Caused by violent steam explosions, the craters formed as recently as 2,100 years ago when hot, molten material came in contact with groundwater. These large depressions show that Death Valley's geology is dynamic and ever changing. Death Valley's landscape has been changing for millions of years.
Myth 4: There's No Water
Granted, Death Valley used to be much, much wetter. In fact, a 100-mile-long, 600-foot-deep body of water named Lake Manly inundated the valley during the Ice Age. More recently a series of shallower lakes have also occasionally filled the valley.
A type of fault activity called block faulting, in which the movement is predominantly vertical, began to form the valley about 30 million years ago. As crustal blocks sank, they formed the great trough of the valley, and other blocks were uplifted to gradually form the adjacent mountain ranges.
Death Valley is the lowest point in North America.
At 282 feet below sea level, Badwater Basin is a surreal landscape that tricks the senses. What many visitors mistake for snow covering the ground is actually a thick layer of salt on the valley floor.
Lake Manly was the largest of these lakes; it filled Death Valley during each glacial period from 240,000 years ago to 10,000 years ago. By 10,500 years ago these lakes were increasingly cut off from glacial melt from the Sierra Nevada, starving them of water and concentrating salts and minerals.
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.
But the unprecedented day in 1922 was the only time a measurable amount has ever fallen. According to data from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Death Valley snow was observed at a weather station situated at Greenland Ranch on Jan. 29, 1922, when a half-inch was recorded.
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.
As the film says, Death Valley is not a place you want to be without water, as while a human can survive three days without water, in this desert you can live just 14 hours.
Most hiking routes in the park are cross-country, up canyons, or along ridges. The best time to hike in Death Valley is from November through March. Summer temperatures can be dangerous in the park's lower elevations. Even during spring and autumn the heat can be unbearable for most people.
Death Valley has more than 1,000 described plant species ranging from ancient bristlecone pines to ephemeral spring wildflowers. Despite its reputation as a lifeless wasteland, Death Valley National Park contains a great diversity of plants.
Erosional forces cause rocks from the surrounding mountains to tumble to the surface of the Racetrack. Once on the floor of the playa the rocks move across the level surface leaving trails as records of their movements. Some of the moving rocks are large and have traveled as far as 1,500 feet.
NO SWIMMING - this water is the drinking source for Panamint Springs Resort. Note: pets are not allowed on any trail in Death Valley National Park, even if carried. Do not leave your animal in your vehicle. Speak with a ranger about one of the incredible dirt roads where you may walk your pet.
Death Valley National Park
Parts of "Return of the Jedi," "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" and many other classic movies including "Jonathan Livingston Seagull," "The Greatest Story Ever Told," "King Solomon's Mines," "Spartacus" and "Tarzan" were also shot in Death Valley.
Mojave rattlesnake
Chiefly inhabits upland desert and mountain slopes but ranges from sea level to 8,000 feet. Considered rare in Death Valley and restricted to the southern half of the park.
Camping. Death Valley has a variety of campgrounds from primitive to full hook-up.
Death Valley is the largest US national park outside of Alaska, encompassing over 3,000 square miles of desert in California and Nevada. You can drive for hours without seeing a single car or human, just endless expanses of sand and rock with nothing man-made in sight.
You can get drinking water easily and for free in Death Valley. Nobody tells you how surprisingly easy it is to get drinking water in America's hottest place.
The largest native mammal in the area, and perhaps the best-studied member of the fauna, is the desert bighorn. Small herds of these sheep are most commonly found in the mountains surrounding Death Valley, but they occasionally visit the valley floor.
Mountain Lion
Mountain Lions are apex predators in Death Valley. The mountain lion is the apex predator of Death Valley. It usually inhabits the desert's mountains but occasionally comes to the oasis. This big cat easily adapts to various environments and prefers to stalk its prey from rocks.
The National Weather Service initially reported 1.46 inches of rain, which was recorded by an automated gauge. The agency now recognizes 1.70 inches, recorded manually by National Park Service rangers, as the more reliable number. This is three-quarters of Death Valley's 2.20-inch average annual rainfall.
The valley is narrow, trapping any air from circulating in or out. There's also little vegetation to absorb the sun's rays, and there's a desert nearby. Winter temperatures, however, can actually get quite cold because the desert does not retain heat when the surrounding air cools off.
Of note: Death Valley holds the world record for hottest temperature ever at 134°F, which was measured back in July 1913.
Death Valley is dry because it sits in the rainshadow of four major mountain ranges to the west (Sierra Nevada, White/Inyo Mountains, the Argus Range, and the Panamint Range).