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Death Valley National Park entry requirements

No timed-entry or vehicle reservation is needed to enter Death Valley in 2026. Entrance is $30 per vehicle. Check any visit date against the official 2026 rules.

The 2026 season at Death Valley

This is what applies across the published season. Use the date checker below for a specific day.

No reservation is required to enter Death Valley National Park in 2026.

An entrance fee or accepted pass is required on every visit, separately from anything below.

  1. Park entrance

    Required

    You must pay the park entrance fee or show an accepted pass.

    • Private vehicle: $30, valid for 7 days.
    • Motorcycle: $25.
    • Per person on foot or bicycle: $15.
    • An America the Beautiful pass covers this entrance fee. It does not cover any reservation or permit below.
    • Standard entrance passes are valid 7 days with unlimited re-entry. The motorcycle pass covers up to 2 motorcycles. Death Valley is cashless: debit, credit or digital payment only, for both entrance and campground fees. There are no staffed entrance gates on most roads - pay online or at a visitor center, ranger station or fee machine.

  2. Timed entry

    Not applicable

    Death Valley National Park has no timed-entry system.

  3. Vehicle, road, or corridor

    Not required

    Nothing here is required in 2026.

    • Titus Canyon Road closing October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027 for phase-two repairs. The road is temporarily open right now after initial repairs, but NPS warns it may close on occasional days before October 1.
    • Scotty's Castle and Bonnie Clare Road closed indefinitely for flood recovery. No access is permitted at all, including on foot.
    • Darwin Falls road closed to vehicles, likely until Summer 2027. Hikers can park on the shoulder of CA-190 and walk in. Bicycles are permitted on the closed unpaved roads; motorcycles are not.
    • Valley-floor campgrounds close seasonally for summer; main roads and viewpoints stay open in the heat. Emigrant Campground and Restrooms are closed indefinitely for water system repairs, not seasonally. Mesquite Spring, Wildrose, Thorndike, Mahogany Flat, Eureka Dunes, Saline Valley and Homestake campgrounds are open.
    • No summer heat road closures - the park stays open, with a stay-on-pavement advisory. This is advisory only. NPS does not close roads or points of interest because of heat.

  4. Shuttle

    Not applicable

    Death Valley National Park has no shuttle system.

  5. Your campground or lodging

    Not applicable

    Death Valley National Park has no in-park stay that changes what you need to enter.

  6. Selected activity

    Not applicable

    Death Valley National Park has no headline activity permit that visitors confuse with entry.

Fees and passes

Private vehicle$30
Motorcycle$25
Per person, on foot or bicycle$15
Valid for7 days
Park annual pass$55

Standard entrance passes are valid 7 days with unlimited re-entry. The motorcycle pass covers up to 2 motorcycles. Death Valley is cashless: debit, credit or digital payment only, for both entrance and campground fees. There are no staffed entrance gates on most roads - pay online or at a visitor center, ranger station or fee machine.

An America the Beautiful pass is accepted here. It covers the entrance fee only. It does not cover a timed-entry permit, a vehicle reservation, a parking tag, a shuttle ticket, or an activity permit.

A pass covers the entrance fee only. It does not cover campground fees and does not open any of the flood-damaged roads that are closed.

Fee-free days

  • Feb 16, 2026
  • May 25, 2026
  • Jun 14, 2026
  • Jul 3, 2026
  • Jul 4, 2026
  • Jul 5, 2026
  • Aug 25, 2026
  • Sep 17, 2026
  • Oct 27, 2026
  • Nov 11, 2026

From 2026 a fee-free day waives the entrance fee for U.S. residents. Other visitors still pay it. A fee-free day never waives a reservation, a permit, or a booking fee unless the park says so.

What a campground or lodging booking does and does not cover

  • Death Valley entrance fee, 7-day standard passNot covered by an in-park booking. Campground fees are charged separately from the entrance fee and are also cashless.

Quick answers

Do I need a reservation for Death Valley?
No. Death Valley National Park does not require a timed-entry or vehicle reservation to enter in 2026. You still pay the entrance fee ($30 per vehicle) or show an accepted pass.
Is there an entrance fee at Death Valley?
Yes. A private vehicle pass is $30 per vehicle. An America the Beautiful pass is accepted for the entrance fee, and does not cover any reservation or permit.

Official links, coverage, and sources

When reservations are released

  • Death Valley entrance fee, 7-day standard passNo release date - buy any time online or on arrival.

Official booking and park information

What this does not cover

  • Road, weather, and fire closures that change day to day. Check the park’s alerts page.
  • Backcountry and wilderness permits beyond the headline permits listed above.
  • Commercial use authorizations, filming permits, and group-size rules.
  • Availability. We tell you what is required, not whether anything is left.

Effective dates and sources

  • Fees and passesNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to Park entrance$30.00 ... allows all persons traveling in one single private, non-commercial vehicle (car/truck/van/RV/aircraft) to leave and re-enter the park as many times as they wish during the 7-day period from the date of purchase.
  • Fees & Passes - Death Valley National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to Death Valley entrance fee, 7-day standard pass$55.00 for the Annual Entrance Pass, which allows all persons traveling with the pass holder in one single private, non-commercial vehicle (car/truck/van) or those on a motorcycle to leave and re-enter the park as many times as they wish for 12 months from the month of purchase.
  • Alerts & Conditions - Death Valley National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to Titus Canyon Road closing October 1Titus Canyon Road: Is temporarily open after initial repairs. It may be closed occassional days. It will be closed for the second phase of repairs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
  • Alerts & Conditions - Death Valley National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to Scotty's Castle and Bonnie Clare Road closedBonnie Clare Road and Scotty's Castle: due to flood recovery work. No access permitted, including pedestrians. The reopening date is unknown at this time; it is dependent upon completion of projects.
  • Alerts & Conditions - Death Valley National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to Darwin Falls road closed to vehiclesDarwin Falls: Road is completely gone in many places and will need either extensive import of road fill (expensive) or 'mining' of gravel from the nearby wash ... Likely to remain closed until Summer 2027. Hikers can park on the shoulder of CA-190 and walk in.
  • Alerts & Conditions - Death Valley National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to Valley-floor campgrounds close seasonally for summerCLOSED: Emigrant Campground and Restrooms - Closed indefinitely for water system repairs. Texas Springs Campground - Seasonal closure. Stovepipe Wells Campground - Seasonal closure. Sunset Campground - Seasonal closure.
  • Death Valley Summer GuideNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to No summer heat road closuresMany visitors come here in the summer specifically to experience the extreme heat. The main points of interest remain open, but it is highly recommended to stay on paved roads and close to your vehicle. ... We do not recommend hiking in the lower elevations in the summer.

Something wrong here?

Park rules change, sometimes at short notice. If a line on this page does not match what the park publishes, tell us and we will fix it and re-check the source.

corrections@nationalparkentry.com· Last factual change 2026-08-05 · Sources last reviewed 2026-07-26

Nearest other national parks

Chosen by distance from Death Valley, not by editorial preference.