Death Valley: Dispersed Camping East Side of Park

This is a huge flat gravelly site just outside of Death Valley that could easily accommodate 100 large RVs, 100 small RVs, and 100 tents. There are many concrete pads or you can park on the flat gravelly landscape. There are scattered fire rings, but no available wood, and no services. Amazing stars! A great place to stop before seeing Death Valley.

Great spot just off highway 190. Old, abandoned RV park with cement pads. Sites are huge. Very clean.

Even when arriving late there were plenty of spacious spots to choose from, you can continue to drive down the road. The energy of the space feels good for a solo traveler, other campers feel solid and safe this round, I don’t see any permanent set ups I’d be uncomfortable camping by. It’s quiet. Stars are amazing. A bit windy but that’s the desert. Tons of flat parking, lots of actual pads for larger rigs to be level. Easy access to the park. Some road noise but it’ll die down because it’s not a main road. Will stay a few nights for sure. Great spot.

I will definitely stay here again next time I’m at DVNP. There are tons of available spots. It got a little busy Saturday night but everyone still had plenty of space between each other. There is absolutely no shade, which is bad when it’s hot. But it was great for me to test out my Starlink and Jackery, which both performed great. Make sure you’re self contained and bring everything with. Including your camera. Sunrise, sunsets and Milky Way were amazing

Got here really late during first/ second week of April. Wasn’t too busy and got a spot with no issues. It had a concrete slab to park and was convenient and easy. Weather was great too. Proximity to the park makes it even better. No service.

Stayed at the pads for a week or so. They are a 300ft elevation and stay much cooler than the “downstairs” of Death Valley. It’s about a 20 minute drive into the park proper with several notable spots along the route to the Inn and the Ranch. Level spots with some gravel and lots of room. Big rig friendly for sure! NOTE: this area is an abandoned mining town so there are small pipes and some drop offs on a few slabs. Arriving at night is not a good idea. There is a wide open area in the turn off I would recommend hoofing it to scope your spot then move your rig in if you’re over 25ft. Coyotes frequently stop by so be on the lookout for that and smart with your trash, small animals and kiddos.

Nice place to camp for free if you don't mind having some neighbors. Close to the highway but little traffic noise. Worked well for an overnight before going into the park the next morning.

Large space, you can park on the pads or the dirt. Very close to the park. Right off the highway and easy to find. No water, no restrooms and no cell service. Be careful if you tent camp off the pads. My tent got some holes from the tiny rocks, even with a good foot print. Some are just very pointy. Overall great free spot, can’t complain. Would definitely camp there again.

Super easy to find a few miles before the entrance to Death Valley. Theres a ton of pads to park on, in a few different sections along the road. The section I was in had 10+ pads, each with their own fire pit. I was lucky enough to get the whole section to myself so it was very quiet and peaceful! Definitely recommend, but no water or bathrooms so come prepared.

Location is good, right outside the park. Not much for views and it’s right on the side of the road. As others have said there are a bunch of Cement pads that you can put a RV or camper on. No very private and spots are close together but it works for a night.

Free sites close to the park entrance? Score. Was here in March and there were about 15 other vehicles camping. Everyone was spread out and noise was very minimal. Only downside is lack of privacy. I camped near some tall grass so I could pee with some cover.

“The slabs” offer plenty of room and nice level parking. I had a great stay and then moved to a more sheltered campground for a period of extended heavy wind. Exactly 5.5 miles before the Death Valley Park sign at the east end on 190. Did not have any reception- as is the case in most of the park. Can’t beat the price!

I absolutely love this spot. Lots of concrete pads to park on. No light anywhere at night, the views are epic. No signal but good with that as well.

This place was great. Cement pads for parking. No toilets, dump or water. Close to Death Valley. Super quiet. Around 100 pads. We saw only a couple camper each day.

Thanks to Dyrt and the reviews on this spot, my wife and I had a great experience staying in Death Valley; the site was easy to find, and there were many spot available for use. We did not experience windy nights like others did, but we may have just got lucky. 

Great views for sunrise, sunset, and star gazing (looking away from Las Vegas light pollution).

We had to drive out with our trash, but that was expected. Campers should be mindful of the exposed pipes that can damage cars and hurt people/animals.

Will 100% stay again.

This is located about 6 miles east of Death Valley’s eastern information center. There are numerous concert pads with fire rings. Our skoolie could easily drive the road and we picked a concrete pad on the far side. The views were stunning at sunset. There are not any facilities, but we really enjoyed it. Our kids loved climbing the nearby hills too.

Do it!

Tent camping first night- very windy and got very poor sleep. Just beware of wind - not sure how common that is but I would’ve slept in my car if I would’ve known. The sites are spacious and clean. Close to highway but surprisingly quiet. Great location.

This site was BEAUTIFUL!! Surrounded by desert and so calm and peaceful! There are cement slabs that you can pull your car up onto and it makes for a perfect level spot to sleep in a tent or a car! The slabs are far enough away from each other for a bit of privacy but close enough to feel safe.

We arrived at night and it was really easy to access! It have ring fires and they put pave spot, so it was really nice and really close to death valley

This campsite was probably the most comfortable I’ve ever experienced. In October it was warm with beautiful sunrise/sunset. Easy to set up a tent even in the dark. Multiple fire pits at most camp spots. I put the coordinates in maps on my iPhone and it took me right there. No WiFi but can be found within 10 minutes where there is a casino with gas and little market if need be. 5 or so minutes away from Death Valley Park. Save your money and stay here for free!

I had planned to stay in the park when I visited early February 2021. All camping was still closed when I got there, so I found this dispersed camping site just outside of the park. It was easy to find, even though it was already dark. There were several other campers already out there, but there's enough space where it still felt somewhat private.

Basically this is an abandoned housing development, so it's super flat and easy to find and unoccupied space. Basically it's the pad where a house was going to be built.

There are no amenities, no water no bathroom no nothing. But it is so quiet! I stayed up late and when everyone went to bed it was the quietest I've ever heard. No road noise, no planes overhead, absolutely nothing. You don't realize what real silence sounds like until you experience it!

Definitely would recommend, cheap (free!), Easily accessible in any vehicle, great view of the desert and night sky!

I stayed at 'The Pads' in Spring 2020 on a 12 day road trip. This was a great and easy campsite just outside of Death Valley NP. It wasn't very full and the views of funeral mountain were great. There are no amenities so come prepared with everything you need, but things were pretty clean for the most part and I would stay here again.

I was pleasantly surprised by Death Valley and this camping area! Perfect weather in the winter, comfortable enough for tent camping. There are fire pits at most sites and concrete slabs at approximately 40 sites or so. If you drive past the slabs you can pitch tent in the dirt. Beautiful view of the Funeral Mountains. This spot is about 10 minutes outside of the park. Very convenient for day trips into the park to sight see and hike. With covid right now, all camping in the park is prohibited. Stores in the park are not even selling firewood because of campground closures. The most amazing sunsets of my trip were at Zabriske Point!

A beautiful and remote area of Death Valley National Park “backcountry.” Be sure to research the Park’s rules for disperse camping.

Enjoy hours of exploring without seeing another person for days.

No facilities, No campfire pits,

We pulled into this spot right around sunset and were greeted with friendly bats and open rv concrete flat spots. It had a beautiful view of the Funeral Mountains and was just East of DVNP.

No bathrooms or facilities and hardly any shade but perfect for a free spot right outside of the the NP.