Death Valley is one of the premiere destinations in the Mojave Desert. Located in southern California near the border with Nevada, it is the hottest, driest, and lowest National Park. A land of extremes, only a few miles separate Badwater Basin at 282-feet below sea level from the top of Telescope Peak, some 11,043-feet above sea level. Four main valleys and six mountain ranges make for hundreds of square miles of explorable land. If your goal is to get lost in a land unlike any other, look no further than Death Valley and the surrounding area.
Note: Death Valley is a very remote area, with extreme weather. Plan accordingly. Know where you can get fuel and water, and carry extra. If you are travelling alone, be extremely cautious - if you get stuck out here, it could be many days before someone else comes along to help.
Death Valley is one of the better parks as far as providing visitor information. These resources are especially useful when planning a trip to this region:
- NPS Death Valley National Park Web Site
- Death Valley Rules and Regulations - if I were to highlight just a couple:
- No more than 4 vehicles in a group.
- No pets on trails. In general, they must be within a few feet of a road.
- Death Valley Road Conditions (interactive map) (facebook)
For more background information and some of my recommendations, check out the Death Valley Index. And of course, more than 100 nights of trip reports can be found below.
