Dunes at the northern end of the valley floor and nearly surrounded by mountains on all sides. Due to their easy access dunes have been used to film sand dune scenes for several movies including films in the Star Wars series
General Information
Motorcycle (7-day pass): $25
Individual (on foot or bicycle, 7-day pass): $15
Annual Death Valley Pass: $55
America the Beautiful Pass: $80
May be walked on nearby dirt roads but must not be left in vehicles
Furnace Creek (23 mi)
Beatty, NV (~50 min)
Early Spring & Late Fall: Pleasant with longer daylight
Summer: Not recommended due to extreme heat
How to Get There
From Furnace Creek (23 mi): Drive west on CA-190 for approximately 23 miles and look for the paved parking lot on the right just before reaching Stovepipe Wells.
Overview
The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are Death Valley’s most accessible dunes, on the northern valley floor near Stovepipe Wells, ringed by mountains and easy to walk from the highway. The tallest, Star Dune, rises 130 to 140 feet, and the sculpted, rippled sands are especially beautiful at sunrise and sunset. Film crews used them for scenes in Star Wars in the 1970s, and creosote bush and mesquite grow between the dunes. Visitors can hike out from the parking area, but should bring water and take care in heat.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles "Places of interest in the Death Valley area", which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
Featured Trail
Mesquite Flat Sand Dune Trail
2 miles (3.2km) round trip, 185 feet
The summit of the high dune is 1 mile (1.6km) each way. No formal trail. Of the seven sets of dunes in Death Valley, these are the most famous and accessible
