Best time to visit Death Valley National Park
The short answer
Best months to visit Death Valley National Park: January–March and October–November. Daily highs run about 60–80°F, with about 70% of March's visitors.
Hardest months: June–September, mostly because of heat.
How we picked these months: each month is scored on daily highs (65–82°F is ideal), rain, snow and seasonal closures, then reduced by up to 30% for crowds, measured against the park's busiest month. We list the months within 15% of the top score (at most 5).
Weather and crowds by month
Death Valley National Park month by month
Park-wide averages across 8 locations. Crowds compare each month with the park's busiest month: Quiet is under 35% of it, Moderate under 60%, Busy under 85%, Peak above that.
| Month | Rating | High / low | Rain | Snow | Crowds | Closures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Best | 60° / 46°F | 0.9 in | 0.5 in | Moderate | – |
| February | Best | 64° / 48°F | 0.7 in | 0.8 in | Busy | – |
| March | Best | 70° / 53°F | 0.7 in | – | Peak | – |
| April | Good | 80° / 62°F | 0.3 in | – | Busy | – |
| May | Fair | 87° / 68°F | 0.2 in | – | Busy | – |
| June | Poor | 99° / 79°F | 0.1 in | – | Moderate | – |
| July | Poor | 104° / 86°F | 0.1 in | – | Moderate | – |
| August | Poor | 102° / 83°F | 0.5 in | – | Moderate | – |
| September | Poor | 93° / 76°F | 0.2 in | – | Moderate | – |
| October | Best | 81° / 65°F | 0.3 in | – | Moderate | – |
| November | Best | 67° / 53°F | 0.3 in | – | Busy | – |
| December | Good | 58° / 45°F | 0.7 in | 0.6 in | Busy | – |
Weather by location
Parks with a big range of elevation can differ a lot from one area to another. Open a location to see its own numbers.
Park-wide (center of the park)
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F | 33°F | 0.7 in | 0.9 in |
| February | 49°F | 34°F | 0.6 in | 1.5 in |
| March | 53°F | 37°F | 0.7 in | – |
| April | 63°F | 45°F | 0.3 in | – |
| May | 69°F | 51°F | 0.3 in | – |
| June | 82°F | 61°F | 0.1 in | – |
| July | 87°F | 67°F | 0.3 in | – |
| August | 85°F | 65°F | 0.5 in | – |
| September | 77°F | 59°F | 0.1 in | – |
| October | 65°F | 50°F | 0.3 in | – |
| November | 52°F | 40°F | 0.1 in | 0.5 in |
| December | 44°F | 33°F | 0.6 in | 0.7 in |
Badwater Basin
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67°F | 53°F | 0.7 in |
| February | 72°F | 56°F | 0.5 in |
| March | 78°F | 61°F | 0.4 in |
| April | 88°F | 70°F | 0.2 in |
| May | 95°F | 76°F | 0.1 in |
| June | 107°F | 87°F | 0 in |
| July | 112°F | 94°F | 0.1 in |
| August | 109°F | 91°F | 0.4 in |
| September | 101°F | 84°F | 0.2 in |
| October | 88°F | 72°F | 0.3 in |
| November | 74°F | 59°F | 0.3 in |
| December | 64°F | 51°F | 0.6 in |
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64°F | 50°F | 0.5 in |
| February | 70°F | 53°F | 0.6 in |
| March | 78°F | 60°F | 0.4 in |
| April | 87°F | 69°F | 0.2 in |
| May | 95°F | 76°F | 0.1 in |
| June | 107°F | 87°F | 0 in |
| July | 112°F | 94°F | 0 in |
| August | 109°F | 91°F | 0.3 in |
| September | 101°F | 83°F | 0 in |
| October | 87°F | 70°F | 0.3 in |
| November | 72°F | 58°F | 0.4 in |
| December | 62°F | 49°F | 0.5 in |
Furnace Creek
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66°F | 52°F | 0.6 in |
| February | 71°F | 54°F | 0.5 in |
| March | 78°F | 60°F | 0.7 in |
| April | 87°F | 69°F | 0.1 in |
| May | 94°F | 76°F | 0.1 in |
| June | 107°F | 87°F | 0 in |
| July | 112°F | 94°F | 0 in |
| August | 109°F | 91°F | 0.3 in |
| September | 101°F | 83°F | 0 in |
| October | 87°F | 71°F | 0.3 in |
| November | 73°F | 58°F | 0.2 in |
| December | 64°F | 51°F | 0.6 in |
Stovepipe Wells
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66°F | 52°F | 0.6 in |
| February | 71°F | 54°F | 0.5 in |
| March | 78°F | 60°F | 0.7 in |
| April | 87°F | 69°F | 0.1 in |
| May | 94°F | 76°F | 0.1 in |
| June | 107°F | 87°F | 0 in |
| July | 112°F | 94°F | 0 in |
| August | 109°F | 91°F | 0.3 in |
