Where to Stay in Death Valley - Best Hotels and Camping
Death Valley is one of the rare national parks where it is more common to visit in the winter months, given their extremely hot summers. There are also so many hidden gems in this park that most people don’t even realize exist.
Whether you’re planning to camp or stay in a hotel, it will be good to know there are 3 major areas of the park that have lodging, general stores, WiFi, and a gas station.
The hotels in Furnace Creek have undergone mass renovations that rival the resorts in Palm Springs, CA and you get to experience one of the most unique national parks in the U.S. when you stay here!
If you plan to camp, you will want to know which campgrounds are open year-round as most established campgrounds are only open from mid-October to mid-April.
Best town to stay in Death Valley
The best town to stay in Death Valley is Furnace Creek if you want to be closest to the most popular attractions of the park or Stovepipe Wells if you want to be centrally located within the park and plan to stay a few days.
Most beautiful part of Death Valley
The most beautiful part of Death Valley is along Artist Drive. Here you will find the rainbow colored mountain tops that really pop right after the sun has set!
Where to Stay in Death Valley
There are 3 main areas inside the park where you can find lodging:
Furnace Creek: on the east side of the park, closest to those coming from Las Vegas, NV. This is also the most popular place to stay in Death Valley National Park.
Stovepipe Wells: centrally located inside the park, and an ideal location for those who want to spend more than just 1 day inside the park.
Panamint Springs: located on the west side of the park, closest to those entering from California.
Keep reading to find our favorite hotels and campgrounds located within Death Valley National Park.
3 Main areas to stay inside Death Valley National Park
Death Valley Hotels
The best Death Valley hotels in each of the 3 main area of Death Valley National Park.
Furnace Creek
The Oasis in Death Valley: is made of 2 resorts and are the closest hotels to the East entrance. These resorts are very luxurious compared to the rest of Death Valley and will run you $200-$500 a night depending on the resort and time of year.
The Inn at Death Valley: even though you’re in the middle of no where this historic resort has gone through a multi-million dollar renovation that rivals any Palm Springs Resort. This luxurious four-diamond-rated resort has 88 hotel rooms, a beautiful natural spring-fed pool, a nearby golf course, and a stunning mountain view at every patio.
The Ranch at Death Valley: is the sister resort to The Inn that is more ideal for families. It is like a mini town here with countless amenities such as 3 on-site restaurants, a spring-fed pool, horseback riding, jeep rentals, plus the 18-hole golf course is right on site. There are 275 rooms at this hotel with rates slightly cheaper than The Inn.
Both The Inn and The Ranch are located within a mile of each other and the Furnace Creek Visitor Center.
Stovepipe Wells Village
Stovepipe Wells Hotel: this rustic hotel has 83 rooms with some rooms offering direct views of the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. You’ll find several mid-grade amenities here such as a restaurant, pool, gas station, and general store.
While this hotel is no where near the resort style of The Inn and The Ranch, you are very centrally located inside the park and at a fraction of the cost. Nightly stays range from $150-$300.
We stayed here on our last trip and would definitely recommend this hotel if you want to be centrally located inside the park.
Panamint Springs
Panamint Springs Resort: for those entering from the west side of the park (also known as the more remote side) you’ll find this affordable motel room (starting at $114/night), a gas station, a general store, and a restaurant.
It is the least desirable looking hotel inside the park, but if you are coming for the a fancy resort you might as well just stay in Palm Springs. Getting out and exploring Death Valley is the reason you come here!
Death Valley Camping
Inside the national park, there are seven developed campgrounds with paved access roads ran by the state park and 2 private camping and RV Parks.
I’ll be honest, none of these parks have beautiful campsites and most feel like a parking lot so I’d decide on location first and then if you need any RV hookups or not.
Furnace Creek
Furnace Creek Campground: Open year-round and the most popular campground in the park with 136 sites, 18 having full RV hookups. This is the only campground you can make reservations (during peak season from mid-October to mid-April).
Texas Springs: If you want to be in the Furnace Creek area and don’t need RV hookups, I’d recommend staying here over Furnace Creek Campground. The campground itself still looks like a parking lot but the views from the nearby hills are stunning for sunset! I really love that generators are not allowed here either!
Texas Springs campground is only open from mid-October to mid-April, and it is first-come-first-serve. The max RV length is 35’ and trailer length is 25’.Sunset Campground: if Furnace Creek is full there are 230 campsites here that can accommodate up to 50’ trailers. There are no hookups but generators are allowed. Additionally, this campground is only open from mid-October to mid-April and is first-come-first-serve. Campfires are not allowed here, but there is potable water and a dump station.
Stovepipe Wells Village
Stovepipe Wells RV Park: just across the street from the Stovepipe Wells Hotel is the private RV park that has 14 full hook-up RV sites for $40/night. The nightly fee includes access to the swimming pool and Wi-Fi access in the hotel lobby.
Stovepipe Wells Campground: run by the national park and it is open from mid-October to mid-May with 190 campsites for $14/night. There are no RV hook-ups here, but you can pay a small fee to access Stovepipe Wells Hotel pool and showers.
Emigrant: Open year-round with 10 tent-only campsites. It is just south of Stovepipe Wells and I’d only suggest staying here if both Stovepipe Wells campgrounds are full.
Panamint Springs
Wildrose: Open year-round with 23 campsites (max RV length of 25 feet). This campground sits at 4100’ feet of elevation just south of Panamint Springs. Expect high winds here. This is a great location for those exploring the south part of the park.
Panamint Springs Private Campground: not our favorite area of the park, but you can find tent sites, tent cabins, and 6 full-hookups RV sites here. I wouldn’t advise this campground unless necessary as the electricity is produced by diesel generators.
North Death Valley
Mesquite Springs: Open year-round with 40 campsites (none with RV hookups). This is a great base camp for those adventuring in the northern parts of the park to see Ubehebe Crater and Eureka Sand Dunes.
Map - Death Valley Lodging
Click on the icon in the top left of the map to view a list of the best attractions in Death Valley.
