"Low Valley ..." a Death Valley National Park Travel Page by goingsolo

Every national park contains unique beauty, even this seemingly barren terrain. Desert landscapes, in general, are striking regions filled with contrasting pale and sunburnt colors, windswept and arid masses where the merest hint of verdant color seems a trick of the mind.

Death Valley is desert beauty and more. It is so stark, so extremely barren that, perhaps paradoxically, it is a soul searchingly beautiful place. Arid landscape flanks the weather beaten road which feels the effects of too much sun and then, without warning, the crushing torrent of a flash flood. Salt crystals accumulate on soil where nothing can grow and subtle rock formations in the form of mountains populate the horizon. Death Valley is eerie and otherworldly, desolate and beautiful.

Death Valley National Park is a land of extreme highs and lows. Summertime highs can soar to an unimaginable 120 deagrees F while winter temperatures can plummet to nearly 100 degrres lower. Death Valley also contains the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, at 282 feet below sea level, while the pinnacle of Telescope peak reaches over 11,000 ft, a mere 15 miles away. The area is also the one of the most arid regions on the globe, averaging less than 2 inches per year. But when it rains, it sometimes pours. And floods.

I spent two days touring this land of extremes, hiking its canyons and peering at its salty flatlands. Visiting a desert climate is a delight in winter as daytime highs are pleasant and nights are pleasantly chilly. On this page, I'll try to hit the highs and lows of Death Valley as I saw them.