Looking for an adventure where you can explore Death Valley National Park and then fall asleep in your tent? The Dyrt helps you find campsites near Death Valley National Park with tent camping. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
First come / first served tent only campground with no additional fee. Located next to CA 190 at 2100' feet in elevation. Emigrant campground overlooks the Cottonwood Mountains which is a part of the Panamint Range. This is a small campground with 10 sites southwest of Stovepipe Wells Ranger Station. A building with flush toilets is 270 feet down a dirt trail just outside of the campground.
Extremely remote campsite at 3,785ft of elevation, accessible only by high-clearance vehicles with all-terrain tires. Access from Saline Valley Road requires navigating Lippincott Pass and should only be attempted by experienced 4-wheel drivers. There are no approved toilet facilities at this location and no water available. Pack in all that you need, pack out all that you bring.
First come / first served primitive campground with no additional fee located in a Pinyon Pine and Juniper forest at 8,200' elevation. Great views down into Death Valley. Located near the Telescope Peak trailhead. Dirt road access requires high-clearance vehicles, often 4x4 required.
First come / first served primitive, forested campground with no additional fee located at 7,400' elevation. Accessible to high clearance vehicles (no longer than 25'), and 4x4 may be necessary.
Breakfast Canyon is in the Valleys category for Inyo County in the state of California. Breakfast Canyon is displayed on the Furnace Creek USGS quad topo map. Anyone who is interested in visiting Breakfast Canyon can print the free topographic map and street map using the link above. The latitude and longitude coordinates of Breakfast Canyon are 36.4399486, -116.8500524 and the approximate elevation is -30 feet (-9 meters) above sea level. If you have visited Breakfast Canyon before, please tell us about it with a comment below.
Interested in backcountry (dispersed) camping? It is a great opportunity to explore the park's rugged Wilderness. Check out the information on this page (https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/backcamp.htm) to learn where camping is allowed, what regulations apply, and how to obtain a free permit.
Backcountry/Wilderness Permits Free voluntary permits for backcountry camping may be obtained online, or in person at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center or Stovepipe Wells Ranger Station during business hours. Solo hikers may want to provide additional information about plans and emergency contacts.
Where is backcountry roadside camping allowed? Along dirt roads at least one mile away from any paved road or "day use only" dirt road. Camp only in previously disturbed areas and park your vehicle immediately adjacent to the roadway to minimize impact. The wilderness boundary is 50 feet from the center of most dirt roads. Download the Backcountry & Wilderness Access Map to take with you.
Located in the Horseshoe Meadow Recreation Area this trailhead campground has 18 walk-in sites suitable for backpackers and hikers to use the night before they are going to hike into Golden Trout Wilderness via the Cottonwood Pass trail. Please self-register at Horseshoe Meadows Campground when you arrive. Sites include food storage boxes, tent pads, and tables, fire grates, piped water, and toilet facilities. One night stay limit. Horseshoe Meadow Area Campgrounds Guide (pdf)
Horseshoe Meadow is a vast 10,000 foot high meadow, surrounded by lodgepole pine forest. Getting there is an adventure in itself; the road to Horseshoe Meadow climbs over 6,000 feet, as it winds its way up from Lone Pine. Three campgrounds are located in the Horseshoe Meadow Area. Trails from Horseshoe Meadow provide access to the Golden Trout Wilderness and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park. The road to Horseshoe Meadow is closed from approximately November to May due to snow.
$6 / night
Guide
Not a pretty campground, just a gravel parking lot, but not crowded in winter when the weather is very pleasant. Can be very windy at night. Only $12/night. Walk to nice shops and restaurants. Bathrooms clean. Nice view of valley. Mostly RV sites. One row of tent camp sites with fire pit grills. If you have a roof top tent you’re considered an RV here so can’t use a tent site.
Guide
Perfect base camp for exploring Death Valley National Park. It's located a quarter mile from the Furnace Creek Visitor Center where you can check in to pay the park fee and ask the rangers any questions. They always post the current weather and encourage visitors to stay safe in the heat. It's about 20 minutes from main attractions in the park including the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Zabriskie Point and Badwater Basin Salt Flats.
