In case you don’t live in California or aren’t a follower of weather, we have been getting a lot of rain this season. That typically means there are going to be lots of wildflowers in the desert. In fact there already are lots of flowers blooming.
Death Valley National Park is the hottest, driest and lowest national park. It can also be a great place for wildflowers. But with the flowers comes the crowds. Los Angeles is less than a 4 hour drive and Las Vegas only 2 hours making this park and easy getaway for city folks.
Sort of Pet Friendly
As for pets, it is not the best but not the worst either. It technically gets a 2-paw rating on my scale but I’m actually giving it an extra half a paw. If you aren’t familiar with my rating scale you can check it out on this page. The only trail open to pets is the bike path to Harmony Borax Works. However, there are 6 other roads, 5 of them unpaved or dirt, that are recommended for pets.
Places to walk your dog
- Bike Path to Harmony Borax Works- 1 mile
- Furnace Creek Airport Road- 1 mile, paved
- Stovepipe Wells Airport Road- unpaved
- Twenty Mule Team Canyon Road- 3 miles, dirt
- Titus Canyon Road- many miles, dirt
- Echo Canyon Road- 5+ miles, dirt
- Chloride City Road- 2 miles, dirt
Up-to-date information about the Death Valley’s pet regulations can be found on their site. It is also a good idea to check for any local alerts or closures. Currently rain has closed some areas and roads. The park is also surrounded by BLM land which has less restrictions on dogs.
Camping can be hard to find
The park offers 6-9 different campgrounds, depending on the season. Even with that many options, the last time we tried to visit, there was no camping available and we ended up in the Sierra mountains in a campground with free range cattle. We learned this as a herd of cows walked through our campsite in the middle of the night. However, the site did offer a nice view of alpine glow at dawn.
I wouldn’t recommend visiting in the summer with your furry friend. The average high temperatures from May-September are above 100°F with the record high of 134°F.
