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Highs and Lows in Death Valley National Park

Published by Erik Shonstrom, Writer

Country: United States

The Experience

The road to Death Valley National Park from Los Angeles winds along the Owens River—a dry, hot region bordered by the Mojave Desert and the High Sierra. Death Valley has been the stage for gold prospecting, cowboy movie backdrops (John Wayne was a frequent visitor to the town of Lone Pine to film Westerns), and fierce battles over the ownership of water that flows through the Owens. Driving through the desiccated air on the way to Death Valley, I could taste dust on my tongue—the sweet tang of desert yucca, pinon and sage.

Death Valley in California holds two extremes: Badwater, the lowest elevation of continental United States at 282 feet below sea level; and Telescope Peak, an 11,331-foot peak just a dozen miles from Badwater. It is said that the elevation gain from Badwater to the summit of Telescope Peak is similar in scope to the rise of Mount Everest as it juts up from the Tibetan plateau.

The great central rift of Death Valley is a low-lying, incredibly arid desert that receives barely measurable precipitation each year. It is not a place that welcomes life, although life in myriad forms ekes out a tenuous existence in a place that reaches summer temperatures of over 120°F. Death Valley National Park is only a six-hour drive from Los Angeles, and the enormous strangely Martian landscape seems scooped up and dropped into California like an adopted park from another world .

Death Valley National Park is home to the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 states. Apart from regions in Alaska, there is nowhere in the U.S. more remote, desolate and empty than Death Valley. There are a few must-sees for the Park. One is Zabriskie Point, which faithful die-hard Star Wars fans will recognize as the backdrop used by George Lucas for the desert planet of Tatooine. Badwater is a cool place to visit, and the little water that flows there is intensely salty, yet still miraculously supports life. The hardy Death Valley pupfish (Cyprinodon Salinus Salinus) paddles about innocuously in the shallow, blood warm water here.

There are salt encrusted flats, where you can hear the salt crackling and snapping in the still desert air. Moisture soon leaves your skin, and the cliché of being in a convection oven certainly rings true. On the drive from Death Valley to the trailhead for Telescope Peak, you can get out of the vehicle and run down the grainy, blackened slopes into the well of the collapsed 500-foot-deep Ubehebe Crater. The climb back out, even in December, reminded me of why it was called Death Valley.

Telescope Peak is a great (but strenuous) hike, and the best sunset and sunrise of your life will await you from the top. I camped overnight on top, which affords a 360 degree view of Death Valley, the Panamint Range, and the Sierras. There were moments when the sun was blazing across the desiccated landscape and the scene was both awe-inspiring and scarily apocalyptic. Gnarled, ancient Bristlecone Pines, some of the oldest living things on earth, clung to the summit. They looked more dead than alive, and yet persisted despite the harsh conditions.

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Map

Puzzle

When to Go to Death Valley

The best time to visit Death Valley National Park is October through April, before soaring temperatures make the place unbearable and inhospitable. You can visit in the summer, and witness the infamous Badwater Ultra Marathon, but it can be very hard on car radiators to sustain the drive around the big Park. Visiting during winter gives you the best chance to really check out the park without dealing with the roasting heat.

Odds n' Ends

Water. Water. Water. Did I mention water? It's important, because stops are few and far between. There is an entrance fee to the Death Valley National Park, but you can purchase a pass to all the National Parks for only US$50, which is a great bargain. The Park is huge, so make sure to leave yourself lots of time to explore. Zabriskie Point, which is an oddly eroded badland area of canyons and arroyos, is a great place to wander around and get lost.

The area around Death Valley: the Mojave Desert, the Panamint Range, and White Mountain Range, as well as the Sierras to the West, represent an incredible panorama of reds, whites, grays and browns. You’d be hard pressed to find a more complete collection of burnt umbers and beiges anywhere else in the world.

More Experiences Nearby

Tee it up at The Devil's Golf Course
Visitors that tote their golf clubs and equipment to what's known as the Devil's Golf Course, are going to be in for a little bit of an awakening. That's because the Death Valley attraction isn't what most people would call a playable golf course. The place has taken on its name because its said that only the devil could play golf on the rough surface of the land. Devil's Golf Course is located in the Badwater Basin of Death Valley National Park. Situated near the California/Nevada border, the Badwater Basin is known as the lowest point in the U.S., at ...15 miles away.

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Books and DVDs

Road Guide to Death Valley National Park, Updated Edition
National Geographic: National Parks Collection - Death Valley (2009)
Death Valley National Park, CA - Trails Illustrated Map
The Photographer's Guide to Death Valley: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them

Elsewhere on the Web

Death Valley National Park - NPS.gov
Death Valley California Area Trails & Maps - About.com

Media References

Life in Death Valley - NYTimes.com (newspaper)
JOURNEYS: Exploring the West By Day; In the Desert, A Wonderland Of Life Blooms - NYTimes.com (newspaper)
36 Hours -Death Valley - NYTimes.com (newspaper)

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