Campground Pros: Nice bathrooms and large sinks for dishes (also with potable water), Sizable camping spots, great location
Campground Cons: Very little shade, plan to bring a canopy if you are tent camping, no showers
Overall a great campground - just make sure you're visiting when the weather is decent. Super hot temps can ruin the experience pretty quick - and fill your tank before you drive into the park!
Ranger
This was stop to be able to visit Manzanar Internment camp.
Tent sites are gravel and mostly level. They all have water, a table and fire ring. Trees are still young. Very close to Owens lake(within view).
We had a lot of wind that came blowing up the valley from the south. There is very little protection for the tent campsites. Almost killed the tent.
Hosts were very helpful in getting us situated despite the need to switch sites(too many people).
Free muffins and coffee in the morning! Nice pool and hot tub, as well as bathrooms and laundry facilities.
Easy access into town for dinner or groceries.
GuideThe place is nice and near the musquito dunes. There is a shop at waking distance and a gas station. This is inside death valley National Park.
Most of the campground is rvs. It's first come first served. The ticket can be bought at entrance. There is plenty of room here at New Years eve.
Guide
If you like resort-like campgrounds, you will not be happy here. It was a good base camp for us to explore Death Valley National Park. The manager, TJ, does an amazing job of keeping everything well-maintained. The town is sketchy. JJ’s barbecue was excellent food. The visitor center was very helpful. There is a nearby Denny’s and Subway within the casino. Bathrooms were clean. Burros frequent the campground at night. Clean laundry facility, reasonable.
TravelerEasygoing great rv and tent sites close to all Death Valley sites
GuideThe park is conveniently located within the park and is easy to get to. The RV section of the park basically consists of a large parking lot. The tent sites are on one edge of the parking lot. There really isn't any indication where one tent site starts and another ends. But there are fire rings and picnic table scattered about so everyone sort of claims the one closest to them. It can get busy at times so getting a site is definitely not guaranteed. The sunset is Death Valley is absolutely breathtaking. Also, since its so dry, consider leaving the rain cover off your tent to truly sleep under the stars!
GuideI love that they have separate parts of the campground for RVs and tents so you don’t have to hear generators if you’re tent camping. Our site had some trees that we pitched the tent under for shade. Bathrooms were clean with running water and a dishwashing area too.
TravelerThis is a large open gravel lot w parking spaces. Fine for easy overnight near sand dunes. No privacy or shade trees. Best tent sites along back row.
LegendThis is the same basic campgrounds you get through this entire Death valley National park...
The thing this park is missing is SHADE for starters... please be aware of how hot it is here and that the sun has no mercy so please pack a pop-up, hat, etc....
anything to keep you shaded from the elements.
Besides that, they do have nice picnic tables at each spot and you can fit two smaller tents at each spot if needed so you are sharing the cost with some buddies... which is always good.
trash cans available and recycle areas for your propane tanks...
which this entire park has and I love seeing that.
Mother nature needs all the help she can get.
Not much privacy for campers or RVers... Its a parking spot with lines showing your area.. NOT MUCH ELSE
Nice handwashing stations.. BRING YOUR OWN SOAP
Bathrooms could be a little cleaner but you have flushing toilets and water to wash your hands. Bring your own soap they do not provide.
They have potable water
Stunning views
But like I said basic and shadeless...
Perfect for a bunch of friends driving out for sure it does have pros and your right by all the action.
cheers.
Guide
Great for tent camping, but no pull-in or flat spots if you're sleeping in your vehicle. I slept in the equestrian campground since those were back-in sites, but if there are horses you're not allowed to do that. The hike to the base of Langley was great though!
LegendThis is where most people come to stay when they are in the park. Can be corwded and if you are a tent camper you need to pick a site far from the generators of the massive number sof RVs. There are good tent sites with space and protection. But there are also tent sites out in the open with no cover or shade. Choose wisely. The wind can be as much ot=f a factor as the sun.
