A Brief History

President Herbert Hoover would be the first to truly recognize the significance of the park as a national icon – creating the Death Valley National Monument in 1933. This would officially be upgraded in 1994, when the monument was made a national park, and a further 1.3 million acres were added to its reach.

Indigenous People

Despite the relatively contemporary declaration of Death Valley as a national park, it could be argued that its history stretches back as far as 1.8 billion years. The oldest metamorphic rocks found in the valley can be dated to this time and are a part of the exposed Black Mountains.

Over the course of hundreds of millennia, the valley would evolve into the basin we know it as today. The first inhabitants of the park were believed to have appeared nearly 10,000 years ago. The Nevares Spring were hunter gatherers, and the earliest known settlers to call the park home.

As time went on they would eventually be replaced by the nomadic Timbisha people, who remain the local inhabitants of Death Valley to this day. They were partly responsible for the forming of the Death Valley Indian Community reservation, where roughly 50 members of the tribe continue to live to this day.

The park’s unique geology

Death Valley is famed for holding a number of geological and weather-related records. Perhaps most famous of all is its spot as the ‘hottest place on Earth’. The park recorded a blistering air temperature of 57°C (134°F) in July of 1913, which has remained the highest temperature ever seen on our planet for over 100 years.

This natural phenomenon has another park record to thank for its existence. The Badwater Basin is the lowest point in the entirety of North America, sitting 282ft below sea level. This, contrasted with the steep 11,049 foot Telescope Peak and other mountain ranges that surround it, mean that heat radiating from the rocks and soil found in the valley are trapped in this basin.

Naturally, owing to this extreme heat, Death Valley itself can be considered a desert. Sand dunes and large carved-out basins and trenches (which show water once flowed here) dominate the landscape. But a number of other unique geological findings can be explored by intrepid park-goers.

Despite the relatively contemporary declaration of Death Valley as a national park, it could be argued that its history stretches back as far as 1.8 billion years. The oldest metamorphic rocks found in the valley can be dated to this time and are a part of the exposed Black Mountains.

Over the course of hundreds of millennia, the valley would evolve into the basin we know it as today. The first inhabitants of the park were believed to have appeared nearly 10,000 years ago. The Nevares Spring were hunter gatherers, and the earliest known settlers to call the park home.

As time went on they would eventually be replaced by the nomadic Timbisha people, who remain the local inhabitants of Death Valley to this day. They were partly responsible for the forming of the Death Valley Indian Community reservation, where roughly 50 members of the tribe continue to live to this day.

Exploring Death Valley National Park

Ancient seas
Rocks from 500 million years ago show that a sea once flowed through here, during the Paleozoic Era. The limestones and sandstones found in the Funeral and Panamint Mountains contain signs of basic ancient sea life, with fossils from this area available to inspect in the Furnace Creek Visitor Center.

Volcanoes
A chain of volcanoes from Furnace Creek to Shoshone have moved slowly into the area over the years, having originally sprung to life in Nevada. It’s the volcanic eruptions which occurred here that have given life to the vivid colors found in the Artist’s Palette.

Within this beautiful landscape specific points of interest and wonder have formed over centuries of natural erosion.

The best time to hike in Death Valley is from November through March, avoiding the highest temperatures in summer.

Stargazing

With some of the best stargazing in America, it’s important to see Death Valley at night. In fact, it’s been designated as the largest Dark Sky National Park in the country by the International Dark Sky Association and designated as a ‘Gold Tier’ Dark Sky Park, the highest level awarded. Great measures are taken to minimize light pollution in the area.

During winter and spring, Death Valley National Park Rangers host several stargazing events within the park. In spring, they hold the annual Dark Sky Festival – a collaboration between Death Valley National Park, Death Valley Natural History Association, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Ames Research Center, SETI Institute and California Institute of Technology.

For the complete guide visit: Exploring Death Valley – Wildflowers, Fees & More – Original Travel.