What Is Death Valley?

Death Valley is one of the largest national parks in the U.S., at twice the size of the state of Delaware. Despite its forbidding name, it is a vast region of high and low desert teeming with animals, wildflowers, snowy peaks, arid sand dunes and abandoned mines.Death Valley is the hottest spot in North America. Summer temperatures often exceed 125 degrees F -- but once when I was there the week after Christmas, a ranger told me it had been in the 20-degree F range at nights the week before.

Death Valley is a land of basin-and-range geology with spectacular thrust faults of rock. Because of this, it contains extreme elevation differences: the lowest point in North America, Badwater Basin at -282 feet below sea level, to a peak of 11,049 feet, Telescope.
Death Valley has some of the most impressive sand dunes in the U.S., and a stroll among them at sunrise or sunset is a must for photographers.

Distances in the valley are vast so you must get gas at every opportunity. Most visitors stay near the amenities of Furnace Creek, so it is easy to escape crowds by driving to the hinterlands. it is legal to camp up the many arroyos (dry washes) within 2 miles of any paved road or established campground or picnic area. Due to the heat, winter is the best time to visit the valley, but spring and fall are quite tolerable, too.The famous 20-mule team hauled borax and other minerals from the mines of Death Valley.

Death Valley is a scenic spot situated in southeastern California, US. Known the world over as the lowest and hottest portion of North America, this place is a geological wonder. Even though the place is infamous for its harsh environment, one can easily spot a large amount of small animals and deserts plants making their abode here.

The term Death Valley was coined by gold seekers who resorted to taking this route while on their tryst to the California gold fields in the year 1849. The Death Valley contributed immensely to the gold and silver production in the 1850s. The decade of 1880s saw the place flourishing with borax. The place was given its due importance by the famed American adventurer Sir Walter Scott.