Emigrant Campground

This was my first time ever at death valley, I'm an astrophotographer, and I came all the way from Los Angeles to shoot the milky way. This spot is perfect for shooting the stars. There is zero light pollution. I had a very beautiful and peaceful experience.

Best place to camp in the valley. Restrooms with flush toilets, 2 sources of water. Places with spots big enough for RVs and a handful of primitive camp sites. But it’s right next to the highway so you may hear a big truck or two in the middle of the night. Super remote so get a great view of the stars at night

This is a free campsite for tents only. However, several people brought in their car campers & just set up a tent. You can leave your tent in one of the 10 spots & travel throughout the park during the day but that is not best practice because then others will not have an opportunity to use a site as they come in for their 1st night. This has working toilets that flush & are kept well. There are multiple trash cans that are changed out. While the ground is hard & filled with stones which make it hard to get a good stake in the ground, this is a good campsite due to location, it is free, the amenities are quite nice given this. This is a 10 minute drive from Stove Pipe Wells (just SW of Stove Pipe) & you can get gas as well as general store stuff there. I would advise you come early & get a spot. Many people arrived just before sunset & after dark but were not able to get a spot because this filled up so quickly. Do not be that guy at 10 PM circling the lot & spotlighting everybody. Finally, while this has good bathrooms & drinking water available, you need to know that those facilities are located a bit off the side. You’ll have to walk, not far, to the structure to use them just so you know.

This is a favorite camping spot for heading into or out of the main part(s) of Death Valley. While first-come-first-serve, I have never had an issue getting one of the sites. A communal potable water spigot is available, and a restroom building is just a short walk away. Only down side is that it is located fairly close to the main road, so vehicle headlights can be annoying on the inner sites. Otherwise, the outer sites offer a decent view of the valley and surrounding mountains.

So there I was, the time was 5:30pm in Vegas as I made a last minute decision to hot the road with the idea of heading towards Yosemite. Since it was so late, nothing was planned and took a chance at camping in Death Valley. I first stopped at Stovepipe Wells but the camping area was closed. I remembered passing by Emigrant every time I'd go to Telescope Peak and figured it was worth a shot. Boom! Got the last spot available. Super close to some nice bathrooms, water source, and an amazing view of the sky. No shade and very... it's a desert. It's open. Lol I enjoyed my quick stay!