I am one who like solice so a crwod is not for me.
Positives are that you are near the Furnace Creek Resort so you have access to a store, a restaurant and gas.
Also it is a short walk to the visitor center which allows you acces to the most up to date info on what is open in the park. I always stay a day or two here to cover the sites on the southern end of the valley.
When there is super bloom this is wheer you want to be - easier access to teh bloom sites.
TravelerThe best part about the campground is the location! Super easy to get to all the great sights. We were tent camping in site 14 which has an RV spot, fire pit and a picnic table. We were across the street from the bathrooms and they are flush and have a dishwashing station. The campground was quiet even on New Year’s Eve! Great December camping
Legend
Our four-day visit to Death Valley National Park happened to line up with their rare Superbloom, so we had to beat the crowds to get a campsite. Unfortunately, this landed us in Sunset Campground, one of the NPS’s worst campgrounds, in one of the most beautiful parks.
Sunset Campground -- much more of a parking lot than a campground -- is everything we don’t want in a campground: sites are cramped, scenery is nonexistent, and there was nothing to stop the insane wind from destroying our tent that had lasted us every day of our six-month trip thus far.
We don’t blame Death Valley - we loved this park! Home to the lowest, driest, hottest place in the country, Death Valley is surprisingly full of life and gorgeous scenery. We loved hiking, chasing the wildflowers, watching the sunsets each night, following the scenic drives, and lounging on the porch of the fancy Furnace Creek Inn.
For two nights, we suffered through Sunset Campground, but for our third and fourth night, we purchased a backcountry permit, which allowed us to park and camp along the park’s dirt roads, at least one mile from any paved roads. These were the nights we’ll remember fondly throughout our time in Death Valley. Take our advice and skip right over Sunset Campground.
You can read much more about our four days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Death Valley)
GuideThe Stovepipe Wells Campground/RV Park's strength is its location. It's in the middle of Death Valley National Park so you can more easily reach the more remote highlights compared to the Furnace Creek area. However, if you want to be in the middle of the activity, head to Furnace Creek.
The RV area of Stovepipe Wells is just an open field with hook-ups spaced with just enough room for a rig to fit in between. Thus, you are right on top of your neighbors, which is weird since there's so much wide open space here. I think if you didn't need hook ups or had a tent you might be able to spread out more than we did.
While we were there in December 2019, the wifi was non-existent and the power was very intermittent. In fact, we went two days with no power at all, which was really unfortunate since we paid for the hook up. Also, restrooms are quite a walk away from the hook up area, so if you are counting on using the bathrooms, be prepared to walk a bit to either the gas station or across the street to the hotel lobby area.
We were promised a refund for the days we didn't receive the services we paid for but they never followed through and the employees seemed powerless to do anything to help. Kind of a let down. When we return to Death Valley, we'll probably stay closer to Furnace Creek.
Traveler
Very cool natural features included with this campground. On the lower level (reserved for tent camping) has some shade trees, rock formations, flush toilettes, water, fire pits, tables and grills... It's amazing set up. The upper portion of the camp (where I stayed) is set up the same as lower, only difference is RV's can camp here. Very nice, quiet and clean campground. The use of generators are prohibited on both the upper and lower campgrounds FYI
TravelerWe were gonna camp wild Rose (free campsite) but was feeling a lil cold in the mnts so came down to sea level for the warmth. Two nights tent camping at $14 a nite. Very windy but so is the rest of the desert. Spots in the front were quieter first nite, spots in the back seemed more popping off but still chill. Sadly the overpriced market / gas station seem to be the cheapest in the main stretch of the park so def gas up or buy stuff there and not at the oasis / furnace creek side of things .
RangerThis campground was quiet and clean and centrally located in the park. No hookups, but there is a dump station with potable water available near the entrance.
