Dantes View at Death Valley National Park is EPIC!
Dantes View at Death Valley National Park was one of the best viewpoints in all of the park!
Perched at 5,575 ft on the ridge of the Black Mountains, you get extraordinary 360º panoramic views of the surrounding wilderness and valley.
You can see Badwater Basin (lowest point in DV), the wide gap of Death Valley, and other mountain tops like Telescope Peak across the way.
It was a surreal and unexpectedly amazing experience.
Let’s tell you all about Dantes View at Death Valley National Park!
Dantes View is a Must-See!
This spot is no doubt one of the top 3 attractions of the park. It’s easy to find and offers unmatched views of Death Valley.
Accessibility
We appreciate that one of the grandest views in the park is something you can quite easily drive up to.
It’s located 25 miles from the Furnace Creek Visitor Center in the center of Death Valley. Simply take highway 190 west, hook a right on Furnace Creek Wash Rd (there will be signs), and follow the paved road all the way up.
The last ¼ mile up to the peak is a 15% grade incline – one of the steepest roads we’d been on in a long time. Our little Honda HRV rental was easily able to climb it, but it made for a very fun finish to the drive!
*note that vehicles longer than 25 feet are not allowed up the final incline – but there’s a small parking lot at the bottom to leave your trailer!
Once you get there, there’s a fairly large parking area. You can walk 100 feet (or less) to the overlook point where I’m sure you will be left a bit speechless.
Again, I love that newbies can get views like this without needing to trek deep into the wilderness.
Spectacular View
If we didn’t already say it, Dantes View is one of the most beautiful scenes at Death Valley.
It was lovely to look across the valley and see Telescope Peak, which is even taller at 11,043 feet! And it was incredible to look down to the valley floor and see Badwater Basin at 282 feet below sea level.
It blows my mind knowing that I could see peaks as high as Glacier and the lowest elevation in North America all in one view. It’s truly unlike anywhere we’ve ever been.
Just south of the parking lot, you will notice a pathway for a trail. You can hike down to a few other peaks off the parking lot where you’ll get even more interesting vantage points of the valley.
Be careful, of course! The path was easy to walk, but there were a few spots where one bad step could have been bad.
International Dark Sky Park
Death Valley is an International Dark Sky Park, which makes it one of the darkest places in the US.
The two major cities near Death Valley – Los Angeles and Las Vegas – make it almost impossible to get genuinely dark skies.
But Death Valley gives you the opportunity.
Dantes View would be a phenomenal spot to catch the stars. With sweeping 360º views, there would be a wide open sky for stars.
When we go back to Death Valley, this is something we’ll definitely do!
Best Time to Visit Dantes View
Depending on the time of year, early morning and late afternoon are typically the best times to visit Dantes View. Because there is zero shade coverage, this would be an extremely hot place to visit in the summer.
We stopped by in the early morning – plenty of parking, not too many people, and cool temperatures.
Sunrise and Sunset at Dantes View
The sunrise and sunset in Death Valley are some of the most spectacular scenes we’ve ever experienced.
The way the light first touches the mountain tops and then slowly illuminates the entire valley is something we will never forget.
Getting up to Dantes View for sunrise would be a treat. Depending on where you are staying, you will have to get up really early!
We stayed in nearby Trona, CA (just outside the park) and the drive to Dantes View was close to 3 hours. We made it up there just past sunrise (bummer) because we left our Airbnb just a bit too late (if you call 4:30am late!)
All that to say, Dantes View is a bit of a drive, so be sure to plan accordingly.
What to do After Dantes View
Your best bet is to head north, back toward Furnace Creek and then make all the stops along Badwater Road – the most popular area of the park!
Zabriskie Point
Your first stop on the way back to Furnace Creek should definitely be Zabriskie Point. It’s about 30 minutes from Dantes View.
This area is most well known for its badlands, hiking, and spectacular views of the valley. Not quite as high in elevation, you will still get incredible shots of the surrounding mountains.
We hiked the Badlands Loop (2.7 miles round trip) and it took us a little over 2 hours to complete. It’s a fairly easy route with a few inclines at the end. The hike takes you down into the badlands grooves where you will feel completely surrounded by rock – it was awesome.
My favorite part of Zabriskie Point was seeing the smooth badlands terrain. It looked almost glasslike in the glow of the sun.
Furnace Creek Visitor Center
We love stopping by visitor centers on all of our trips! It breaks up the day, gives us a chance to recover and refill our water, and make a plan for the rest of our time.
Be sure to take a picture with the thermometer on the outside of the building. If you go in the winter (like we did), it won’t be super memorable (70ºF ain’t bad!) but in the peak of summer, this will consistently stay above 100ºF!!
We always grab stickers and post cards as memorabilia. Here’s a quick photo of some of the ones we bought!
Badwater Basin
Next you can head over to Badwater Basin – about 25 minutes from Furnace Creek. This is likely the most popular area of the park, so heading there earlier in the day is advised.
During summer, the national park service does not recommend visiting here after 10am because of the extreme heat – so plan accordingly!
There are so many interesting aspects of these salt flats in Death Valley, but what I’ll always remember is looking up at the surrounding mountains and thinking, “we were just up there!”
Although you can’t quite tell, you can assume you are looking up at Dantes View.
It’s especially interesting knowing that Badwater Basin is actually 282 feet below sea level, making Dantes View rise even taller – 5,857 feet above! You can quite literally be at the some of the highest and lowest points in the park all within an hour!
Artists Palette
The last stop along Badwater Road that we’d recommend is Artists Palette.
The Artists Drive is a scenic, 9-mile road into the mountainside. The highlight of this drive is a stop at Artists Palette. This area is famous for a colorful set of rocks – blues and greens and reds.
It’s one of the top images that appears on any “Death Valley” Google Search. You will most definitely remember the interesting colors that appear on the rocks!
A Viewpoint to Remember: Dantes View at Death Valley National Park
There’s no doubt in our minds that this was our favorite view in Death Valley National Park!
The peaks and valleys feel prominent here. The ability to get 360º views of the surrounding wilderness was awe-inspiring. And getting a chance to stand thousands of feet above Badwater Basin is something we will remember for a long time.
There’s no better view we’ve experienced. Get your hiking shoes on, jump in the car, and head on up to Dantes View at Death Valley!
