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Death Valley
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Death Valley National Park
Home G.K. Gilbert, a geologist who worked in the area in the 1870's, noted that the rock formations were "beautifully delineated on the slopes of the distant mountains, revealing at a glance relations that in a fertile country would appear only as the results of extended and laborious investigation." The rock layers that Gilbert noticed comprised a nearly complete record of the Earth's past, but that record has been jumbled out of sequence. The reason is that the rock layers that form the mountains are very ancient, but only in recent geologic time have they risen. Even as the mountains rose, erosion began to wear them down. An example of this is the formation of the alluvial fans. Intermittent streams, resulting mostly from the bursts of infrequent rains, rush down the steep canyons scouring boulders, soil and other debris and pushing and carrying the whole mass with it and then depositing it on the valley floor at the canyon's mouth. On any given day, this valley floor shimmers silently in the heat. The air is clear - so much so that distances are telescoped - and the sky, except perhaps for a wisp of cloud, is a deep blue. Six months of the year unmerciful heat dominates this scene; for the next six the heat releases its grip only slightly. Rain rarely gets past the guardian mountains. The little that fulls, however, is the life force of the wildflowers that transform this desert into a vast garden. Despite the harshness and severity of the environment, more than 900 kinds of plants live within the park. Those on the valley floor have adapted to a desert life by a variety of means. Some have roots that go downward 10 times the height of an average person., Some plants have a root system that lies just below the surface but extends out far in all directions. Others have skins that allow very little evaporation. Different forms of wildlife, too, have learned to deal with this heat. The animals that live in the desert are mainly nocturnal, for once the sun sets the temperature falls quickly because of the dry air. Night, the time of seeming vast emptiness, is the time of innumerable comings and goings by little animals. Larger animals, such as the desert bighorn, live in the cooler, higher elevation. With height, moisture increases, too, until on the high peaks there are forests with juniper, mountain-mahogany, pinyon and other pines. And often the peaks surrounding the valley are snow-covered. This then is an active world of exciting contrasts and wonders - quite the opposite of its name. Plan Your VisitPlanning Your Visit  U.S. 395 passes west of Death Valley and connects with California 178 to the park. U.S. 95 passes east and connects with Nevada 267, 374, and 373 to the park. I-15 passes southeast and connects with California 127. Limited bus and air services are available from Las Vegas, NV., to Death Valley. For schedules and further information write: Las Vegas--Tonopah--Reno Stage Line, 922 East Stewart Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89101, or Air Nevada, Box 11207, Las Vegas, NV 89101. Commercial airlines, Amtrak, and interstate buses serve Las Vegas. In addition, cars may be rented from Avis and two other firms in Ridgecrest; advance reservations are advisable. In this large park, 1-1/2 times the size of Delaware, there is much to see and do. And the distances you need to travel from one place to another make careful planning essential. You can get information that will help you plan your time in the park by stopping at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. Here you can learn about Death Valley's history and natural history through exhibits, audiovisual programs, and publications. Uniformed staff members are available to help you. Posted at the visitor center and throughout the park are interpretive program schedules that give times, locations, and subjects. In winter, guided walks and naturalist talks are conducted daily and illustrated talks are presented each evening. If you have questions about these programs, inquire at the visitor center or ask a park ranger. CampingCamping  The park has nine campgrounds. Three are open all year: Furnace Creek, Mesquite Spring, and Wildrose. Three others are open October to April: Texas Spring, Sunset, and Stovepipe Wells. And three other campgrounds are open April to October: Emigrant, Thorndike, and Mahogany. For further information, write for the folder Camping in Death Valley.
LodgingLodging Two resorts provide lodging and other commercial services within the park. Facilities are operated at Stovepipe Wells by a concessioner. From May through October, services are limited. Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch is privately run.
DrivingDriving Death Valley's size and the distances between its major features make the use of an automobile essential. Please be sure that your car is in good mechanical condition and that your fuel tank is full before you begin each day's tour. Within the park, gasoline is sold only at Furnace Creek, Scotty's Castle, and Stovepipe Wells. Park roads are designed for your enjoyment of the scenery - not for speed. Please observe posted speed limits. Begun in 1922, it was designed as a vacation retreat for wealthy midwesterner Albert M. Johnson. Walter E. Scott, better known as "Death Valley Scotty," was Johnson's friend and frequent guest. Scotty, who had spent many years in this region, is credited with suggesting Grapevine Canyon, at Death Valley's northern extremity, as the spot for Johnson's desert home. From Emigrant Canyon Road on the west side of the park you can reach Wildrose Canyon, where you will find a row of abandoned charcoal kilns. These kilns were constructed more than a century ago to manufacture charcoal for use in ore smelters from the surrounding pinyon pine and juniper forest. Chinese laborers built the kilns without mortar and Shoshone Indians tended them.
