with amazing star gazing opportunities afterward. However, it’s the most laborious hike, and you need to be prepared.
Best Time of Year for Sunset in Death Valley
If you want to catch sunset in Death Valley it’s best to plan for December to early April. The daytime temps while exploring the park will be in the 60s and 70s. Sunset happens around 5:20 to 6:30-ish that time of year. Giving you plenty of time to drive out afterward.
The Chance for April Flowers
If you’re the kind of person who’s comfortable with dry heat in the upper 80s and 90s, April in Death Valley brings the chance of catching a wildflower bloom. Usually, there needs to be a little rain a week or two before, but in the right places, it’s like standing in the middle of a Van Goh painting.
The Scorpion Problem
Scorpions come out at night. So, if you’re going to hike into the unspoiled dunes, I would bring a $10 UV flashlight, which will cause them to glow on your walk back. They’ll easily glow, which will give you a heads-up to steer clear. It’s not a big deal, but it’s still wise.
Zabriskie Point
Zabriskie Point is very close to the park’s entrance and the highway back to major towns like Pahrump and Las Vegas. It draws a tourist crowd every day at sunset. So, it’s wise to get there 45 minutes to an hour before the official sundown time.
The bathrooms here are horrendous toilets. They get overused and then percolate during the heat of the day. If possible, it’s best to use the flushing toilets at the Furnace Creek visitors center 10 miles northwest.
The badlands-style erosion creates immense shadows that make you feel like you’re truly on
another planet. The walk up to the observation point is paved and there are little benches to sit on the way up if you need a rest.
The sun goes down over the mountains west of Badwater basin. If there are light clouds, it will give you ethereal tones of orange and purple. However, the light is often very high in the sky still, so you might struggle with some lens flares if you’re trying to take a picture of the sun as it goes down.
Badwater Basin
Badwater Basin is 282 feet below sea level, and it’s most iconic spot to visit in Death Valley. The immense wide-open sky and the distant mountains to the west give you an astonishing visual feast for sunset.
You feel like you’re on another planet. If a purple scorpion monster climbed over the horizon and started shooting laser beams from its tentacles you’d sort of think “Well I should’ve expected that!”
The problem with choosing Badwater Basin for your sunset viewing experience is that it’s deep in the heart of the park, and there are sure to be tons of other tourists around. Everyone else will be leaving Golden Canyon, Artists Palette, Natural Bridge, and the Devil’s Golf Course, which are all between you and the way out of Death Valley.
So, if you’re going to choose Badwater Basin for sunset. I recommend settling in for an hour to watch the stars come on. This is far better than getting stuck in slow-moving tourist traffic. Especially if you’re stuck behind “That Guy” who decided to tow his camper with him.
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
When it comes to sunset and sunrise photos Mesquite Sand Dunes is on par with Zabriskie Point. It’s also close to Mosaic Canyon, so if you spend a little too much time hiking there, you can rush to the dunes to get a great sunset experience.
The question is how hard do you want to work for it? Hiking across sand dunes is even more exhausting than running on a beach. The dunes closest to the parking lot are cool and all, but their desert majesty has been pounded out of them by the footsteps of a million tourists before you.
If you want to experience the vast majesty of desert sand dunes with a Lawerence of Arabia vibe, you have to hike deep into them. You can even see the unspoiled areas from a distance, as they’re taller and cleaner looking. Expect it to take you a solid half hour or more to get there, and you’re going to sweat for it.
Making a Sand Dunes Sunset Plan
There are a few things to account for if you choose Mesquite Sand Dunes for your Death Valley sunset experience. For starters, the desert will get cold fast! So, if you’re going to hike out to the unspoiled parts of the dunes, wrap a hoodie around your waist.
Death Valley is a “Dark Sky Area” and you’ll be dealing with a lot of inky blackness on narrow desert roads clogged with other tourists. When you add in the lights of oncoming traffic, you end up with uncomfortable stress at the end of an otherwise magical day.
Instead, I recommend hiking deep into the unspoiled part of the dunes with a blanket, hoodie, and water. Enjoy the sunset and then lay on the blanket for an hour watching the stars come to life. This will give traffic time to clear out and burn an amazing visual experience into your memory.
You can follow more of my deep dive on the National Parks at Eric Beuning's Author Page.
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