| September | 101°F | 83°F | 0 in |
| October | 87°F | 71°F | 0.3 in |
| November | 73°F | 58°F | 0.2 in |
| December | 64°F | 51°F | 0.6 in |
Panamint Springs
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60°F | 47°F | 1.1 in |
| February | 65°F | 48°F | 0.9 in |
| March | 70°F | 53°F | 0.8 in |
| April | 80°F | 61°F | 0.3 in |
| May | 87°F | 67°F | 0.1 in |
| June | 99°F | 78°F | 0 in |
| July | 104°F | 84°F | 0.1 in |
| August | 102°F | 82°F | 0.5 in |
| September | 94°F | 74°F | 0.1 in |
| October | 82°F | 64°F | 0.3 in |
| November | 68°F | 53°F | 0.2 in |
| December | 58°F | 45°F | 0.9 in |
Ubehebe Crater
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58°F | 43°F | 2.2 in | 0.5 in |
| February | 62°F | 44°F | 1.6 in | 1.8 in |
| March | 68°F | 50°F | 1.5 in | – |
| April | 78°F | 59°F | 0.4 in | – |
| May | 85°F | 66°F | 0.3 in | – |
| June | 97°F | 77°F | 0 in | – |
| July | 102°F | 84°F | 0 in | – |
| August | 99°F | 81°F | 0.5 in | – |
| September | 91°F | 73°F | 0.2 in | – |
| October | 79°F | 61°F | 0.4 in | – |
| November | 66°F | 50°F | 0.6 in | 0.7 in |
| December | 56°F | 42°F | 1.4 in | 0.6 in |
Wildrose Charcoal Kilns
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51°F | 40°F | 0.8 in | 2.8 in |
| February | 54°F | 41°F | 0.5 in | 3.2 in |
| March | 59°F | 44°F | 0.7 in | 1.9 in |
| April | 69°F | 52°F | 0.5 in | 0.5 in |
| May | 75°F | 59°F | 0.6 in | – |
| June | 88°F | 71°F | 0.3 in | – |
| July | 93°F | 77°F | 0.6 in | – |
| August | 91°F | 75°F | 1.0 in | – |
| September | 83°F | 69°F | 0.5 in | – |
| October | 71°F | 58°F | 0.6 in | – |
| November | 59°F | 47°F | 0.3 in | 1.3 in |
| December | 50°F | 40°F | 0.6 in | 3.1 in |
Death Valley National Park by season
Spring (March–May)
Spring (March–May) is a good time to visit Death Valley National Park. Daily highs average 70–87°F and lows 53–68°F. Expect about 0.4 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 65–100% of the busiest month, which is busy by this park's standards.
Summer (June–August)
Summer (June–August) is a difficult time to visit Death Valley National Park. Daily highs average 99–104°F and lows 79–86°F. Expect about 0.2 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 43–49% of the busiest month, which is moderate by this park's standards.
Fall (September–November)
Fall (September–November) is a good time to visit Death Valley National Park. Daily highs average 67–93°F and lows 53–76°F. Expect about 0.3 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 43–69% of the busiest month, which is moderate by this park's standards.
Winter (December–February)
Winter (December–February) is a good time to visit Death Valley National Park. Daily highs average 58–64°F and lows 45–48°F. Expect about 0.8 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 52–71% of the busiest month, which is busy by this park's standards.
For what to do in each season, see our guides to trip planning, fees and hours, trails, camping and things to do, where the planning page also has our written advice on when to go. In-depth topic guides cover individual places and hikes.
What the National Park Service says about the weather
SPRING is the most popular time to visit Death Valley. Warm and sunny days with the possibility of spring wildflowers is a big attraction. SUMMER starts early in Death Valley. By May the valley can be scorching hot. AUTUMN arrives in late October, with warm but pleasant temperatures and generally clear skies. WINTER has cool days, chilly nights and rarely, rainstorms. With snow capping the high peaks and low angled winter light, this season is especially beautiful for exploring the valley.
Weather: modeled monthly averages for 2014-2023 (Open-Meteo Archive API), averaged over 8 locations. Modeled grid cells can read cooler than weather stations in deep canyons and deserts, and warmer or colder at high elevation. Visits: monthly recreation visits for 2021-2024, National Park Service.