The spaces are REALLY close together but when we were there the park was mostly empty…maybe a dozen other campers in the whole park. Tent camping only on the lower loop…upper loop had MANY large, pull through spaces. Our camper is small, so the space felt big though. Picnic tables and fire pits at each site. Self serve pay stations, discount for Access Pass holders, I will definitely stay here again if I come through Death Valley again.
GuideI've camped here many times and have always liked it here. It is in the center of all the attractions. Can be a little noisy with the crowds and RVs.
We decided to come here one year in early September last year and it was still pretty hot even at night. We were tent camping and it was difficulty to sleep due to the heat. We did a walk in site and there were plenty openings. In the middle of the night there was a sudden dust storm so we had to pack up the tent and equipment quickly. There were 2 or 3 other tent campers and they also packed up. We ended up just sleeping in the car that night, lol. The RVers were fine.
Other than that it's a great campsite. Haha. Close to the visitor center as well. Clean restrooms.
GuideThis campground location was ideal as it was right next to the visitor center. Like most NP camp sites, they are pretty close to one another. Most sites had no or little shade and you’re lucky if you get one with a little bit of brush to hide from the beating sun heat. The picnic tables are metal, which doesn’t make sense to me given everything gets really hot in the desert. Fire pit was also provided, but we didn’t use. There are few bathroom locations within the park, they were cleaned daily and very basic, but with running water. You have to dump your trash all the way near the front of the campground. RVs with generators made a lot of noise and were not separate from tent sites. The stars at night are amazing!
GuidePros: Reasonably priced, fairly quiet campground that is close enough to Furnace Creek w/out being in the thick of it. Great scenery surrounding the campground. Modern toilet/sink facilities and potable water.
Cons: Weird site designs - the site boundaries are not clear, so I had no idea which picnic table or fire ring belonged to my site or my neighbors because they seemed to be situated right on the edge of some of the sites. Almost no shade (which is a given), and the campground is very dusty covered in sharp edged cobbles. This is obviously not something they can control, but you'll want to keep it in mind if tent camping - definitely bring 1 if not 2 heavy duty tarps for under any tents, and I would recommend a canopy or awning of some kind. The oddest thing to me, however, is why they would go to the trouble of installing flush toilets and sinks, but not go one extra step and have showers. Even cold-water only coin-op showers would be awesome, and much appreciated at the end of a hot day hiking!
Given all of the above, however, I'd probably choose to camp here again if I was in the park. :)
Guide
Road through here on a road trip one hot afternoon when I needed to get off the road. I saw that there was a lake so I thought it would be a great place to camp. I travel in a Toyota Yaris and sleep in my car. This is a very big Campground with a lot of campsites; car camping, tent sites, RV sites and boat sites also. They all come with a fire ring and a picnic bench. The trees are very sparse. My mistake was parking under trees thinking that I could utilize the shade to sleep. I got eaten alive I have so many bites all over me that it seems like I have a rash. The ants are both black and red in the sand outside and they bite. There are also sand flies that bite and spiders that bite and the birds are relentless. This lake is amazing the water is clear and the perfect temperature too bad the campground sucks! There are no flush toilets and no running water. The price is cheap but I probably won't be back maybe for a dip on my way out of town. But this place is way too buggy for me
Legend
Campground Review:
This campground lies about 10 miles to the west of its namesake town, Lone Pine in the Owens Valley to the east of the Sierra Nevada range. It is a very popular campground to use as a base camp for climbing Mt. Whitney especially if the Whitney Portal CG is full. which was the case when we were there. If you can't get a reservation or walk in site at Lone Pine CG, then Tuttle Creek, and the Alabama Hills would be your closest places to camp if you're not planning on climbing Mt. Whitney.
Now on to the actual campground! Now since this is a few miles from the actual trail head to Mt. Whitney it has more RV camping sites than tent sites. Campsite range in price from $25-$65 for single tent sites, RV sites, and 1 group site, respectively. Each campground has a large bear proof box to store all of your food and smelly items in addition to a picnic table and a metal fire ring. The campground had potable water spigots and vault toilets spread throughout. You could also purchase firewood from the camp host, which is recommended due to the possibility of spreading pests.
