In Death Valley National Park, trade snow covered peaks for rugged desert.
Death Valley National Park, California It would be a tough sell to extol the virtues of a location where summer temperatures average 120 degrees, where the very earth can cut like glass, and where what little water there is could poison you. And it is a place with the downright scary name of Death Valley — that a local newspaper described in 1907 as “having all the advantages of hell without the inconveniences.” So the first thing we must do is quash any notion of visiting Death Valley National Park between May and November due to the extreme heat — and get on with the many good reasons to go there in the winter. First and foremost are the park’s mind-twisting beauty and the other-worldly fascination of its landscape — not to mention its exotic plant and animal life and its alluring human history. There’s plenty to do here as well, especially during the annual Death Valley Encampment, slated this year for November 6-11. It’s the headline event of the year in the Valley and we’ll discuss it further in a moment. First, however, let’s talk a bit about the park itself.
Situated in the Mojave and Colorado Desert’s Biosphere Reserve along the California/Nevada border, a large chunk of the Valley was set aside as a national monument in 1933 and was upgraded to become a national park in 1994. The park is spread out over more than 3.3 million acres of widely differing terrain — ranging from 283 feet below sea level at Badwater Basin to 11,049 feet atop Telescope Peak — and it ranks as the largest park in the lower 48 states. The term “Death Valley” was coined in 1849 by immigrants who nearly perished while crossing the desolate basin as a shortcut to California’s goldfields. Best place to begin a visit to Death Valley is yet another ominous sounding location, Furnace Creek, the park’s largest settlement and home to the National Park Visitor Center where you can view exhibits, secure maps and brochures and consult with rangers on activities and road and weather conditions. Those things are important if you plan to tackle any rough back-country roads (where high-clearance, 4WD vehicles are advisable).
NATIONAL PARKS TO VISIT IN WINTER
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 13
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker