Death Valley National Park, established on February 11, 1933, covers almost 3,000 square miles and is a vast natural museum, larger than the Yellowstone National Park. The floor of the Valley is almost 300 feet below sea level (at Badwater basin) and it is recognized as the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and one of the hottest places on earth. 134 degrees F was recorded in 1913, second only to the 136 degrees registered in Libya in 1936. From the top of the 11,049 foot Telescope Peak in the Panamint Range Mountains, the floor of the Valley spreads out almost 2 miles below. It bears the grim name Death Valley.
Dante’s View – Over a mile above Badwater, Dante’s View gives an aerial view of
the valley and its surroundings. Be prepared for temperatures 15 to 25 degrees
lower than on the valley floor. While you’re here, stop and be quiet for a
moment. You’ll most likely hear – absolutely nothing! This is one of the
quietest places in the state.
Sand Dunes – The most easily accessible sand dunes are just south of Stovepipe Wells. On the short hike from the roadside, look for tracks of the kangaroo rat (a meandering line with small tracks on either side) and other desert creatures. Scramble to the top of a dune and enjoy the view.
Ubehebe Crater – Ubehebe means "windy place," and it is well-named. Formed in a tongue-twisting event called a cryptovolcanic eruption, a violent explosion of superheated groundwater, the 2000-foot deep crater offers photo opportunities and hiking. That is - if you can stand the wind!
Scotty’s Castle – Why is it called Scotty’s Castle if businessman Albert Johnson owned it and Scotty lived elsewhere? Are the tales of hidden gold mines, shady deals and general trickery true? A living history tour of the Spanish-style home in the desert examines the unusual relationship between Scotty and Mr. Johnson that resulted in this magnificent structure.
Badwater – If you only have time to do one thing in Death Valley, California, take the18-mile drive from Furnace Creek to Badwater. Here you’ll encounter fantastic salt formations, colorful views and the lowest place in the western hemisphere.
A few miles south of the Furnace Creek junction, take a short
side trip toward Dry Lake into the foreign landscape of the valley’s salt pan.
At the Devil’s Golf Course, so-named because it’s so rough that only Lucifer
himself could play golf here, tread lightly and look carefully for delicate salt
structures.
Badwater is the lowest place in western hemisphere. Although the precise
location of the lowest point (-292 feet) is not marked, a walk from the parking
area leads past the salt-laden, bad-tasting watering holes that inspired the
place’s name. Across the valley, Telescope Peak towers 11,039 feet above, twice
the depth of the Grand Canyon. Don’t miss the sea level sign on the cliff above
the parking area.
Artist’s Drive leads to the colorful view called Artist’s Palette, a landscape smudged with pastel colors. The view is especially colorful in late afternoon.
Consider a four-wheel-drive vehicle to access some of the park’s more remote and unusual features such as the Ubehebe Lead Mine and The Racetrack with its mysteriously moving stones and Leadfield Ghost Town.
Old Mule Train Wagons
Old Borax Mills Reunions
Wildflowers of Death Valley
