Photo by: Jacob Lips
Death Valley National Park is a 3,373,063-acre of preserved land that straddles two states: California and Nevada. It is the largest national park in the contiguous U.S. It is also considered the hottest and driest, which are normal in a dessert, and also the lowest. The Death Valley, which is the main landform of the park, also forms part of UNESCO’s Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve, which was established in 1984.
History
Despite the harsh conditions, the area was home to some Native American groups in as early as 7000 B.C. The dominant group was identified as Timbisha sometime in 1000 A.D. During the peak of the California Gold Rush, a group of European-Americans traversed the then-unnamed Death Valley in 1894, hoping for a shortcut to the California goldfields. Unfortunately, the group was trapped and one of them died. That was how the area got its name: Death Valley.
Boomtowns were established between the 19th and 20th centuries, with people hoping to mine some gold or silver. They only found borax, though. But word about the beauty of Death Valley spread, and the residential community sprang in Stovepipe Wells and Furnace Creek.
On Feb. 11, 1933, Death Valley became a national monument. Along with Panamint Valley, Death Valley was then established as a national park on Oct. 31, 1994.
Photo by: Jacob Lips
Things to do
The park has some 1.7 billion years of geological history. So a visit to the park generally means looking at Mother Nature’s majestic creation. Some 1,678,660 people visited the park in 2018 doing various activities including the following:
A scenic drive, sightseeing & photography
The whole terrain of the park is worth marveling at. Driving through the landscape means covering a large area in a shorter amount of time. It is also great for those who don’t want to break out sweat by hiking. There are a lot of viewpoints with stunning images, so visitors should not fail to bring out a camera with them.
Passing through Artists Drive is like watching a geological rainbow, they say. It is a nine-mile drive that passes through colorful desert hills. One of the stop areas is known as Artists Palette.
The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, which features three kinds of dunes: crescent, linear and star-shaped, also makes for a great stop. The spot is named after the Mesquite trees surrounding the area. This area represents the Tatooine dunes in the first “Star Wars” film.
Baldwater Basin is another must-visit place, as it is known to be the lowest elevation in America at 282 feet below sea level. One should walk the sand, which contains large salt formations. Also, one should check out the Devils Golf Course, which features a heavily serrated ground. It got its name because of its ground described as “only the devil could play golf on such rough links.”
Hiking
With a vast landscape such as Death Valley National Park, hiking is a popular tourist activity. Various trails ranging from easy to strenuous are available at Golden Canyon, which got its name because of is gold-colored hills. Star Wars fans might find this place as familiar, as some of the scenes from “Episode IV: A New Hope” was filmed here.
Zabriskie Point is one of the most famous areas to get an overall view of the park. Adventurous visitors can hike the peak from Badlands Loop. This is also a great place to see the sunrise and sunset. It is a popular photography vista as well.
For a great view of the Panamint Mountains, one may hike to Dante’s View. Many said that the most breathtaking view of the park is from this point. Here’s another trivia: the real view is also the reel view of Mos Eisley from “Star Wars.”
The Ubehebe Crater provides a different kind of hiking. As a crater, hikers will have to trek down first. It is 600 feet deep. The trek up is quite a challenge, though.
Camping
Several campgrounds are surrounding Furnace Creek, which has a population of less than 25 (at least from the 2010 census). The unincorporated town is a tourist destination in itself. It holds the record for the highest air temperature on earth: 56.7 degrees Celsius, in 1913. That explains the name then. Among the spots at Furnace Creek frequented by tourists is Oasis at Death Valley Ranch at Death Valley and Furnace Creek Golf Course.
Stargazing
In 2013, the International Dark-Sky Association designated the area as a dark sky park, which means artificial light pollution is restricted in the area. This makes it viable for stargazing as well as astronomy.
Learn history
The Keane Wonder Mine was one of the most unique mining sites in North America. It was operational in the 1900s at the height of gold mining. Visitors could learn how mining in the early 20th century was done. Silver miners in the late 18th century used kilns in mining. Check out this kind of equipment at the Wildrose Charcoal Kilns.
Photo by: Jacob Lips