To list all of the activities you can do in this area would take a book so I'm just gonna touch on some of the things we did! Our main goal for the trip was to try and summit Mt. Whitney by the Mountaineers Route. We got pushed back however due to hard route finding and soft avalanche prone snow. We ended going around 10 miles but the regular hiking trail is 13 miles one way! After getting beaten down by the mountain we were able to eat some great food at the Mt. Whitney Restaurant which had Americana and diner food.
Since we stayed at this campground in the middle of June the temperatures weren't too hot but I would really try to camp higher up at the portal if you plan on coming here in July or August as it could be really hot and there wasn't a ton of shade. Also be doubly sure to book your campground ahead of time as I doubt there will be any sites if you show up after 3 or 4 without a reservation.
Product Review:
Being a Ranger for the Dyrt allows us to test and review gear from time to time! This time we were testing out the Adjustable Neck Gaiter from Eclipse sun protection. This was honestly one of my favorite pieces of gear I've been able to test for the Dyrt!
Pros:
Cons:
Other than that one con I would say this is an amazing product that helps keep you from spending 100's on a temporary sunblock and helps keep all those nasty chemicals out of nature, the waterways, and the oceans! I definitely think we'll be trying out the sleeves for fishing as my fiances arms can get pretty burnt sometimes.
RangerMy husband and I were at Death Valley 8 years ago (2011) staying in Furnace Creek hotel rooms. This year (2019) we returned with our tents as part of a California National Park tent trip and wow were we surprised! The park has had a major renovation with great shopping and options for your stay. With our senior park pass we get into the parks free and camping is 50% off, so our two night stay was a whopping $16.00. We drove up to the newly remodeled inn that has rooms for 350-600$ a night, and while we were there, someone was arriving via helicopter, truly a luxury resort. We learned that the owner of the LA kings hockey team has purchased the resort and has many improvements planned.
We were reminded how far everything is within the park, you may choose to hike a trail and it may be an hour or two drive away, there is gas in the park, but you may a nice price for it! The main gas station in furnace creek had gas for $5.46 per gallon, however gas at the stovepipe wells was only $4.21.
We choose the hike to zabrieski point for sunrise and sunset, the natural bridge (very rough road) and the 8.5 round trip hike to wild rose peak which was very challenging.
This year, Scotty’s castle is closed until 2020 due to flood damage, so we were happy we had seen it on our prior visit.
We camped at furnace creek campground which is one of the few open after Memorial Day and is first come, first serve, no advance reservations. We arrived around noon and most sites were available, however later that night, most were occupied. The campground has many toilets with running water and flush toilets, and there is a dishwashing station by most bathrooms. There are tent sites and full hookup sites. There are trash dumpsters with areas for recycling and empty propane containers. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring.
There is a golf course, swimming pool, horse riding (closes in May), many nice restaurants and a spa.
Here’s the best deal, for 10$ per person you get a pool and shower pass for all day! The pool is awesome, spring fed warm water. The showers have massive pressure with hot water.
Guide
After a long day hiking a site seeing in the desert. It was nice to just pop up the tent and relax. Large sites could have camp fires. They also rent out cabins and tent cabins.
LegendProbably not the best place to camp in July as it is extremely hot. Found a nice tent spot (site 100) and set up our tent behind some trees. Some of the campground feels like a giant parking lot but the sites near 100 are nice.
TravelerThis campground never fills up, but is more oriented to RV type camping. While there are no hook ups, the ground is ROCK hard and impossible to get a tent stake into. If there is a wind, the tent is gone.
The sites are close to each other, but the plus side, as I said, you can ALWAYS get a site.
Tent camping near Death Valley National Park offers a unique opportunity to experience stunning desert landscapes and starry nights. With a variety of campgrounds to choose from, adventurers can find the perfect spot to set up their tents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Death Valley National Park?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Death Valley National Park is Emigrant Campground — Death Valley National Park with a 4.3-star rating from 8 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Death Valley National Park?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 tent camping locations near Death Valley National Park, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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