Death Valley National Park

© Michelle Leco / USATourist.com
After an unusually wet spring, the valley floor erupts with wild flowers that have lain dormant for years.

Death Valley National Park is located about 200 miles (330 km) northeast of Los Angeles, California along the eastern border of California and Nevada. It is less than 50 miles east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and lies wholly within its rain-shadow desert. Moisture coming off of the Pacific Ocean surrenders its precipitation to the upper elevations of the Sierra Nevada peaks, so very little moisture reaches Death Valley.

Death Valley is nearly 100 miles (165 km) long and varies in width from 6 miles (10 km) to over 15 miles (25 km). It is sheltered on both the East and the West by 5,000 (1500 m) to 10,000 foot (3000 m) high mountains. The floor of the valley receives less than two inches (5 cm) of rain per year. Clear blue skies without a cloud are normal in all seasons of the year.

One of the hottest places in North America

Since the valley is secluded between high mountain ridges, it is well sheltered from any cooling breezes. The nearly incessant sunshine typically heats the valley floor and its rocky walls to high temperatures. During July and August, daytime temperatures of 130° F (50° C) are not uncommon, while it seldom cools below 100 degrees (38 C) at night. The best season to visit Death Valley is in December or January when daytime temperatures are typically a very pleasant 65 – 70 degrees (18 – 21 C).

Several bands of migrant Native Americans have long used this valley as their winter residence, migrating to higher altitudes during the hot summer months and returning to the warmer valley during the winter. A small Shoshone Indian Reservation is currently located at Furnace Creek.

History of Death Valley

© Michelle Leco / USATourist.com
The Sand Dunes near Stovepipe Wells are a favorite place for visitors to explore and take in the scenery.

Death Valley received its name in 1849, when a wagon train of overland immigrants headed for California became lost in the valley for several weeks. They had to burn their wagons and cook their oxen to survive. At least one of them perished in the valley. When they finally hiked their way out, one of the women reputedly said, “Goodbye Death Valley”, and the name stuck.

Afterwards, Death Valley was probed by intrepid prospectors seeking gold, silver and other valuable minerals. It eventually supported several borax mines that used huge wagons drawn by teams of twenty mules to haul the refined mineral 165 miles to the nearest railroad. These operations eventually proved uneconomic and were abandoned.