Death Valley National Park in California is one of the hottest, driest places on Earth; in fact, it’s the site of the world’s highest recorded air temperature: 134.1 degrees Fahrenheit.
Just the name is intimidating. Despite that, Death Valley is a realm of great variety that might surprise you.
Coming up are some things about this otherworldly landscape that might surprise a lot of people.
It’s Massive
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In land area, Death Valley NP is about the size of the state of Connecticut. That makes it almost a state unto itself, and it’s larger than some of the world’s tiniest countries.
There’s So Much More Than Meets the Eye
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With all that area, there’s so much to explore. Paved roads get you to a lot of awesome places, but with high clearance and four-wheel drive, you can see amazing places that most people only see in postcards at the gift shops.
There’s Water Here, and a Lot More Than You’d Think
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From saline pools at places like Badwater Basin to perpetual sources like Saratoga Spring and Salt Creek, Death Valley has water in a lot of places. In many cases, those waters support plant and animal species that exist in few or even no other places in the world.
It Gets a Lot of Snow
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Mountain ranges like the Inyos, Grapevines, and Panamints catch a lot of the snow that makes it past the Sierra Nevada. The hike up Peak, the park’s highpoint, usually requires an ice axe and crampons throughout the winter and often into late spring.
It’s Not Just the Mountains That Get Bitterly Cold
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Death Valley is more than high mountains and desert flats. Other areas are between elevation extremes, and they get cold in the winter even when you’re in short sleeves in Death Valley proper. Ice is a big part of the now-prevailing theory explaining the “moving rocks” in Racetrack Valley.
Death Valley Is Full of Life
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Life is all around you here if you just look, from shrubs on the desert floor to lizards and snakes to coyotes coming out at night and to bighorn sheep in the mountains. And just wait until how it looks a few days after a major rain.
People Have Lived Here for Ages
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For centuries before European-descended settlers laid eyes on Death Valley, Native Americans made a home in the Furnace Creek area, with natural springs as the basis of their existence. Later, Death Valley experienced a boom-and-bust mining era, and many remnants of it exist today.
Star Wars Fans Can Nerd Out Here
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George Lucas staged several scenes in these iconic movies here. Three of the best-known sites are Golden Canyon, where the Jawas capture R2D2; the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, where C3PO wanders and is ultimately captured by Jawas as well; and Dantes Overlook, a view of Death Valley and its vast salt pan that in the original film includes a look at Mos Eisley, a “wretched hive of scum and villainy.”
It’s a Gateway to the Sierra Nevada
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If you’re heading from the Las Vegas area to the eastern parts of the Sierra Nevada, going through Death Valley is often the fastest and most direct way. Just make sure the AC is working well since if this is your plan, it’s probably summer.
The Night Skies Are Amazing
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After dark, the skies above Death Valley are ridiculously clear, and unless you’re used to such dark skies, you’ll be astounded by the Milky Way, multiple planets, and constellations that most people in urban areas will never see. The glow of Las Vegas to the east is a bit of a bummer, but it doesn’t ruin what’s directly overhead and to the west.
Modern Accommodations Are Available
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Although hot, dry, and remote, Death Valley has modern accommodations available. Given the location, they aren’t cheap, and you should make reservations well in advance. You can choose among Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells, and Panamint Springs. They go from priciest to cheapest in that order, but the order is the same when it comes to proximity to the major highlights.
You Can Go Off the Grid Out Here
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That said, much of Death Valley National Park gets poor or no cell service. To people who grew up without cell phones, that’s sometimes really welcoming. To some who did, it can also be welcoming to get a taste of a time when successful adventures required good maps, good weather, good wheels, and good luck. Death Valley will disconnect you whether you want it to or not!
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