Explorations of Death Valley National Park, the driest and hottest area of the United States.
Death Valley National Park is one of the more popular national parks in the United States. The park is full of other worldly landscapes and desert environments. It’s a great winter destination. However, stay away in the summer unless you want to melt. The average daily high is about 116 degrees Fahrenheit (46.9 Celsius).
I love how Death Valley got its name. In December 1849, a couple of groups heading toward the California gold fields got lost and ended up in the valley. They were unable to find a pass out of the valley, which is lined by steep mountains on either side. Luckily, they were able to find water from the various springs in the valley, but they had no food and ended up eating some of their oxen. They abandoned their wagons and climbed out of the valley. As they were leaving, one of the women in the party turned and said, “Goodbye Death Valley,” and the name stuck. I can see why.
Death Valley is the largest national park in the lower 48. Don’t underestimate its size! It will take a while to drive between destinations and that doesn’t include the washboard dirt roads in some other areas of the park.
I visited Death Valley over Christmas. It was a planned trip that ended up being changed due to the government shutdown. Luckily, I was staying with a friend that was able to show me around. Here are some of the highlights of my visit to Death Valley National Park.
I drove in from Rhyolite, Nevada (see previous update). It’s not the closest entrance to the park from Las Vegas, but the views were great.
We were heading to Twenty-Mule Train Canyon, and I got my first views of some awesome yellow hills. There are actually people crawling all over them. I arrived the on Christmas Eve and it was super busy everywhere.
Twenty-Mule Train Road cuts through Twenty-Mule Train Canyon (I will explain the name later.) I loved the landscape in this area, so you are going to get a bunch of photos of it.
I just love these eroded hills.
Just simply amazing. I kept making my friend stop so I could take photos. He is very patient.
Next up is Dante’s View, which gives you a fantastic look at Badwater Basin down below.
A view further down the valley.
Now to the park’s most famous spot, Badwater Basin, which is pretty awesome to say the least.
Badwater Basin holds the record as the lowest point in North America at 282 ft (86m) below sea level. It was once a lake that dried out over time, leaving large salt deposits on the ground.
The water in front of the parking lot is a small saline spring. It’s bad water gave the basin its name. If you look up to the right of the photo you may see a white sign.
And that sign marks where sea level is.
The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are an easily accessible place to see some awesome white sand dunes. Unfortunately, they were full of people, and sand and I don’t get along, so I didn’t explore them.
The really awesome Ubehebe Crater. This volcanic crater is half a mile wide and up to 777 ft (237m) deep. The volcano erupted between 2,000 and 7,000 years ago. It is extremely windy at the top of the crater. (I hiked around it during a later visit.)
Near Ubehebe Crater is the road to the Racetrack. It’s bumpy and washboard like. I wasn’t planning on going but my friend was able to take me out there. It takes a couple of hours to get the Racetrack from the crater.
As you drive to the Racetrack, you go up in elevation. Here you can see snow in the mountains and Joshua trees, which usually don’t grow below 3,000 ft. Although, they are much smaller here than in the rest of the Mojave Desert.
It’s a long drive but the scenery is beautiful.
Finally, can make out the Racetrack Playa in the distance.
We finally made it! And ain’t it a beauty!
The Racetrack Playa is essentially almost completely flat. It’s a dry lakebed formed by water washing down from the mountains that surround it. The water creates mud that quickly dries to form almost a concrete-like surface. I felt like I was walking on concrete instead of dirt.
The Racetrack is famous for its “sailing stones.” They move during the winter due to frost and ice, leaving behind their tracks. Unfortunately, some people steal these rocks. Please don’t steal rocks.
Close up on a sailing rock and its track.
Another cool natural feature is the Devil’s Golf Course, near Badwater Basin. It’s an extremely broken landscape with salt crystals everywhere.
One of the big draws to the park is the scenic Artists Drive.
It is pretty neat.
This is the Artist’s Pallet; different minerals give the rocks their interesting colors. Honestly, it looks better further away.
Before I leave Death Valley, it’s time for some history. Mining drew people to this area, but borax (used in cleaners) was the real cash draw here. The Harmony Borax Works mined borax here for five years, 1883-1889.
Twenty-Mule teams (which actually had 18 mules and 2 horses) would hall the borax out of the valley and 165 mi (275 km) away. They had to carry all the food and water (which was refilled at springs along the way) for the mules and horses, plus the borax, hence why so many animals were needed.
Death Valley was truly a treat. I really enjoyed my visit. It’s a fun destination only about 2-2.5 hours outside of Las Vegas. The park is a great introduction to the various kinds of desert environments throughout the United States.
Check out my return trip to Death Valley!
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Check out my next update where I explore more of the wonderful Saguaro National Park!
