Death Valley
National Park
California-Nevada
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Death Valley . . .
so empty, so vast, so simple, so quiet.

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Then, with a rush and a cry, a raven soars past, drawing your attention to the unexpected details around you. A flicker of movement makes you grab your camera, but the lizard darts away before you can take a picture. Now you notice flowers growing in the shadow of a rock. More surprises await.... Discover pine woodlands atop high mountains or life crowded around isolated springs. Rise with the sun and watch light touch the snowy peaks, slide down the slopes, and illuminate the valley floor—revealing colors and textures that wash out in the harsh light of midday.

Half the park is after dark
when silence and darkness reign.

At night, your senses sharpen to detect subtle sounds and the glory of the night sky. Be still and listen. The silence is so deep you can hear crystals on the salt flats pop as they contract. in the cooling evening. Catch a glimpse of creatures once hidden from the daytime heat, now skittering between rocks or racing across the sand. As your eyes adjust to the dark, look up—the clear, dry air and few lights let billions of stars shine through Earth's atmosphere. This after-dark extravaganza has earned Death Valley the designation of International Dark Sky Park.

To Preserve a Way of Life

"Timbisha" is the Shoshone word for Death Valley and the red rocks in the surrounding mountains. The Timbisha Shoshone have lived here for over 1,000 years. Trust lands have been set aside where they can live permanently in their ancestral homeland. The Timbisha Shoshone Natural and Cultural Preservation Area is jointly managed for the tribe's traditional cultural and religious activities.

To Preserve Wilderness

Ninety-one percent of Death Valley National Park is designated wilderness, preserving opportunities to experience solitude, natural quiet, dark night skies, and wild nature. With solitude comes isolation, so you must be self-reliant for your own safety. You can get to the park's vast wilderness along hundreds of miles of unpaved roads, but your vehicle must stay on the road. Backcountry maps are available at the visitor center and ranger stations. Other wilderness rules apply, so consult a park ranger before you explore.

Welcome to Death Valley

The park newspaper, available at visitor centers and online, has articles about the park, information about services, and suggestions of what to see and do.

Accessibility We strive to make our facilities, services, and programs accessible to all. For information go to the visitor center, ask a ranger, call, or check the park website.

Safety Do not rely on cell phones and GPS; service may be non-existent or unreliable. • Obey the speed limit. • Keep hydrated; drink water. • Avoid activity in the heat. • Do not approach or touch wildlife. • Avoid canyons during rain storms. • Keep out of mines. • Ask about unpaved road conditions before you travel in the backcountry.

Prohibited activities Off-road driving or bicycling. • Campfires outside developed campgrounds. • Wood gathering. • Collecting, removing, or disturbing rocks, plants, animals, or historic artifacts. • Littering. • Discharging firearms and target shooting. • Feeding wildlife.

Pets Keep pets on a leash. • Never leave pets alone, especially in a vehicle. Temperatures inside can climb to 160°F; a pet can die quickly. • Pets are prohibited off roads and on trails.

EMERGENCIES CALL 911 or contact a park ranger

Source: NPS Brochure (2017)


Establishment

Death Valley National Park — October 31, 1994
Wilderness — October 31, 1994
Biosphere Reserve — 1984
Death Valley National Monument — February 11, 1933


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Brochures ◆ Site Bulletins ◆ Trading Cards expand section

Documents

A brief geologic and hydrologic reconnaissance of the Furnace Creek Wash area, Death Valley National Monument, California USGS Water Supply Paper 1779-Y (Marvin Arthur Pistrang and Fred Kunkel, 1964)

A Geologic Guide to Titus Canyon, Death Valley National Monument (Robert M. Norris, extract from California Geology, Vol. 38 No. 9, September 1985, ©California Department of Conservation)

A History of the Lands Added to Death Valley National Monument by the California Desert Protection Act of 1994, Special History Study (Harlan D. Unrau, September 1997)

A USGS Study of Talc Deposits and Associated Amphibole Asbestos within Mined Deposits of the Southern Death Valley Region, California USGS Open-File Report 2004-1092 (Bradley S. Van Gosen, Heather A. Lowers and Stephen J. Sutley, 2004)

Annual Report: 1986 — Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit (December 31, 1986)

Archeological Survey of Lower Vine Ranch, Death Valley National Monument Western Archeological and Conservation Center (WACC) Publications in Anthropology No. 46 (Krista Deal and Lynne M. D'Ascenzo, 1987)

