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Death Valley National Park
California
Death Valley National Park gives new meaning to the word extreme. From 282 feet below sea level—the nation's lowest point the park tops out nearby at an astonishing 11,049 feet. The highest temperatures in the United States are regularly recorded here, as are winter snows and near-zero nighttime temperatures.
Extreme Death Valley
Photo © John Clet Jones
Greater West Images |
Hemmed in by nine mountain ranges, Death Valley is cut off from rejuvenating rainfall and cooling Pacific winds, making it one of the driest and hottest places in the world. A record high temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded there in 1913, and a ground temperature of 201 degrees has also been registered—11 degrees shy of the boiling point for water.
The park's size is no less extreme. It sprawls across 3.4 million acres, making Death Valley the largest national park in the contiguous United States, almost five times larger than its glamorous California neighbor, Yosemite. Good news for nature lovers: All but a tiny fraction of that expanse is federal wilderness, which preserves a Connecticut-size chunk of unique terrain for its rugged animal inhabitants and the brave and adventurous visitor.
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