Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Northern California → Death Valley → Mesquite Flat Dunes

Location: Stovepipe Wells area, Death Valley

Time Required: 1 hour

Red Tape/Notes: Access to Death Valley is $25/vehicle for a 7 day pass. The dunes are easily accessed from a parking area just off the road to Stovepipe Wells.

What’s Nearby?: Charcoal Kilns, Darwin Falls

These are the best known and most frequently visited dunes in the park, presumably due to their easy access off Hwy 190 on the way to Stovepipe Wells, but probably also because they’re easier to climb than dunes like Eureka, since the tallest dune here is only 140 feet high. Despite being heavily visited, it’s pretty easy to escape the crowds since the dunes cover a large area, providing ample opportunity to walk a little bit and find a dune to yourself (there are no defined trails, just head off into the dunes and enjoy). In places, the dry and cracked clay lakebed floor is exposed, and there are numerous creosote bushes and stands of mesquite interspersed among the dunes. Also of note to would-be travellers: these are the only dunes where sand boarding is allowed, and if the landscape looks really familiar it’s probably because you’ve seen it in movies like Star Wars.

Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Northern California → Death Valley → Mesquite Flat Dunes