Despite its morbid name, if you love the quiet of the desert Death Valley National Park is a lively place to visit. In fact, it is one of the most naturally quiet places in the continental United States. The largest National Park outside of Alaska, it offers 5300 square miles of open space and dramatic scenery. Nestled in a mountain backdrop of the Panamint Range in California you will see sand dunes, parched land, and cracked salt flats. If you are up to hiking to or visiting Wild West ghost towns there are more than a handful within the park.
With its extremes in temperatures and elevations Death Valley holds many records. Best known for the highest temperature ever recorded anywhere in the world (134 degrees in July 1936) it is also driest spot in the US and lowest point in North America at the salt flats and pools at Badwater Basin.
On a visit explore the Furnace Creek Visitor’s Center to learn about the geology, nature, people, and history. In spring spot rare wildflowers or in a rainy year experience a super bloom where rare wildflowers abound. At the crack of dawn explore the Mesquite Flat Dunes and the shifting sand and color.
If you like to hike there are a few short hikes that are flat and easy to do if the weather is mild. On a hike through flood-carved Golden Canyon, (three-miles round-trip) you will experience serpentine pathways through the dramatic Red Cathedral rock formation. Another short 1-mile round trip hike will bring you to Natural Bridge a structure that spans a wash. In the late afternoon tour the painted hills of Artist’s Drive, a nine-mile road that leads through colorful rock formations.
If you are heading over to Old West town of Lone Pine climb to Telescope peak, the highest point in the Panamint Range at 11,049 ft. Telescope Peak is one of the greatest vertical rises above local terrain of any mountain in the contiguous United States. Starting from the floor of Badwater Basin the elevation rises 11,331 feet to the crest of the mountain from the lowest point in the park. The drive is beautiful but there is also a14-mile roundtrip hike up Telescope Peak with incredible views. The snow and coolness in the air is a sharp contrast to the land down below. Also visit the charcoal kilns to see where the lumber was burned to supply charcoal to the surrounding mines. Drive a little further and you will find Lone Pine, the great wall of the Sierras, and Mt. Whitney the highest point in the contiguous United States..
We stay in the campground which is typically the one place that breaks the natural silence. When spending time exploring this harsh landscape many people enjoy a comfortable hotel room to return to as a treat. The golf course and spring fed swimming pool seem out of place out in the middle of the desert. However, other more adventurous activities may be a challenge in the heat and wind, with sand and tumbleweeds blowing by so the controlled nature of these spaces are a welcome retreat. At the time we visited we swam in the pool for a small fee even though we were not guests at the hotel. It added comfort to the day.