Archeological Survey in Northeastern Death Valley National Monument Western Archeological and Conservation Center Publications in Anthropology No. 23 (C. Michael Barton, 1983)

Aquifer-test evaluation and potential effects of increased ground-water pumpage at the Stovepipe Wells Hotel area, Death Valley National Monument, California USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report 87-4270 (L.R. Woolfenden, Peter Martin and Brian Baharie, 1988)

Baseline Ambient Sound Levels in Death Valley National Park DOT-VNTSC-NPS-11-19 Final Report (Cynthia Lee and John MacDonal, July 2011)

Borate Mining History in Death Valley (Hasmukhrai H. Majmundar, extract from California Geology, Vol. 38 No. 8, August 1985, ©California Department of Conservation)

California's National Parks in Peril: The Threats of Climate Disruption (Stephen Saunders and Tom Easley, ©The Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and Natural Resources Defense Council, October 2010, all rights reserved)

Cultural Landscape Report: Death Valley Scotty Historic District, Death Valley National Park (Robert Z. Melnick, Laurie Matthews, Casey Howard, Una Gilmartin and Nelda Metheney, July 25, 2019)

Cultural Landscapes Inventory: Lower Vine Ranch (2005)

Cultural Landscapes Inventory: Scotty's Castle (2005)

Death Valley National Park Paleontological Survey NPS Technical Report NPS/NRGRD/GRDTR-99/01 (Torrey G. Nyborg and Vincent L. Santucci, 1999)

Death Valley to Deadwood: Kennecott to Cripple Creek (Proceedings of the 1989 Historic Mining Conference) (Leo R. Barker and Ann E. Huston, eds., September 1990)

Devils Hole Site Plan Environmental Assessment (July 2009)

Differential GPS/GIS Analysis of the Sliding Rock Phenomenon of Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park (Paul Messina and Phil Stoffer, undated)

Eagle Borax Works, Harmony Borax Works, Death Valley National Monument, California: Historic Structures Report (F. Ross Holland, Jr. and Robert V. Simmonds, October 1971)

Effect of ground-water development on the pool level in Devil's Hole, Death Valley National Monument, Nye County, Nevada USGS Open-File Report 63-142 (G.F. Worts Jr., 1963)

Effect of ground-water development on the pool level in Devil's Hole, Death Valley National Monument, Nye County, Nevada USGS Open-File Report 63-142 (G.F. Worts Jr., 1963)

Evaluation of increases in dissolved solids in ground water, Stovepipe Wells Hotel, Death Valley National Monument, California USGS Open-File Report 82-513 (Anthony Buono and E.M. Packard, 1982)

Excavations at Harmony Borax Works: Historical Archeology at Death Valley National Monument Western Archeological and Conservation Center Publications in Anthropology No. 6 (George A. Teague and Lynette O. Shenk, 1977)

Exterior Redwood Preservation at Scotty's Castle, Death Valley National Park — Pilot Treatment of Select Redwood Elements (Douglas Porter, Angelyn Bass, Liisa Reimann and Christopher Dooley, July 2010, rev. April 2012)

Facies Analysis of Late Proterozoic through Lower Cambrian Rocks of the Death Valley Regional Ground-Water System and Surrounding areas, Nevada and California USGS Open-File Report 01-351 (Donald S. Sweetkind and Diane K. White, 2001)

Facies Analysis of Tertiary Basin-Filling Rocks of the Death Valley Regional Ground-Water System and Surrounding Areas, Nevada and California USGS Open-File Report 01-400 (Donald S. Sweetkind, Christopher J. Fridrich and Emily Taylor, 2001)

Foundation Document, Death Valley National Park, California-Nevada (February 2017)

Foundation Document Overview, Death Valley National Park, California-Nevada (January 2017)

Geologic and seismic hazards investigations of the Cow Creek area, Death Valley National Park, California USGS Open-File Report 99-155 (Michael N. Machette, Carlos N. Martinez, Anthony J. Crone, Kathleen M. Haller and Giuliana D'Addezio, 1999)

Geologic Features—Death Valley, California California Division of Mines and Geology: Special Report 106 (Bennie W. Troxel and Lauren A. Wright, eds., 1976)

Geologic mapping index to the Death Valley National Monument area, California and Nevada USGS Open-File Report 93-506 (S.P. Schilling and R.A. Thompson, 1993)

