Death Valley Backcountry Roadside Camping
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 15:35 UTC
- A night
- $10From, per site
- Sites
- 4937 on recreation.gov
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 15 notices
In the agency’s own words
PLEASE BE AWARE: These are primitive sites that do not offer water, electricity, toilet access, or any amenities. Most primitive roadside campsites require a high clearance vehicle, and 4-wheel drive is highly encouraged. Road conditions can change quickly. High clearance vehicles are defined as a SUV or truck with at least 15 inch tire rims AND at least 8 inches of ground clearance from the lowest point of the frame, body, or suspension. Keep reading
Despite its morbid name, a great diversity of life survives in Death Valley! In this below-sea-level basin, steady drought and record summer heat make Death Valley a land of extremes. Yet, each extreme has a striking contrast. Towering peaks are frosted with winter snow. Rare rainstorms bring vast fields of wildflowers. Lush oases harbor tiny fish and refuge for wildlife and humans. Death Valley has sunk below sea level through geologic processes over time. It lies within the Mojave Desert and is the hottest, driest and lowest location in North America. Despite its extreme climate, the park boasts a diversity of ecosystems, including colorful badlands, snow-covered peaks, desolate sand dunes, rugged canyons and flat, dry basins called playas. Backcountry Roadside camping in Death Valley provides a primitive backcountry experience in the park's premier wilderness. All of these designated sites are located in remote locations and campers must be self-sufficient. Visit the park's Backcountry Camping page for more information.
Recreation
There are over 3.4 million acres of Death Valley to explore. The popular main attractions are accessible by paved roads and more remote areas of the park will require high clearance, 4-wheel drive. Please visit the park's website for helpful tips when planning your trip.
Facilities
Backcountry Roadside Campsites: Primitive roadside camping with your vehicle in designated campsites along rugged backcountry dirt roads. These are primitive, roadside campsites which require extra trip planning. Please take the time to plan and carefully prepare your itinerary. Roadside campsites are intended for high clearance vehicles only. Trailers, RVs and passenger vehicles will not be able to access most of these campsites. High clearance vehicles are defined as a SUV or truck, with at least 15 inch tire rims, and at least 8 inches of ground clearance, as measured from the lowest point of the vehicle (frame, suspension, body, differential).
Natural Features
Death Valley National Park contains the largest wilderness in the contiguous United States (over 3,190,400 acres or roughly 93% of the entire National Park!). Nearly a thousand miles of paved and dirt roads intersect the wilderness, providing ready access to all but the most remote locations. Backcountry travel in Death Valley National Park can be challenging, but the opportunities for experiencing solitude, sweeping vistas, dark night skies, and awesome geology abound within the three million acres of designated wilderness in the park. There are few established trails in the park, but hikers can follow canyon bottoms, open desert washes, alluvial fans, and abandoned dirt roads to get around. Contact Info This location is unstaffed. To speak with our main office for general information, please call: (760) 786-3200.
Nearby Attractions
Charges & Cancellations Changes/Modifications Changes may be made prior to the day the reservation begins. If a customer wants to switch dates that are entirely outside of the original reservation dates, there is a $10 change fee. There is no change fee if a customer extends or shortens a reservation, as long as the change includes dates from the original reservation. If a reservation is made that includes dates beyond the maximum booking window, that reservation cannot be changed until 18 days have passed from the original booking date. Cancellations Customers may cancel their reservation prior to day of arrival both on-line and through the call center. A $10 cancellation fee will be withheld from any refund due back the customer. Depending on when you cancel in relation to your arrival day, it may be considered a late cancellation (see below). Late Cancellations or Cancellations within the Cut-off Window A customer who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will have a $10.00 cancellation fee withheld from their refund AND will forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. Review Rules and Reservation Policies for additional details about changes and cancellations.
What the agency tells you
It is the responsibility of all trip participants to understand and obey all park rules and regulations.
Permit holders are required to carry a digital or printed copy of their permit at all times during their trip.
Wilderness travel in Death Valley National Park is inherently dangerous, and users assume complete responsibility for their own safety. There is minimal cell reception in most areas of the park, and rescue is not a certainty. Plan ahead and be prepared.
