What are the dangers of Death Valley?

Flash Floods: Avoid canyons during rain storms and be prepared to move to higher ground. While driving, be alert for water running in washes and across road dips. Mine Hazards: Do not enter mine tunnels or shafts. Mines may be unstable, have hidden shafts, pockets of bad air, and poisonous gas.



People Also Ask

Southern California hiker, 71, dies after trek in blistering Death Valley heat. DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California outdoor enthusiast died Tuesday after collapsing following an hours-long hike in Death Valley National Park, the world's hottest place.

MORE DETAILS

Life in Death Valley Coyotes, ravens, roadrunners, ground squirrels and lizards are the most commonly seen wildlife of the region, but there are many species who thrive here, hidden or unnoticed by visitors.

MORE DETAILS

Death Valley
  • Death Valley is in southeastern California in the United States.
  • Death Valley is the lowest, hottest, and the driest portion of North America, noted for its extremes of temperature and aridity.
  • Many species of animals live in Death Valley.
  • In summer the floor of Death Valley often exceeds 120 °F (49 °C).


MORE DETAILS

Death Valley was filled by a large Pleistocene lake, Lake Manly, which waxed and waned in the valley for at least 200 ka. At is largest extent, it was up to 600 feet deep.

MORE DETAILS

It is not allowed to sleep in your car outside of these designated areas or along the side of the road. There are several campgrounds within Death Valley National Park that allow car camping. Some of the popular campgrounds include Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells, and Mesquite Spring.

MORE DETAILS

Although the water here is too high in salt content to be potable, springs in Death Valley National Monument provide an adequate drinking water supply for the resorts and campsites that serve the many tourists who visit each year.

MORE DETAILS

Why is it called Death Valley? Death Valley was given its forbidding name by a group of pioneers lost here in the winter of 1849-1850. Even though, as far as we know, only one of the group died here, they all assumed that this valley would be their grave.

MORE DETAILS

Winter daytime temperatures are mild in the low elevations, with cool nights that only occasionally reach freezing. Higher elevations are cooler than the low valley. Temperatures drop 3 to 5°F (2 to 3°C) with every thousand vertical feet gained(approx. 300m).

MORE DETAILS

Avoid hiking in the heat: Do not hike in the low elevations when temperatures are hot. The mountains are cooler in summer, but can have snow and ice in winter. Travel prepared to survive: Stay on paved roads in summer. If your car breaks down, stay with it until help comes.

MORE DETAILS

Located in southern Nevada, the “hole” itself is a fissure in the earth's surface that split open 60,000 years ago to reveal an astonishing underworld: a water-filled limestone cavern. Ironically, beneath the hottest, driest place in the Western Hemisphere stretches a vast aquifer system.

MORE DETAILS

Cell phones do not work in most areas of Death Valley National Park and wifi is only available for purchase at the Furnace Creek Ranch (Hotel).

MORE DETAILS

Located on the border of California and Nevada, Death Valley National Park was designated in 1933, and is home to one of the world's strangest phenomena: rocks that move along the desert ground with no gravitational cause. Known as sailing stones, the rocks vary in size from a few ounces to hundreds of pounds.

MORE DETAILS

Want to visit Tatooine? If so, take a trip to Death Valley National Park! The famous Star Wars movie series filmed scenes in the park for Episode IV - A New Hope and Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.

MORE DETAILS