Heat is Only Relative
Acknowledged by
science as the second hottest place on
earth---many locals say it's actually
the hottest. Death Valley in the summer
is at first overwhelming, but then the
heat becomes almost incidental to a
visitor faced by the valley's amazing
geological and biological displays. To
those who may be intimidated by summer
weather reports showing Death Valley
temperatures above 110 degrees, I urge
you to go! The heat is affecting, but
it is only a small part of the
traveler's Death Valley experience.
The place has a bad
reputation in the United States and
Canada. I often face laughter and
derision when I reveal that I have
recently visited Death Valley. Who
would want to spend time in a location
that has such landmarks as Badwater,
the Devil's Golf Course, the Funeral
Mountains, Furnace Creek, Devil's Corn
Field and Dante's View? On the other
hand, while many North Americans shun
Death Valley, visitors from Europe
flock to this newly-enlarged national
park because they have studied the
place. When one begins to understand
the natural and human history of the
place, it has a mystery and aura which
is completely captivating.
Before the mid 1800s,
there was no "Dante's View," nor was
there a "Devil's Corn Field." These
names were coined by the hustlers and
con men who sought to attract visitors
and investors to this burgeoning mining
area. As little mining towns were built
on the higher slopes of the Funeral,
Black and Panamint mountains, the
name-coiners were busy attracting rubes
to invest in their low-grade and
no-grade mines. Although several
successful mining ventures were
launched, much of the hype was bogus.
And whereas a lot of eastern and San
Francisco investors lost money, this
has become one of the enduring charms
of Death Valley, adding a human
dimension to the natural mystique.
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Geography
Sitting just west of the
Nevada boundary, in the basin and range
district of the Mojave Desert, Death
Valley is all but surrounded by
mountain ranges, with a few roads
connecting the valley to the outside
world through narrow passes. On the
east side of the valley is the Amargosa
Range, comprised of three separate
units. The Grapevine Mountains are at
the north, with the Funeral Mountains
defining the central section. The Black
Mountains lie in a north/south
direction between Furnace Creek Wash
and the southern end of the valley at
Jubilee Pass. The Owlshead Mountains lie in a circular position at the
extreme south end of the valley.
The western side of the
valley is defined by the Panamint
Range, with Telescope Peak its highest
spot at an elevation of 11,049 feet.
Beyond the Panamints, to the west, is
the long, dry Panamint Valley. To the
east of the Amargosa Range is the
Amargosa Desert, striated by the wide
washes of the Amargosa River which
intermittently flows south from Beatty,
Nevada, through Death Valley Junction,
curving to the west and then north to
enter Death Valley below Jubilee
Pass.
The valley is more than
100 miles long. The southern portion is
the Amargosa River sink, dry for most
of the time, with a shallow,
intermittent lake created by winter
rains in some years. The lake
disappears soon after the rains cease
in the spring. The central part of the
valley is hard salt pan. Here is the
lowest point in the hemisphere, 282
feet below sea level, and the
spring-fed oasis at the mouth of the
Furnace Creek Wash, on the eastern side
of the valley.
Today, we find the
national park headquarters and
overnight accommodations in this area,
including Furnace Creek Ranch and
Furnace Creek Inn. Zabriski Point is a
major geological feature. The northern
third of Death Valley is bordered by
the Panamint and Grapevine Mountains,
containing a large area of sand dunes
near Stovepipe Wells Village. Farther
north is more salt pan, and a dormant
volcanic area which includes Ubehebe
Crater. Grapevine Canyon is one of the
three eastern exit routes from the
Valley, and the location of Scotty's
Castle. At the extreme north end of the
valley -- reached by road from
Nevada -- is the old Palmetto
mining area including the hamlet of
Lida.
The daily temperature is
a popular talking point for visitors.
The hottest-ever temperature recorded
in Death Valley was 134 degrees F.
(56.7 degrees C.), on July 10, 1913.
This is second only to a higher
temperature taken in Africa. However,
this reading was made at Furnace Creek,
at a point higher than Badwater.
Long-time Death Valley residents say
that daily temperatures at Badwater are
consistently higher than at Furnace
Creek. Could Death Valley be the hottest
place on earth? We think so. The Bedouins around Timbucktoo think not!
There is abundant life in what
many consider to be a desolate
wasteland. The life is subtle, and
tolerant of the arid and saline
conditions, but it is there. More than
900 kinds of plants are found within
the boundaries of the national park,
ranging from saltbush and cacti on the
valley floor to juniper, pinyon pine
and mountain-mahogany, with aged bristlecone
pine at the top of the Panamint
Mountains. Spring wildflowers wave
delicately on the gravel fans,
roadsides, and in mountain valleys.
Animals run, skitter and scrape as they
cross the salt pan and the sandy dunes.
Bighorn sheep graze on the
mountainsides.
Death Valley Zones
Because of the tremendous variation
in elevation between the valley floor
and the top of the mountain ranges,
there is a great diversity in
ecosystems. The highest biotic zone in
the park is the Canadian, characterized
by limber and bristlecone pine. This
zone is restricted to the topmost parts
of the Panamint Range, north and south
of Telescope Peak. Lower, is the
pinyon-juniper woodland zone (Upper
Sonoran), with the Lower Sonoran Zone
marked with stands of creosote bush
mixed with burroweed, near the bottoms
of the alluvial fans, with desert holly
surviving a little higher on the fans.
