Death Valley, California
28 locations. View on the interactive map
This is Timbisha Shoshone land. A gold-rush party stuck here in the winter of 1849–1850 left the English name on the way out over the Panamints. Miners came later for gold, silver, copper, and borax. William Coleman’s Harmony plant north of Furnace Creek boiled surface borate and sent it 165 miles to Mojave with twenty-mule teams. Pacific Coast Borax put those teams on the boxes. The valley became a national monument in 1933 and a national park in 1994. Badwater is still 282 feet below sea level. The Furnace Creek air-temperature record is 134°F on July 10, 1913, which is why a summer trip is about water, fuel, and a car that runs.
| Name | Category | Near |
|---|---|---|
| Artist's Palette | Geology | Death Valley, CA |
| Badwater Basin | Natural | Death Valley, CA |
| Chloride City | Ghost Town | Death Valley, CA |
| Cottonwood Springs (Death Valley) | Wildlife | Death Valley, CA |
| Dantes View | Natural | Death Valley, CA |
| Death Valley Bighorn Habitat | Wildlife | Death Valley, CA |
| Desolation Canyon | Natural | Death Valley, CA |
| Devils Cornfield | Natural | Death Valley, CA |
| Devils Golf Course | Geology | Death Valley, CA |
| Fall Canyon | Natural | Death Valley, CA |
| Golden Canyon & Red Cathedral | Natural | Death Valley, CA |
| Harmony Borax Works | Historic | Death Valley, CA |
| Ibex Dunes | Natural | Death Valley, CA |
| Leadfield | Ghost Town | Death Valley, CA |
| Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes | Natural | Death Valley, CA |
| Mesquite Spring (Death Valley) | Wildlife | Death Valley, CA |
| Mosaic Canyon | Natural | Death Valley, CA |
| Natural Bridge Canyon | Natural | Death Valley, CA |
| Racetrack Playa — Sailing Stones | Natural | Death Valley, CA |
| Saratoga Spring | Wildlife | Death Valley, CA |
| Schwab | Ghost Town | Death Valley, CA |
| Scotty's Castle | Historic | Death Valley, CA |
| Striped Butte | Geology | Death Valley, CA |
| Telescope Peak | Natural | Death Valley, CA |
| Titus Canyon Geology Drive | Geology | Death Valley, CA |
| Twenty Mule Team Canyon | Geology | Death Valley, CA |
| Ubehebe Crater | Geology | Death Valley, CA |
| Zabriskie Point | Natural | Death Valley, CA |
Common questions
What's the hottest temperature recorded in Death Valley?
The official air-temperature record is 134°F, read at Furnace Creek on July 10, 1913. NPS still publishes that number. Summer days on the valley floor often top 120°F, and nights can hang in the 90s. Treat the heat as a supply problem: extra water, extra fuel, a real spare, and no long walks on the floor once the day is up. If the car dies, stay with it.
How did Death Valley affect the development of Los Angeles?
It didn't, not in the way people mean when they ask about water. Owens Valley, on the other side of the Inyo range, is the aqueduct story. What left this valley for California markets was borax. Harmony's twenty-mule teams hauled it 165 miles to the Southern Pacific at Mojave, and the 20 Mule Team name later sold the place as a household brand. From Los Angeles the park is still a long day's drive, under five hours when the roads are open.
What resources were mined in Death Valley?
Borax is the ore most people have heard of. Camps also took gold, silver, copper, lead, and talc, plus smaller amounts of tungsten, manganese, and other industrial minerals. A few operations paid. Many more left roads, tailings, and open shafts. Do not go underground.
What wildlife can I expect to see?
Near roads and developed stops you are most likely to see coyotes, ravens, roadrunners, ground squirrels, and lizards. Bighorn sheep stay in the mountains and show up less often. Salt Creek in spring is the usual place to look for pupfish. Leave the animals alone, and do not feed coyotes.
How far is the drive from the closest major cities?
Las Vegas is the closest major city. The usual NPS route is I-15 to NV-160 through Pahrump, then Bell Vista / Stateline Road to Death Valley Junction and CA-190: about 120 miles, about two hours. Los Angeles is the longer shot from the south and west, under five hours in ordinary traffic. Lone Pine is the west-side service town via CA-190. Fuel in Beatty, Pahrump, Shoshone, or Lone Pine before you commit to the park.
Why is it called Death Valley?
A gold-rush party got stuck here in the winter of 1849–1850. Later accounts say one member of the group died. The rest climbed out over the Panamints and left the English name behind them. Timbisha people were already living here.
Is Death Valley in California or Nevada?
The valley floor and most visitor services sit in eastern California. The national park crosses the state line into Nevada on the east side. This page lists the California atlas pins. Beatty and Rhyolite sit just outside the park in Nye County.
Is it safe to visit in summer?
You can drive the paved roads in an air-conditioned car if you stay on pavement and treat the heat as the main problem. Carry several liters of water per person, more if you get out of the car. NPS does not recommend summer hiking except at dawn or in the mountains. Check park alerts before you go.
What is the lowest point?
Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level, is the lowest land in North America. It sits about 18 miles south of the Furnace Creek visitor center on Badwater Road.
What should I bring?
More water than the drive seems to need, extra food, a real spare tire, sun cover, and a paper map. Cell service is patchy. Summer heat and flash floods after storms are the usual ways a simple trip goes wrong. Confirm road status before you leave pavement.