Campground · Death Valley National Park
Quiet, higher-elevation campground with water, flush toilets, and sunsets
Overview
Set below Grapevine Canyon about two miles off Scotty’s Castle Road at roughly 1,800 feet, Mesquite Spring Campground is the quiet, scenic alternative to the busier valley-floor campgrounds. It’s first‑come, first‑served and runs year‑round, with around 30 sites for tents and RVs. That extra elevation takes the edge off the heat compared to Furnace Creek, and the open desert views deliver knockout sunrises, sunsets, and stars.
Map
Local know-how
Arrive early—sites are first-come, first-served and spring fills fastest.
Fuel up and buy groceries and firewood before driving up; there are no nearby services.
Bring sun shade and secure your tent—this area can be windy with little natural cover.
Pack warm layers for chilly nights at 1,800 feet, even in shoulder seasons.
No cell service here—download offline maps and let someone know your plans.
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Death Valley Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Death Valley National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Death Valley audio tourRecorded for this place
Mesquite Spring Campground: A Cooler Alternative“The turn for Mesquite Spring Campground is coming up. It's a quiet, first-come, first-served spot that, because of its higher elevation, is usually a bit cooler than the campgrounds down on the main valley floor.”
Plays as you drive up to Mesquite Spring Campground in the Parkwolf Death Valley Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
This is the antidote to parking‑lot camping—broadly spaced sites tucked among low desert scrub with mountain backdrops and huge skies. Nights are wonderfully dark and quiet; you’ll likely hear coyotes and, on calm nights, nothing at all. It’s remote, which is the point, but it also means committing to longer drives for other sights.
You’re well placed for the park’s northern highlights; Ubehebe Crater sits just up the road. Around camp, the draw is the desert scene itself: wide washes, colorful hills, and big‑sky light that glows at sunrise and sunset. In good years, spring wildflower blooms can be excellent.
Campers commonly note desert critters—think kangaroo rats, tarantulas, and plenty of coyotes vocalizing after dark. Birdlife works the washes and shrubs, especially in the cooler months. As always, watch where you step and leave wildlife undisturbed.
Wildlife
71 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
101 sightingsDesert TortoiseMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
458 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
28 sightingsFeral BurroMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
30 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
62 sightingsKit FoxMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Death Valley. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Parkwolf’s Death Valley ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
