Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley NP · near Stovepipe Wells · California Desert
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- easy
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 2 miles
- Elevation gain
- 150 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Nov–Mar · Magical by full moon
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- $30/vehicle 7-day Death Valley NP entrance fee (card only). Day hikes need no other permit; overnight backcountry needs a free Recreation.gov permit.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Classic Sahara-style dunes · Sunrise/sunset ripples · Sidewinder & lizard tracks · Easy roadside access
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Go at sunrise before footprints churn the ripples, and empty your shoes of the pale sand you'll collect. It's farther to the tall dune than it looks.
The guide
The park's most accessible dune field, rolling right up to the highway near Stovepipe Wells. There is no trail — you climb the …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.6108, -117.115