These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
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Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes is the largest, most accessible dune field in Death Valley National Park. This is a popular destination. In fact, it is on the must-visit list if you ever visit this beautiful park. Every time we visited Death Valley National Park, we always tried to stop here whenever we could because it was that awesome. The dunes themselves are breathtaking, a photographer’s dream comes true. Besides the beautiful scenery, there are many other things to do that would make everyone in your group happy. We put together a quick guide to show how you can maximize your time at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes is located inside Death Valley National Park. This means that this place gets extremely hot during the summer. The temperature can get over 110°F. Therefore, we don’t recommend visiting in the summer. Winter months have the best temperatures, while early Spring and late Fall are also good to visit. You’ll also have longer days during early Spring and late Fall!
Access to the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes is free, however, Death Valley National Park charges a fee to enter. You can find out more about it here. If you have the America the Beautiful passes, you can use that instead of paying.
From Furnace Creek, take CA-190W for about 23.1 miles to the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes parking area. It is located on the right-hand side. From Stovepipe Wells, the parking area is about 2 miles, east on CA-190 on the left. There are restrooms at the trailhead. You will need a car to access this place. There is no shuttle system inside Death Valley National Park.
Pets are not allowed on the dunes or any trail in Death Valley National Park, even if carried. The park asks visitors to not leave your animal in your vehicle.
Here are some of the stuffs we recommend. Check out our recommended adventure gear below for what we usually use.
• Hiking shoes – the sand dunes have a lot of debris such as dry twigs and sharp rocks so wearing shoes will help you from stepping on them.
• Jacket – It gets cold in the early morning and late evening. So if you’re visiting for sunset or sunrise, make sure to bring a jacket
• Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen – The sun can be brutal here. Make sure to bring plenty of sunscreens.
• Water – Even though it is a short walk, it can be warm and tiring. Make sure to bring plenty of water.
• Phone or Camera – this place is beautiful! You’ll want to take plenty of photos.
Even though there are no official trails, you can hike through the dune field. It is about 2 miles round trip from the parking area to the tallest dune, which is about 200ft. Of course, if you tend to wander around like we do, the total mileage would change. Even though it is not that long of a distance, don’t forget, you’ll be hiking up and down the dunes, which makes it a lot harder. The good thing is, that you can go as far as you want to. However, we recommend going all the way to the tallest dunes. The views from there are quite spectacular.
Unlike hiking at White Sands National Park where you can go barefoot, we recommend wearing shoes when hiking Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. There are tons of dried branches, twigs, and debris mixed in with the sand here, they are not as soft and unblemished as the sand at White Sands. Also, don’t forget to bring water and lots of sunscreens. It can get warm here!
Death Valley National Park allows sand sledding at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, and it is so much fun! We always bring our sand sleds with us every time we visit. The dunes here are a lot taller than the ones at White Sands National Park. So, you’ll go a lot faster too. And you’ll also fall a lot more! Here are a few tips that we put together so you can do this safely and successfully:
• The round sand sled works the best.
• Test out your skill on the smaller dunes first before going for the taller ones.
• Find the ones that are steeper, rather than slopey. Make sure your landings and routes are clear of trees, obstacles, and debris.
• Since you’ll be sliding a lot faster here, we don’t recommend sliding head first. The best posture is to lean back, put both of your feet on the sled, and slide down. Try to lean back so the nose of your sled won’t be digging into the sand.
• Use the same path on the sand when sliding down. Since the sand is already smooth out, it will help you go faster.
This is one of the reasons we love Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes so much. As photographers, we couldn’t get enough of the exquisite lines, the dramatic shadows as ripples and edges in the dunes stand out in a sharp contrast. Everywhere you turn, there are different angles and edges. It’s hard not to take millions of photos. The best times for photography here would be at sunrises and near sunsets. This is when the dune fields come alive with their beautiful contrast between shadow and light.
As we said above, Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes is especially beautiful during sunsets and sunrises. Very rarely there is a location that is beautiful at either time. However, due to its location, the sunset and sunrise are equally gorgeous here at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. So, you’ll be in for a treat whichever time you choose!
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
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Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of That Adventure Life. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
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