DEATH VALLEY, Calif. — In observance of Juneteenth National Independence Day on Thursday, June 19, Death Valley National Park will waive its entrance fees, inviting visitors to experience the unique landscape without charge.
Superintendent Mike Reynolds emphasized that despite the region’s extreme heat, June remains an opportune time to explore the park. “It’s not crowded, the views are great, and a fantastic experience can be had,” Reynolds stated.
To ensure safety during summer visits, park rangers recommend several precautions. Visitors should avoid prolonged exposure to heat by staying within a short walk—no more than 10 minutes—of an air-conditioned vehicle or hiking in the park’s higher, cooler mountain areas. Seeking shade during peak sun hours, wearing protective hats, carrying umbrellas, drinking ample water, and consuming salty snacks are advised. Travel should be confined to paved roads, and due to limited cell phone service, drivers are urged to remain with their vehicles if they experience breakdowns.
Several notable locations within the park are accessible through brief walks from parking areas, including Badwater Basin, Artists Drive, Devils Golf Course, Zabriskie Point, Wildrose Charcoal Kilns, and Dante’s View. The Furnace Creek Visitor Center offers educational exhibits, a park film, and a bookstore for visitors seeking indoor activities.
For those interested in longer hikes at higher elevations, the park features trails such as the 9-mile round-trip Dante’s View to Mount Perry route, which follows ridges above 5,000 feet and offers spectacular vistas. The Wildrose Peak Trail extends 8.4 miles round-trip from elevations between 7,000 and 9,000 feet, beginning near the historic Wildrose Charcoal Kilns and culminating with views of Death Valley and the Sierra Nevada. Access to the trailhead is mostly paved, with the last two miles suitable for cautious passenger vehicles. The more strenuous Telescope Peak Trail covers 14 miles round-trip from 8,000 to 11,000 feet and is accessible only by high-clearance 4×4 vehicles; it features ancient bristlecone pines before reaching the park’s highest summit.
While entrance fees will be waived nationwide by all National Park Service units on June 19, camping fees remain in effect. Death Valley’s standard entrance fee is $30 per vehicle or $25 per motorcycle. An annual pass granting access to all national parks costs $80, with discounted rates for U.S. citizens aged 62 and older. Veterans, active military personnel, permanently disabled citizens, and families with fourth-grade students qualify for free annual passes.
Death Valley National Park is the ancestral homeland of the Timbisha Shoshone people. It safeguards vital natural and cultural resources, including exceptional wilderness and some of the planet’s most extreme climate and topographic features within the largest conserved desert landscape in the United States.
