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Death Valley National Park

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Ripples in sand at Mesquite Sand Dunes.

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Overview

The very name evokes all that is harsh, hot and hellish – a punishing, barren and lifeless place of Old Testament severity. Yet closer inspection reveals that in Death Valley nature is putting on a truly spectacular show: singing sand dunes, water-sculpted canyons, boulders moving across the desert floor, extinct volcanic craters, palm-shaded oases, stark mountains rising to 11,000ft and plenty of endemic wildlife. This is a land of superlatives, holding the US records for hottest temperature (134°F/57°C), lowest point (Badwater, 282ft below sea level) and largest national park outside Alaska (more than 5000 sq miles).

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • USA, California, Inyo County, Death Valley National Park, Zabriskie Point trail at sunset

    Zabriskie Point

    Death Valley National Park

    Not many national park features can say they were celebrated in a 1969 film of the same name, but Zabriskie Point claims that honor thanks to director…

  • Timelapse of of the sun setting over Death Valley, as seen from Dante's View.

    Dante's View

    Death Valley National Park

    Dante's View is an overlook that sits perched at 5475ft atop the Black Mountains, affording stunning panoramic views of the entire southern Death Valley…

  • Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

    Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

    Death Valley National Park

    The most accessible dunes in Death Valley are an undulating sea of sand rising up to 100ft high next to the highway near Stovepipe Wells Village. They're…

  • DEATH VALLEY JUNCTION, CA/USA - OCTOBER 25 2015: the facade of the Amargosa Opera House. The Amargosa Opera House and Hotel is a historic building and cultural center located in Death Valley.; Shutterstock ID 332234195; Your name (First / Last): Emma Sparks; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Best_in_the_US_POIs

    Amargosa Opera House

    Death Valley National Park

    An opera house in the middle of nowhere? Yes, thanks to the vision of New York dancer Marta Beckett who fell in love with the 1920s colonnaded adobe…

  • Scotty's Castle, Death Valley National Park.

    Scotty's Castle

    Death Valley National Park

    Closed due to flood damage and not likely to reopen until at least 2020, this whimsical castle was the desert home of Walter E Scott, alias ‘Death Valley…

  • Relics from Harmony Borax mining, Death Valley National Park.

    Borax Museum

    Death Valley National Park

    On the grounds of the Ranch at Death Valley, this outdoor museum illustrates Death Valley's connection to borax mining, and presents pioneer-era mining…

  • Badwater Basin

    Badwater Basin

    Death Valley National Park

    The lowest point in North America (282ft below sea level) is an eerily beautiful landscape of crinkly salt flats. Here you can walk out on to a constantly…

  • Eureka Dunes

    Eureka Dunes

    Death Valley National Park

    The far-northwestern reaches of Death Valley cradle these spectacular dunes that, at up to 680ft high, are the tallest in California. It’s a tough slog to…

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