Death Valley
Death Valley National Park · near Furnace Creek · California Desert
Road Cycling
At a glance
- Distance
- century
- Best season
- Winter & spring ONLY; summer heat is LETHAL — never ride in summer
What is here
- Scenery
- desert
- Amenities
- Lowest point in North America · Vast, quiet desert roads · Epic climbs (Towne Pass, Dante's View) · Furnace Creek services & events
- Best for
- A bucket-list desert extremes epic
- Features
- Ride the lowest point in North America · Vast, otherworldly desert roads · Huge climbs like Towne Pass · Iconic winter/spring century country
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- LETHAL summer heat — ride only winter/spring · Vast distances, few services — carry everything · Strong wind & intense sun exposure · Long remote roads — plan water & support
- Beginner friendly
- No
Road Cycling detail
- Ride types
- climb
- Road
- quiet
- Climbing
- 4
- Ride notes
- Riding the extremes — Death Valley offers vast, quiet desert roads from Badwater Basin (lowest point in North America, -282 ft) to huge climbs like Towne Pass and the wall to Dante's View, a bucket-list winter-and-spring epic
- Stats note
- Vast desert riding; Badwater at -282 ft; major climbs (Towne Pass, Dante's View)
- Seasonal
- No
- Intl tip
- Some of the most extraordinary and extreme road cycling in the world — Death Valley's vast, quiet desert roads run from Badwater Basin (lowest point in North America, -282 ft) up enormous climbs like Towne Pass and the wall to Dante's View, through salt flats and painted badlands. Classic winter/spring century country (events from Furnace Creek). It is the hottest place on earth — summer riding is lethal, not adventurous, so ride ONLY in the cooler seasons. Even then: vast distances, minimal services, relentless sun and wind. Carry far more water and food than seems necessary; consider riding with support.
The guide
Death Valley National Park offers some of the most extraordinary and extreme road cycling in the world — vast, quiet desert roa…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Death Valley — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.23, -116.77