Sunset Campground — Death Valley National Park
SwitchbackKids
Reviewed Jul. 6, 2017

Worst campground in one of the most beautiful national parks!

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)

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  • Video highlights from our time in the park.
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