A Day In The Park: Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park can take a little getting used to. It can be ridiculously hot, incredibly arid, and seemingly devoid of much to see or do. But if you spend a little time in the park and give it a chance...

... you'll find some intriguing history.

... you'll be amazed by the geology.

... you'll find an extreme contrast in elevation.

... and, if you're lucky, you'll find beauty in one of the most incredible blooms of wildflowers.

The park's geology captures your mind as you roam this more than 3-million-acre national park. The sand dunes. The eroded hillsides and carved canyons. The alluvial fans painted scarlet, lemon, orange, and purple with wildflowers after wet winters.

Death Valley exhibits one of the most incredible geologic displays not just in North America, but throughout the world. Some, citing Star Wars, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, and other Hollywood productions, might even call it otherworldly.

The centerpiece of this landscape is really not a true valley, one created by a river. Rather, it is a nearly 160-mile-long "rift valley" forged by the downward movement of the valley floor that separates two mountain ranges, the Armagosa Range on the east and the Panamint Range on the west.

What is it about the hard salt pan, the shifting sand dunes, and the life-threatening temperatures that lures travelers to Death Valley National Park? When I first visited two decades ago, it was summer, and about the only other visitors I saw were Europeans. They seemed wonder-struck by the 100+-degree daily temperatures. I was stupefied to learn when, leaving my room around 6 a.m. one morning, that the temperature already had cleared the century mark.

That searing heat is why some carmakers test their new models at Death Valley in the middle of summer. If you find yourself in the park then, you might want to check out the Wildrose Charcoal Kilns on the western side of the park, where it will be decidedly cooler at around 8,000 feet than far down below at Furance Creek or Badwater (-282 feet). After exploring the kilns, hike up to the summit of 9,064-foot Wildrose Peak (4.2 miles one way) or make a longer, and somewhat more strenuous, 7-mile hike to the top of Telescope Peak, a walk with a 3,000-foot elevational gain along the way to the 11,049-foot summit that offers a great view down to Badwater.

The sand dunes near Stovepipe Wells, roughly in the middle of the park, were created by erosion of the mountains that rim the valley floor. Walking them takes you into a giant sandbox, one complete with pockets of vegetation and intriguing displays of the park's fractured geology. Too, the dunes can hold traces of what slithered or scampered here and there before you. Just time your stroll appropriately -- either very, very early in the morning, or after the sun has set on an evening that promises a full moon. 

Historically, one of the most intriguing aspects of Death Valley sadly is closed to the public until sometime in 2019 or even 2020. If you hold off your trip until then, definitely plan to visit Scotty's Castle. This Spanish-influenced mansion seems out of place in the high desert. But its design pushed the technological limits of the 1920s. Not only did Albert Johnson see that there was a solar heating system at work, but he also had a Pelton water wheel turbine installed to generate electricity for the place. Too, an evaporative cooling system employed indoor waterfalls and even wet burlap to keep things inside the castle relatively cool on those 100-degree summer days.

Unfortunately, an incredible thunderstorm back in 2015 flooded the area, undercutting and washing away sections of roads and utilities buried underground. The mansion and its outbuildings also suffered water and debris damage.

If you're flexible as to when you visit Death Valley, keep an eye on the fall weather in the park. An overly wet fall, you see, will spur an incredible bloom of the wildflowers whose seeds lay around dormant until enough moisture enables them to germinate. The park's last "super bloom" was in the early months of 2016. Radiating fields of Desert Gold lined the road from Furnace Creek south to the Ashford Mill Ruins and north along the road to Scotty's Castle. Walking out into the waving wildflowers, we spotted an occasional Desert Five Spot and delicate sprays of Indian Paintbrush. Were we more able botanists we no doubt would have identified Desert Gold Poppies, Golden Evening Primrose, and Fremont Phacelia. 

There's much more to be seen and experienced at Death Valley National Park: The borax works at harmony, the view from Zabriskie Point, the colorful geology to be found along Artist's Drive, the mysterious moving rocks of the Racetrack, old mines, and the volcanic Ubehebe Crater that you can walk down into. With so much to see across the park's 3.4 million acres, one visit is not enough.