Trail Review: Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley National Park
Parking: Free parking lot at trailhead. Death Valley National Park does have a $30 entrance fee. More about the park fees HERE.
Distance: 2 miles out & back.
This review is a little different than previous reviews. That's because there is no actual path to follow on the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. It's more of a choose-your-own-adventure experience. We ultimately walked about 1 mile out to one of the tallest sand dunes and 1 mile back to the parking lot. But we could have easily elongated the experience by exploring other parts of the dunes, or shortened it by staying closer to the parking lot. How you want to experience the dunes is up to you!
The dunes have a decently-sized parking lot right off CA-190 and there are signs pointing you to it so it'll be pretty easy to find. Once you've parked, you can just walk north out onto the sandy dunes and proceed in whatever direction you like. A lot of people with young kids were sprinkled around the area closest to the parking lot and the crowds thin out pretty quickly as you get further out.
It is a lot of repetitive uphill and downhill because of the nature of the sand dunes. The amount of uphill can be minimized if you don't mind zigzagging a bit by looking for the smallest hills or ones with more gradual inclines. You can also use the footprints from others to make the climb a little bit easier.
In general, the dunes get taller as you head farther out from the parking lot. So if you want the best 360 degree view, you'll need to go out about a mile to the tallest dunes. I think it's worth the effort. It's quite an amazing view when you're up above the rest of the dunes and you can see all the surrounding mountains. It's quite beautiful, especially as the sun is setting.
When you have decided you've spent enough time out on the dunes, just head back to the parking lot!
Bottom Line: A fun experience in Death Valley National Park. The experience can be whatever you want it to be, from just exploring the area near the parking lot, to venturing out to the large dunes about a mile away.
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