The spring-fed oases should be
considered an anomaly. Furnace Creek
Ranch is a freakish version of the
Lower Sonoran Zone, one that is largely
man-made and not very natural, although
pleasant to visit with its palo verde
and acacia trees, and towering date
palms. A more natural palm oasis
surrounds the springs above Scotty's
Castle in Grapevine Canyon, although
that, too, has had some enhancement
with copious plantings.
The pinyon pine grows down to 5,500
feet, while the bristlecone or foxtail
pine is seen only at 11,000 feet. At
the other end of the ecological scale,
no plant grows on the salt pan. In the
narrow areas at the sides of the salt
pan, creosote bush is the primary
vegetation. There is a diversity of
life in the briny wetlands of Salt
Creek. The desert pupfish, an
endangered species, lives in the creek.
This is the sole survivor of the fish
which inhabited the valley when the
water was fresher and more abundant.
March is the best time to see this
tiny, silvery fish which lives in water
with more salinity than sea water. Only
a small percent survive the hot summer
months when the creek becomes super-hot
and almost dries up. Salt-loving plants
are rare but several live in this harsh
environment. Pickleweed and salt grass
are found in the salt marsh. They need
water, however, and are not found
outside this ecosystem. Arrowweed,
another salt-tolerating plant, is found
in the Devil's Cornfield, near the sand
dunes and Stovepipe Wells
Village.
Beetles and fly larvae have adapted
to the salty water. Insects are prime
food for the pupfish. Higher on the
food chain, coyotes and larger birds,
especially ravens, dine on pupfish.
Among the other birds you'll see around
the marsh are kildeer, spotted
sandpiper and common snipe. The great
blue heron is a sometimes visitor, as
is the wood duck. Mallards and eared
grebes are infrequently seen throughout
the spring months. The turkey vulture
is the most numerous raptor in Death
Valley. Mississippi kites are seen on a
casual basis, as are broad-winged and
Swainson's hawks. Coyotes and
sidewinders are the kings of the valley
floor and feed on small rodents.
Burros & Small Game
Higher, in the mountains is another
collection of birds and animals. The
hardiest survivor is the burro. Death
Valley burros were brought here and
abandoned by prospectors. Living
handily off the mountain vegetation,
the burros have had a population
explosion, resulting in a live capture
program conducted by the Park Service.
The largest native animal is the
bighorn sheep, which roam at various
levels on the mountain slopes,
depending on the time of year. Other
animals to be found above the valley
floor include deer, bobcat, kit fox and
mountain lion.
Down on the dunes is an amazing
aggregation of small game, including
rabbits, various rodents and lizards.
The animals and birds were hunted by
Indians for hundreds of years. Rodents
are very numerous. They include the
desert wood rat (pack rat), kangaroo
rat, antelope ground squirrel,
round-tailed ground squirrel,
white-footed mouse, and two types of
rabbits: jack and cottontail. Many of
the same reptiles that live in the
deserts of Nevada and Arizona live here
too: desert iguana, collard and
zebra-tailed lizard, horned and striped
lizard, and chuckwalla. A few pests
should be considered for avoidance. The
scorpion in particular is common on the
valley floor, hiding under rocks and on
damp ground.
Where to Stay
Furnace Creek Ranch Resort,
P.O. Box 1, Death Valley CA 92328,
(619) 786-2345 or 800-528-6367
This year-round ranch resort with
deluxe motel and connected cabin-style
units is located at the palm oasis next
to the park headquarters on State Route
190. There is a golf course, tennis
courts, riding, archery range, large
pool, saunas, and whirlpool. The
complex includes the fascinating Borax
Museum, and you can buy dates fresh off
the palms. The ranch has several
restaurants including a cafeteria and
coffee shop. Deposit required.
Furnace Creek Inn, P.O. Box
1, Death Valley CA 92328
(619) 786-2361
This grande dame of a resort hotel is
perched on a hillside overlooking the
depths of Death Valley. Palms shade the
garden terrace. There are 67 rooms, a
heated pool, saunas, whirlpool, and
lighted tennis courts. Not open during
the torrid summer months, the inn is
just the place for winter socializing
with visitors from around the world.
There are two dining rooms. The Sunday
brunch is a Death Valley tradition.
Stovepipe Wells
Village, Death Valley, CA 92328,
(619) 786-2387
The quasi-rustic resort complex is near
the sand dunes, 24 miles from the ranch
on State Route 190. There are 82 units
with full baths, and shower units, a
hot spring pool, store, and service
station. The restaurant and bar are
open from 7 am to 2 pm and 5:30 pm to 9
pm.
Death Valley Campgrounds
Camping is available year-round,
although there are few campers during
the hottest months, and some park
campgrounds are closed during summer.
The national park operates nine
campgrounds, and all campsites are
available on a first-come, first-served
basis except for the Furnace Creek
Campground from October through
mid-April.
To reserve your Furnace Creek site,
phone the reservations line at
1-800-365-CAMP. Reservations can be
made eight weeks in advance for the
October to mid-April period.
The other campgrounds are located at
Texas Springs and Sunset (both just
south of Furnace Creek), Stovepipe
Wells (mid-valley), Emigrant (nine
miles west of Stovepipe Wells),
Mesquite Spring (4 miles south of
Scotty's Castle), Wildrose (near the
western edge of the valley), Thorndike (8 miles east of Wildrose -- no
campers or motor homes), and Mahogany
Flat, 9 miles east of Wildrose and
suitable only for high-clearance
vehicles.