Groundwater Geology and Hydrology of Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada NPS Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NRSS/WRD/NRTR-2012/652 (M.S. Bedinger and J.R. Harrill, December 2012)

Ground-Water Level Fluctuations in Devils Hole, 1962-1999; Regional Stresses and Water-Level Changes in the Death Valley Region NPS Technical Report NPS/NRWRD/NRTR-2005/339 (J.R. Harrill and M.S. Bedinger, originally released May 2000, August 2005)

Height Changes Along Selected Lines Through the Death Valley Region, California and Nevada, 1905-1984 USGS Open-File Report 2005-1133 (Robert O. Castle, Thomas D. Gilmore, James P. Walker and Susan A. Castle, 2005)

Historic American Engineering Record

Death Valley National Park Roads (HAER No. CA-300)

Historic Furnishings Report: Scotty's Castle: An Interior History of Death Valley Ranch, Death Valley National Monument, California/Nevada (Linda Wedel Greene, 1991)

Historic Resource Study, A History of Mining Vols. I and II (Linda W. Greene and John A. Latschar, March 1981)

Historic Resource Study: A History of Mining in Death Valley National Monument, Volume I of II, Part 1 of 2 (Linda W. Greene, March 1981)

Historic Resource Study: A History of Mining in Death Valley National Monument, Volume I of II, Part 2 of 2 (Linda W. Greene, March 1981)

Historic Resource Study: A History of Mining in Death Valley National Monument, Volume II of II, Part 1 of 2 (John A. Latschar, March 1981)

Historic Resource Study: A History of Mining in Death Valley National Monument, Volume II of II, Part 2 of 2 (John A. Latschar, March 1981)

Historic Structure Report: Charcoal Kilns, Wildrose Canyon, Death Valley National Monument, California (Merrill J. Mattes and Robert V. Simmonds, July 1970)

Historic Structure Report: Main House and Annex, Scotty's Castle, Death Valley Ranch, Death Valley National Monument, California/Nevada (September 1991)

Historic Structure Report: Saline Valley Salt Tramway, Death Valley National Park (Rebecca Cybularz, October 2021)

Historic Structures Report: Charcoal Kilns (Merrill J. Mattes and Robert V. Simmonds, July 1970)

Historic Structures Report: Eagle Borax Works/Harmony Borax Works, Death Valley National Monument, California (F. Ross Holland, Jr. and Robert V. Simmonds, October 1971)

How a tiny endangered species put a man in prison (Paige Blankenbuehler, extract from High Country News, April 15, 2019)

Hydrologic Basin, Death Valley, California U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 494-B (Charles B. Hunt, T.W. Robinson, Walter A. Bowles and A.L. Washburn, 1966)

Keane Wonder Mine Aerial Tramway Stabilization, Death Valley National Park (Douglas Porter, Liisa Reimann and Sebastian Renfield, April 2010, rev. April 2011)

Interpretations of shallow seismic-refraction surveys performed at eight proposed deep crustal studies refraction shot points in Death Valley National Monument, California USGS Open-File Report 88-508 (R.D. Luzitano, 1988)

Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at Death Valley National Park Southwest Biological Science Center Open-File Report 2006-1233 (Trevor B. Persons and Erika M. Nowak, August 2006)

Investigation of Linear Magnetic Anomalies in the Funeral Mountains, Death Valley Region, California USGS Open-File Report 2003-012 (John W. Hillhouse and Robert Morin, 2004)

Junior Ranger (Winter), Death Valley National Park (Date Unknown; for reference purposes only)

Junior Ranger Adventure, Death Valley National Park (2018; for reference purposes only)

Late Quaternary Faulting Along the Death Valley-Furnace Creek Fault System, California and Nevada USGS Bulletin 1991 (George E. Brogan, Karl S. Kellogg, D. Burton Slemmons and Christina L. Terhune, 1991)

Lateral Extent of Pyroclastic Surge Deposits at Ubehebe Crater (Death Valley, California) and Implications for Hazards in Monogenetic Volcanic Fields (Greg A. Valentine, Judy Fierstein and James D.L. White, extract from Geophysical Research Letters, 49, 2022, ©American Geophysical Union)

Levi Noble: Geologist (His Life and Contributions to Understanding the Geology of Death Valley, the Grand Canyon, and the San Andreas Fault) USGS Open-File Report 2002-422 (Lauren A. Wright and Bennie W. Troxel, 2002)