Jeep RoadsJeep Roads Death Valley has a network of primitive roads that can be used by jeeps or light trucks. These jeep roads are not recommended for sedans or oversized vehicles. Check at the visitor center or a ranger station for conditions before venturing onto them. A few primitive roads are unsafe except for vehicles with four-wheel drive. Maps showing the locations of jeep roads are available at the visitor center and at ranger stations. Car TroubleCar Trouble In the summer, check your vehicle gauges frequently. Radiator water is available from storage tanks along park roads. If you car develops vapor lock, wrap a wet rag around the fuel pump and line to speed cooling and if your car breaks down, stay with it. WalkingWalking  A few points of interest are easily accessible for the casual or seasoned walker. Although formal trails do not always exist, it is fairly easy to find your way about. The Harmony Borax Works lie about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) north of the campgrounds at Furnace Creek. Harmony dates from 1883 and was the first successful borax plant in Death Valley. Golden Canyon is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) south of Furnace Creek. Drive, walk, or bicycle there. Then spend an hour or so exploring this canyon of colorful rocks below Zabriskie Point. Mosaic Canyon can be reached from Stovepipe Wells by a 4-kilometer (2.5-miles) walk or drive up an alluvial fan. Immediately above is an 800-meter (0.5-mile) stretch of polished marble narrows. The Sand Dunes, east of Stovepipe Wells, offer abundant opportunities for a casual stroll or an all-day jaunt. Photographers will find the lighting on the dunes at its best at dawn or in the late afternoon. For more information on hiking, ask at the sales counter for the booklet "Getting Around in the Death Valley Backcountry." It gives detailed descriptions for hikes all through the park. For a longer hike, you may wish to consider the climb up Telescope Peak, the highest spot in Death Valley. At the end of the Wildrose Canyon Road at the Mahogany Flat campground, you come to the trailhead for this hike. It is a strenuous all-day hike to the top. On Telescope Peak is a stand of bristlecone pines. Trees of this species can live to be very old. The age of the bristlecone pines in Death Valley is not known. HeatHeat  If you travel in Death Valley in the summer, pick up the folder "Hot Weather Hints" at distribution boxes at any entrance to the park, at the visitor center, or at a ranger station. This is a harsh environment in the summer, and any situation can easily become life-threatening.
Park RegulationsPark Regulations
Camp only in designated locations. Be sure to make your camping plans well before sunset, roadside camping is not permitted. Collecting, gathering, cutting, or disturbing plants, rocks, or any natural or historic feature is not allowed. Since collecting firewood is prohibited throughout the park, bring an adequate fuel supply with you. Please dispose of trash in the receptacles provided and place a bucket under your sink drain. For your convenience, sanitary disposal stations are located at Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells, and Mesquite Spring campgrounds. Do not drive off established roads. Pets must be leashed at all times. They are not allowed in the visitor center or other public buildings, or in the backcountry. This is a wildlife sanctuary. Carrying firearms that are not cased or otherwise rendered inoperative is prohibited. Shooting firearms, even at targets, is not allowed. |
Death Valley. The name is foreboding and gloomy. Yet here in this valley, much of it below sea level, or in its surrounding mountains you can find spectacular wildflower displays, snow covered peaks, beautiful sand dunes, abandoned mines and industrial structures, and the hottest spot in North America. 
The approach to the park form the south is via California 127. From Shoshone, Calif., to Furnace Creek is 111 kilometers (69 miles). In a wet spring, wildflower displays in Jubilee Pass are stunning. Further on you pass the ruins of Ashford Mill built to process gold ore. Turning northward the road skirts the edge of the Death Valley Salt Pan, coming closer to it than any other paved road. The road goes below sea level shortly before reaching Ashford Mill and stays below all the way to Furnace Creek. In fact, it goes as low as 86 meters (280 feet) below sea level at Badwater. North of Badwater, a short dirt spur road leads to the Devil's Golf Course. Here the Salt Pan surface is covered with jagged rock salt spikes. A bit further on the east side of the main road, is Artists Drive, a loop through colorful badlands and canyon country. From the vicinity of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center a road leads 38 kilometers (24 miles) through the colorful badlands of Furnace Creek Wash to Dantes View. Points of interest along the way include the overlook at Zabriskie Point and the loop drive through Twenty Mule Team Canyon. 
From the overlook at Dantes View, you can see the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, plus spectacular views of the Panamint Range and the surrounding mountains. On a clear winter's day it is even possible to see 4,381-meter (14,375-foot) Mount Williamson in the Sierra Nevada's. 
In the northern part of the park are Ubehebe Crater and Scotty's Castle. Ubehebe Crater is 722 meters, (2,400 feet) in diameter and was formed about 1,000 years ago when a volcano erupted. Thirteen kilometers (8 miles) away, in Grapevine Canyon, is Scotty's Cattle. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Johnson the place was Death Valley Ranch, but to everyone else it has always been "Scotty's Castle." After Johnson's death in 1948, Scott resided at the ranch for the six remaining years of his life. In 1970 the U.S. Government purchased the ranch and made it part of Death Valley National Monument.