Despite its name, Death Valley National Park is home to an astonishing myriad of life. Located between California and Nevada, the park is made up of a belowsealevel basin and mountains with Telescope Peak reaching past 11,000 feet. That’s almost twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. Death Valley National Park, with over 3 million acres of wilderness, is the largest national park in the lower 48 states of the United States.
Death Valley National Park is a great stop for hiking, backpacking, and even bird watching. Along with exploring the terrain, the park also includes several historic sites such as the Keane Wonder Mine, Harmony Borax Works, Wildrose Charcoal Kilns, and even ghost towns. Along with this, the park is home to Scotty’s Castle, a magnificent Spanishstyle mansion built in the early 1900s. The castle gives visitors a peek into life in the ‘20s and ‘30s. Not nearly as grand in style, Death Valley National Park lodging has several options including the Furnace Creek Inn with a style similar to Scotty’s Castle.
Along with the unique scenic views and sightseeing, Death Valley National Park has over 785 miles of roads — paved and dirt — which gives visitors a completely new opportunity for adventure. Along with cars, visitors can bike and mountain bike along with all park roads.
The park is home to a variety of smaller mammals such as bobcats, bighorn sheep, cougars, kit foxes, and the Death Valley Pupfish. Though it is one of the hottest places in North America, the park houses over 1,000 different species of plants some of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Although its name might fool you, because of its unique history and rare biology, Death Valley National Park is not one to skip.