Limnological Analyses of Devils Hole and Point of Rocks Refugium, Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge, Nye County, Nevada (Kumud Acharya, Mark Stone and Candi Schulman, August 2009)

Mammals of Death Valley Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Fourth Series (Joseph Grinnell, Vol. XXIII No. 9, August 7, 1937)

Mapping Wilderness Character in Death Valley National Park NPS Natural Resource Report NPS/DEVA/NRR-2012/503 (James Tricker, Peter Landres, Sandee Dingman, Charlie Calagan, John Stark, Leah Bonstead, Kelly Fuhrmann and Steve Carver, April 2012)

Mary Austin: A Page From History... (Elisabeth L. Egenhoff) / The Land of Little Rain (Mary Austin, extract from Mineral Information Service, Vol. 18 No. 11, November 1965)

Mines and Mineral Deposits in Death Valley National Monument, California California Division of Mines and Geology Special Report 125 (James R. Evans, Gary C. Taylor and John S. Rapp, 1976)

Mojave Desert Discovery: An Educator's Guide to the Cultural and Natural History of Death Valley National Monument, East Mojave National Scenic Area, Joshua Tree National Monument, Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (1994)

Monitoring Ecosystem Quality and Function in Arid Settings of the Mojave Desert USGS Scientific Investigation Report 2008-5064 (Jayne Belnap, Robert H. Webb, Mark E. Miller, David M. Miller, Lelsey A. DeFalco, Philip A. Medica, Matthew L. Brooks, Todd C. Esque and Dave Bedford, 2008)

Movement models and simulation reveal highway impacts and mitigation opportunities for a metapopulation-distributed species (Christina M. Aiello, Nathan L. Galloway, Paige R. Prentice, Neal W. Darby, Debra Hughson and Clinton W. Epps, extract from Landscape Ecology, 2023)

National Register of Historic Places Nomination Forms

Death Valley Scotty Historic District (Laura E. Soulliere and Ross Holland, August 1976)

Eagle Borax Works (H.S.-1) (F. Ross Holland, Jr., June 1971)

Harmony Borax Works (H.S.-2) (F. Ross Holland, Jr., June 1971)

Leadfield (H.S.-3) (F. Ross Holland, Jr., June 1971)

Skidoo (F. Ross Holland, Jr., March 14, 1973)

Stove Pipe Wells Hotel (Christy Avery, April 10, 2012)

Natural Resource Condition Assessments for Six Parks in the Mojave Desert Network NPS Natural Resource Report NPS/MOJN/NRR-2019/1959 (Erica Fleishman, Christine Albano, Bethany A. Bradley, Tyler G. Creech, Caroline Curtis, Brett G. Dickson, Clinton W. Epps, Ericka E. Hegeman, Cerissa Hoglander, Matthias Leu, Nicole Shaw, Mark W. Schwartz, Anthony VanCuren and Luke Z. Zachmann, August 2019)

Observations upon the Bird Life of Death Valley Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Fourth Series (Joseph Grinnell, Vol. XIII No. 5, November 6, 1923)

Paleontological Resource Management, Systematic Recording, and Preservation of Vertebrate Tracks within Death Valley National Park, California (Vincent L. Santucci and Torrey G. Nyborg, extract from San Bernardino County Museum Association, 46(2), 1999)

Park Newspaper (Visitor Guide): Spring/Summer 1988Spring/Summer 1989Fall/Winter 1992-1993Spring/Summer 19932001Summer 2003Summer 2004Summer 2005Summer 2006Summer 2007Summer 2008Summer 2010Summer 2011Fall 2011Summer 2012Fall/Winter 2012-2013Summer 2013Summer 2014Summer 2015Summer 2016Winter/Spring 2017Summer 2017Winter/Spring 2018Summer 2018Winter/Spring 2019Summer 2019Winter/Spring 2020-2021Summer 2021Summer 2022Winter 2022

Potential hazards from floodflows and debris movement in the Furnace Creek area, Death Valley National Monument, California-Nevada USGS Open-File Report 79-991 (John R. Crippen, 1979)

Potential hazards from floodflows in Grapevine Canyon, Death Valley National Monument, California and Nevada USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report 89-4063 (J.C. Bowers, 1990)

