Hiking the Artists Palette Trail in Death Valley National Park
Distance: 0.3 - 1.0 miles / 0.5 - 1.6 km
Artists Palette in Death Valley National Park is arguably the most beautiful and unique landscape of any destination in Death Valley, and it’s one of my personal favorite spots to hike around and shoot photos at sunset!
That being said, the reason the distance above is so variable is that you can do as much or as little exploring as you want. Personally, I’ve explored as much as 1.0 miles (1.6 km) by hiking up all the different washes off the main two trails, but for most visitors, the hike is often much shorter by sticking to one the two main loop trails.
How to Get the Best Photos at Artists Palette?
Artists Palette is best shot at sunrise and sunset, as the harsh midday sun can wash out the best of the colors that come to life when the light is much softer.
For example, the photo below was taken shortly after sunset, when the light and colors are at their softest, but, keep in mind that sunset will always be much busier than sunrise, meaning that you are more likely to encounter people in your photos compared to visiting early in the morning.
Artists Palette
Artists Palette Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Artists Palette Overlook is located in a large paved parking lot.
The overlook/ trail is the most popular stopping point on the 9.0-mile (14.5 km) Artists Drive, meaning that this spot can get very busy.
Google Maps Directions: Artists Palette Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Death Valley
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Death Valley National Park.
Hiking the Artists Palette Trail
The Artists Palette Trail is really a collection of two small loops and side trails around the greater Artists Palette Overlook.
The trails consist of both an inner and outer loop, with several other routes branching off from them, most of which end in dead ends.
This is where both the inner and outer Artists Palette loops split.
Go left for the outer loop, or go right for the inner loop.
The Outer Loop
Distance: 0.4 miles / 0.6 km
The outer Artists Palette Loop Trail is a beautiful option because you get higher views of the surrounding area compared to the inner loop.
These next two photos are looking down on the inner loop.
Toward the back of the initial ridge, the trail drops down, as shown below.
Go right to stay on the main path. The path to the left goes up a little bit before ending in a dead end.
This area in the photo below is both the back inner and outer loop.
Go left to continue on the outer loop.
At this split, go right. The path to the left ends in a dead end.
Artists Palette Trail - Outer Loop
At this split, go right to return back to the beginning.
The Inner Loop
Distance: 0.3 miles / 0.5 km
As if you had gone right at the initial split in the photo above, you would end up here at the split for the inner Artists Palette Loop Trail.
In these photos, I went around the left side of inner loop first.
At this split, go right to continue on the inner loop.
Toward the back of the inner loop, the trail goes up and over this small ridge to continue around the other side.
Overall, Artists Palette is one of the best places to explore in Death Valley National Park.