Everything else this campground posts · 12
Vehicle Requirements - High clearance and 4x4 vehicles are required for most backcountry travel. Check specific campsite descriptions for vehicle requirements to access the site you have selected. Trailers, RVs and passenger vehicles will not be able to access most of these campsites. - Flat tires are common hazards of backcountry travel. Make sure your vehicle is equipped with all-terrain tires. Carry at least one inflated spare tire, a can of tire inflator or a plug kit, a 12-volt air-compressor, a complete jack, and a lug wrench. Know how to use your equipment before you head out. - Most vehicle rental agreements restrict vehicles to paved roads. Be aware that rental companies can charge for damage to the vehicle obtained while operating outside of contractual agreements. - Tow service out of backcountry roads can cost upwards of $1000.
Planning - Plan your trip thoroughly. Know your routes ahead of time and plan for alternates. Utilize trip planning resources. - Although permitting is available year-round, temperatures frequently range above 100F (38C) May through September. Prepare appropriately. - Natural water sources are unreliable, and travelers should have contingency plans. Purify all water before consuming. - Death Valley National Park is within a dynamic environment where natural events occur and conditions can be unpredictable. It is the responsibility of the permit holder to remain aware of current park conditions. - In addition to your reservation fee, you are required to pay a park entrance fee. See Death Valley National Park’s Fees and Passes page for information on rates and qualifying passes.
Advise your emergency contact to notify National Park Service emergency dispatch at 760-786-2330 if you are overdue.
Driving off designated roads is prohibited! No off-road driving permitted. All vehicles must stay on designated roadways (36CFR 4.11(a)). All OHVs are prohibited (Compendium/36CFR 4.2(b)).
Leave No Trace guidelines should be followed to minimize impacts on the fragile desert environment.
Camping is prohibited within 100 feet of a flowing stream, spring, or other natural body of water, and areas otherwise closed to camping. Human waste must be buried at least 6 inches deep and 200 feet from water. Do not leave behind used toilet paper or exposed human waste. (36CFR 2.10).
Pack out all trash and leftover food.
Constructed fire pits are not permitted in the backcountry. Portable fire pits that burn gas are allowed. Fire pans are allowed below 3,000 feet year round and above 3,000 feet between September 16 and June 14. Wood gathering is prohibited. All ashes and burnt wood must be collected and removed if fire pans are used.
Natural objects and cultural artifacts are protected and must be left where found. (36CFR 2.10)
Group size is limited to 12 persons and no more than 4 vehicles. Larger groups will need to split up to camp and travel at least ½ mile apart (36CFR 2.10).
Pets are prohibited greater than 50 feet from roads or developed areas. Pets are prohibited on trails and from entering wilderness areas (36CFR 2.15)
The trip leader and/or participants can be cited and/or fined for violation of 36 CFR Regulations.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 49
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 22 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- 36 of 39 sites
- Shade
- Little
Facilities
- Stay limit
- 30 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Mountain biking
- Off Road Vehicle Trails
- Stargazing
- Visitor center
- Wilderness access
- Wildlife viewing
- Night sky · 192nd darkest of 1,201 in CA
- Bortle 2
51 of 60 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 15:35 UTC
recreation.gov lists 37 of the 49 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.
OpenBooked
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 14
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $10 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
“Changes/Modifications - Changes may be made prior to the day the reservation begins. - If a customer wants to switch dates that are entirely outside of the original reservation dates, there is a $10 change fee. - There is no change fee if a customer extends or shortens a reservation, as long as the change includes d…” · this campground’s own terms
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 6
recreation.gov availability, read 15:35 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
49 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 37 mapped sites11 sites share one published coordinate and are left out of the rankings.
