Death Valley National Park Reviews (Death Valley, California)

Death Valley Day

Ozarks, Missouri

October 11, 2008

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Best of IgoUgo After watching the sunrise from Panamint Springs, we headed further east into Death Valley. Given how quickly the temperature shoots up after sunrise, I was surprised we didn’t see any of our fellow guests up and about. It’s still comfortable in ...Read more After watching the sunrise from Panamint Springs, we headed further east into Death Valley. Given how quickly the temperature shoots up after sunrise, I was surprised we didn’t see any of our fellow guests up and about.

It’s still comfortable in Death Valley at 7 am; but you can tell it’s going to be a scorcher. We headed down the road, now able to see the stark surroundings that we missed on our nighttime arrival. There was one more ridge of mountains (the Cottonwoods) to climb and descend: Death Valley owes its shape and elevation (or lack thereof) to one accident of geology, and its dryness to another. Spreading tectonic plates, one headed west to the Pacific and the other east to Nevada, left Death Valley in the middle, a deep trough sagging below sea level. To the west are four mountain ranges, including 11,000’ high Telescope Peak on the western edge, providing a sharp, adjacent contrast to the depths of Badwater (400’ below sea level). Each of those ranges progressively dries the air as it rises and passes over the ridges, so that the air masses that eventually reach Death Valley are amazingly devoid of moisture. This basin drains an area the size of New Hampshire, but hardly ever accumulates any water at all.

So it’s amazing that flowers ever bloom here. We missed the wildflower season, but encountered a different kind of beauty, in the sand dunes of Stovepipe Wells, the salt-encrusted badlands of Devil’s Golf Course, the colors at Zabriskie Point, and the blue, blue sky over all this sand, rock and heat.

As we headed in and past Stovepipe Wells, a series of signs progressively marked our descent to sea level and beyond. We didn’t stop to explore the sand dunes, which lie off the road to the north. We passed them at about 7 am, as we munched on the prepackaged cinnamon rolls and OJ we’d picked up at the store. We arrived at the Furnace Creek complex, the park’s center, about 7:45, beating the ranger by 15 minutes. We dawdled in the parking lot, finding the car already too warm to sit in without the AC on. The oversized temperature gauge beneath the station’s overhang was already nearing 90. We were there to pick up a junior ranger guide, and to wrestle with how to exchange it for a badge when my daughter was finished. We couldn’t backtrack to Furnace Creek, since we needed to be in Vegas for our flight home. The helpful ranger suggested that we mail it in, and we headed south to Badwater and Devil’s Golf Course.

Having only a fraction of a morning meant we skipped a lot. I would have like to hike the short Golden Canyon trail, and 8 am would be the time to do it. Although we were up early, we weren’t the only ones at Badwater, but there were only one or two other cars. The view up and down the valley here is impressive, and emphasizes the extent of the area that would drain into Death Valley, if only it had any runoff. Behind you is a steep bluff, and if you look carefully at the face, you see a small sign marking the elevation of sea level, 282 feet above you.

The elevation changes here are dramatic. The mountains that bound this place are not far away. As you stand at Badwater, the lowest site in the US, about two miles behind and to the left is Dante’s view, over a mile above sea level. Telescope Peak is directly in front of you, about 10 miles to the west.

Distances here are large, and the park’s sites are not close together. This park is over 100 miles long, running southeast to northwest. It’s 50 miles from Scotty’s Castle to Furnace Creek, and another 72 from there past Badwater to Shoshone. We stopped to gawk at the crusty ground at Devil’s Golf Course, where it looks like the earth has just been oozing salts around the edges of some awkwardly shaped, ancient linoleum tile that’s slowly curling up in the Sun. I’ve never seen ground that looked so lethal, both chemically and physically.

We retraced our steps to Furnace Creek, passing the Inn that closes as spring gives way to summer. We rejoined Highway 190, joining busloads of tourists from Vegas at Zabriskie Point to look out over a series of multicolored sands onto the Valley. It was odd to find ourselves in the midst of people once again, after all the emptiness of Death Valley and eastern Sierras. The temperature was nearing 100, the clock was nearing 10:30, and we reluctantly climbed back in the car and headed for Vegas. Close

From journal California Bold Rush

Death Valley National Park

by Binaya

Grand Prairie, Texas

September 3, 2007

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Best of IgoUgo On our way to Los Angeles from Las Vegas we decided to go to Death Valley National Park, one of the lowest valleys below sea level on earth. After driving for 4 hours from the city, we were on US highway 190 west towards Death Valley. We crossed the ...Read more

From journal Death Valley

Golden Canyon & Zabriski Point

by Linda Hoernke

St. George, Utah

March 8, 2007

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The trail through Golden Canyon cuts through sandstone rocks glowing in different shades of orange, gold and red. I found the shaded areas picked up the deeper blues and green of the rocks. Trail guides are available and describe numbered points of ...Read more

From journal Day Trips into Death Valley

Devils Golf Course

by Linda Hoernke

St. George, Utah

March 7, 2007

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Located 13 miles south of Furnace Creek in Death Valley, The Devils Golf Course is a salt flat that has been carved by wind and rain. Caution should be taken while walking on or around the formations as they are very sharp. Early morning and later ...Read more

From journal Day Trips into Death Valley

Sand Dunes

by Linda Hoernke

St. George, Utah

March 7, 2007

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We visited the sand dunes in the late morning... still enough time to catch the colors and shadows of inspiration. The dunes are near Stovepipe Wells and are easy to get too. The ripples and stark beauty of the dunes are a must-see. We didn't ...Read more

From journal Day Trips into Death Valley

Death Valley in the Spring

by jr0berts

El Dorado

February 24, 2006

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Go in the spring time while the temperature is cool, and if you are lucky, the wild flowers will be out. If you are going to camp, make sure you make reservation well in advance.To get some great pictures, make sure you set your alarm and get up ...Read more

From journal Death Valley

Death Valley National Park

by Naomi_T

Redwood City, California

June 22, 2003

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The extremes of Death Valley are part of its appeal. Huge alluvial fans, earth tortured into crystalline shapes by salinity, gorgeous geological formations, and dusty abandoned sites of human settlement are all here. When we went in April, we spent ...Read more

From journal A week in the California Desert

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