Death Valley received its unfortunate name many years ago when a party of pioneers made a decision to go through the Valley on their way to California. As they traveled through this dangerous region, one of their party members died. All of the other members of the group made it through safely but the legend says that there was a particular member of the group who coined the expression, “Goodbye, Death Valley” as they left.
If you believe in this legend then you will appreciate that even though this area is extremely dangerous, it is also considered one of the most beautiful National Parks in the United States. Today, however, a trip into this unique Valley will not be dangerous at all as long as you are prepared. In fact, there are some awesome unique experiences in Death Valley that you will not find anywhere else.
To complete your Death Valley bucket list experience will require a 4 hour trip by car from Los Angeles, California. If you leave from Las Vegas, your Death Valley bucket list experience will only be a two-hour trip. The best way to get there from California is by using Highway 190. Some of the wonders that you will encounter while visiting Death Valley include a soak in a natural Hot Spring, a visit to a real ghost town, lively desert wildlife, delightful desert blooms, epic landscapes, and towering sand dunes.
For example, at Badwater Basin, you are 86 m below sea level. This makes it definitely the lowest point in North America. Right beside the basin, you will see Telescope Peak which rises over 3000 m above sea level. If you want to do a photo shoot, then this is the perfect spot.
Of course, any trip to Death Valley would be incomplete without visiting the towering sand dunes. There are 5 different sand dunes that you can experience. You may even be able to take a moonlit night tour offered by the Park Rangers. If you are fortunate, you might even encounter some of the wildlife that scurries around during the nighttime.
Most people do not realize that there are more than 1000 plant species throughout Death Valley. The plant life in Death Valley is truly unique. If you have an opportunity to visit between mid-February and early June, you will be in for a spectacular blossom experience that is not found anywhere else. Other interesting side trips should include a visit to a real ghost town and a relaxing soak in a Natural Hot Spring.
Related posts:
Figuring out the best road trip across America can be difficult in part because it is somewhat of a subjective thing. Some people love the haunted beauty of past America via Route 66 while others can't wait to visit long lonely highways through beaut...
Lake Tahoe is an enormous freshwater lake located in the Sierra Nevadas, situated between California and Nevada. It is also popularly called the "Hetch Hetchy of the West" or the "Queen of the Pacific Coast." It is a very popular skiing destination, ...
Las Vegas was for a long time the adults playground. Las Vegas was and is the gambling and drinking capitol of the world, and it was just about as Wild West as you could get in the twentieth century. But in the last 20 years Las Vegas has changed int...
Yosemite National Park is America's favorite campground. Of course, steeped in natural untouched wilderness and beautiful trees, we can all see why. The real downside to camping at Yosemite is quite simple: there are a lot of people! In fact, if you ...
If you are thinking about some excellent experiences you can have, you might want to start looking at taking a California road trip. There are plenty of reasons you might want to do so. In this article, we will discuss some of the main reasons you wi...
Big Bend National Park, located in southeast Texas and with the Chisos mountains in the southeast, includes the large swath of the Southwest Chihuahua Desert and the mountains of the Chisos Mountains. The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive takes visitors to t...