All 49 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 46 of the 49 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| Cottonwood Canyon Road | C1 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 8.5 mi | $10 | |
| Cottonwood Canyon Road | C10 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 3851 ft | 11.9 mi | $10 |
| Cottonwood Canyon Road | C2 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 8.5 mi | $10 | |
| Cottonwood Canyon Road | C3 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 1198 ft | 8.4 mi | $10 |
| Cottonwood Canyon Road | C4 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 5961 ft | 8.7 mi | $10 |
| Cottonwood Canyon Road | C5 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 7515 ft | 9.3 mi | $10 |
| Cottonwood Canyon Road | C6 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 1570 ft | 10.1 mi | $10 |
| Cottonwood Canyon Road | C7 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 1570 ft | 10.4 mi | $10 |
| Cottonwood Canyon Road | C8 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 3111 ft | 10.9 mi | $10 |
| Cottonwood Canyon Road | C9 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 3111 ft | 11.4 mi | $10 |
| Echo Canyon Road | E1 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 2689 ft | 3.8 mi | $10 |
| Echo Canyon Road | E2 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 2539 ft | 4.2 mi | $10 |
| Echo Canyon Road | E3 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 2539 ft | 4.6 mi | $10 |
| Echo Canyon Road | E4 | type not stated | 22 ft | 5.0 mi | ||
| Echo Canyon Road | E5 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 2418 ft | 5.4 mi | $10 |
| Echo Canyon Road | E6 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 2418 ft | 5.6 mi | $10 |
| Echo Canyon Road | E7 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 1978 ft | 6.0 mi | $10 |
| Echo Canyon Road | E8 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 1978 ft | 6.3 mi | $10 |
| Echo Canyon Road | E9 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 2576 ft | 6.8 mi | $10 |
| Greenwater Valley Road | G1 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 5.5 mi | $10 | |
| Greenwater Valley Road | G1 1 | standard nonelectric | $10 | |||
| Greenwater Valley Road | G10 | type not stated | 22 ft | 5.5 mi | ||
| Greenwater Valley Road | G10 1 | type not stated | ||||
| Greenwater Valley Road | G2 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 5.5 mi | $10 | |
| Greenwater Valley Road | G2 1 | standard nonelectric | $10 | |||
| Greenwater Valley Road | G3 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 5.5 mi | $10 | |
| Greenwater Valley Road | G3 1 | standard nonelectric | $10 | |||
| Greenwater Valley Road | G4 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 5.5 mi | $10 | |
| Greenwater Valley Road | G4 1 | standard nonelectric | $10 | |||
| Greenwater Valley Road | G5 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 5.5 mi | $10 | |
| Greenwater Valley Road | G5 1 | standard nonelectric | $10 | |||
| Greenwater Valley Road | G6 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 5.5 mi | $10 | |
| Greenwater Valley Road | G6 1 | standard nonelectric | $10 | |||
| Greenwater Valley Road | G7 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 5.5 mi | $10 | |
| Greenwater Valley Road | G7 1 | standard nonelectric | $10 | |||
| Greenwater Valley Road | G8 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 5.5 mi | $10 | |
| Greenwater Valley Road | G8 1 | standard nonelectric | $10 | |||
| Greenwater Valley Road | G9 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 5.5 mi | $10 | |
| Greenwater Valley Road | G9 1 | standard nonelectric | $10 | |||
| Hole in the Wall Road | H1 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 1986 ft | 5.5 mi | $10 |
| Hole in the Wall Road | H2 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 1986 ft | 5.4 mi | $10 |
| Hole in the Wall Road | H3 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 1738 ft | 5.2 mi | $10 |
| Hole in the Wall Road | H4 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 1738 ft | 5.1 mi | $10 |
| Hole in the Wall Road | H5 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 2465 ft | 4.9 mi | $10 |
| Hole in the Wall Road | H6 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 2465 ft | 5.2 mi | $10 |
| Marble Canyon Road | M1 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 2599 ft | 9.1 mi | $10 |
| Marble Canyon Road | M2 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 2571 ft | 9.5 mi | $10 |
| Marble Canyon Road | M3 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 2571 ft | 10.0 mi | $10 |
| Marble Canyon Road | M4 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 2730 ft | 10.3 mi | $10 |
25 of 49 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Furnace Creek CampgroundDeath Valley National Park · 0.1 mi
Sunset CampgroundDeath Valley National Park · 0.4 mi
Texas Springs CampgroundDeath Valley National Park · 0.5 mi
Stovepipe Wells CampgroundDeath Valley National Park · 19 mi
Thorndike Campground (Primitive)Death Valley National Park · 19 mi
Mahogany Flat Campground (Primitive)Death Valley National Park · 20 miNote: Do not exclusively rely on GPS navigation while travelling in Death Valley National Park. Travelers should always carry up-to-date road maps and be aware that there is no cell phone service along most park roads. Always travel prepared to self-rescue as help may be hours away.
There is no specific street address for the park.
- Furnace Creek Visitor Center coordinates: 36.46171, -116.86682
- Stovepipe Wells Ranger Station coordinates: 36.608048, -117.144504
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Furnace Creek, CA
Typical weather
Typical October night 64°F, day 93°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical December night 41°F. Bring the bag rated for it.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
What threatens this place
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Death Valley Backcountry Roadside Camping is in California’s 3rd congressional district. Its representative, Kevin Kiley (I), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →