California’s Death Valley: Nature that is Dead yet so Alive
It’s no secret California’s Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth. It also owns the title of the lowest and driest national park in the US, covering an area of 13,650 sq km.
Fortunately, we visited it at the end of February, when the weather was quite comfortable, but it was here when in summer 1913 the world’s absolute hottest temperature of 56.7°C was recorded! And if you’re as lucky as we were, you might also encounter coyotes on the roads.
What we managed to check out in Death Valley:
- Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, where you can hike in the golden dune field.
- Furnace Creek Visitor Center. You can view the exhibits here, refill your water bottle, purchase souvenirs, and even get a California’s Death Valley visit stamp in your passport book.
- Zabriskie Point. Iconic erosional landscape.
- Natural Bridge Trail, running along the canyon and leading to a unique geological formation.
- Badwater Basin. The lowest elevation of North American continent, 86 m below sea level (another Death Valley’s record). The sea level indicator plate can be seen from here up on the nearest mountain making you sincerely surprised how “low you have climbed”. Take a long walk along the patterns in the salt flats stretching out over here.
- Artists Drive. The 15 km long scenic and twisty drive through the hills. It’s a one way route, so we toured it on our way back from the final destination, in order to avoid making time consuming circles.
California’s Death Valley itinerary
Here is our route map which will help you arrange the logistics of a trip through the valley:
My personal opinion, one full day is enough to get to know the Death Valley quite closely.
At last, it’s worth reminding that traveling through California’s Death Valley requires the purchase of a pass worth 30 $ per vehicle (can be bought online or upon arrival).