Potential hazards from floodflows in Wildrose Canyon, Death Valley National Monument, California-Nevada USGS Open-File Report 81-407 (John R. Crippen, 1981)

Proceedings of Conference on Status of Geologic Research and Mapping, Death Valley National Park USGS Open-File Report 99-153 (J. L. Slate, ed., 1999)

Quaternary and Late Pliocene Geology of the Death Valley Region: Recent Observations on Tectonics, Stratigraphy, and Lake Cycles USGS Open-File Report 2001-051 (Michael N. Machette, Margo L. Johnson and Janet L. Slate, 2001)

Reconnaissance stream-sediment geochemistry of Death Valley National Monument, California USGS Open-File Report 93-698 (Albert H. Hofstra, D.L. Fey, J.M. Motooka, B.H. Roushey and Lee-Ann Bradley, 1993)

Redwood Preservation at Scotty's Castle, Death Valley National Park (Douglas Porter, Angelyn Bass, Liisa Reimann and Christopher Dooley, Date Unknown)

Report on exploratory drilling at Death Valley National Monument, Inyo County, California USGS Open-File Report 60-89 (Fred Kunkel, 1960)

Scotty's Castle Cook House Historic Structure Report (Susan Buchel and Robert Haile, July 1985)

Scotty's Castle: Death Valley's Fabulous Showplace (Dorothy Charles, extract from The Denver Westerners Roundup, Vol. 64 No. 5, September-October 2008; ©Denver Posse of Westerners, all rights reserved)

Seismic-reflection investigations of the Texas Springs Syncline for ground water development, Death Valley National Park USGS Open-File Report 2000-106 (Michael N. Machette, W.J. Stephenson, R.A. Williams, J.K. Odum, D.M. Worley, and R.L. Dart, 2000)

Silurian, Devonian, and Mississippian Formations of the Funeral Mountains in the Ryan Quadrangle, Death Valley Region, California USGS Bulletin 1386 (James F. McAllister, 1974)

Special Report on the Sixth Enrollment Period Program Proposed for Death Valley National Monument (E. Lowell Sumner, Jr., September 10, 1935)

Special Study Death Valley Scotty and Scotty's Castle (F. Ross Holland, Jr., March 1973)

Stratigraphy and Structure, Death Valley, California U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 494-A (Charles B. Hunt and Don R. Mabey, 1966)

Studies of Bighorn-Burro Interactions in Death Valley: Progress Toward the Objectives Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit CPSU/UNLV No. 006/19 (Charles L. Douglas, October 1980)

Superintendent's Annual Reports: 19331934193519381940

Superintendent's Monthly Reports: October 1934March 1935July 1937August 1937April 1939

Temporal, Spatial, and Compositional Constraints on Extension-Related Volcanism in Central Death Valley, California (R.A. Thompson, L.A. Wright, C.M. Johnson and R.J. Fleck, undated)

The Basin and Range Province in Utah, Nevada, and California USGS Professional Paper 197-D (Thomas B. Nolan, 1943)

The Bighorn of Death Valley Fauna of the National Parks of the United States No. 6 (Ralph E. Welles and Florence B. Welles, 1961)

The Mining Situation in Death Valley National Monument (May 5, 1976)

The Mojave and Colorado Desert Biosphere Reserve Educational Bulletin #90-4 (Bill Truesdell, undated)

The "National Playground Service" and the Devils Hole Pupfish (Kevin C. Brown, extract from Forest History Today, Spring 2017)

The Response of Vegetation to Disturbance in Death Valley National Monument, California USGS Bulletin 1793 (Robert H. Webb, John W. Steiger and Evelyn B. Newman, 1988)

The Story of Death Valley: Its Museum and Visitor Center Death Valley '49ers Keepsakes No. 2 (Horace M. Albright, 1960, ©Death Valley '49ers, all rights reserved)

The Timba-Sha Survey and Boundary Fencing Project: Archeological Investigations at Death Valley National Monument Western Archeological and Conservation Center Publications in Anthropology No. 27 (Martyn D. Tagg, October 1984)

To Make a Better Nation: An Administrative History of the Timbisha Shoshone Homeland Act (Theodore Catton, October 2009)

To Ride Alone In a Forever Unpossessed Country: An Administrative History of Death Valley National Park (Hal K. Rothman, 2005)

Topographic Map: Death Valley National Monument & Vicinity, CA Scale: 1:250,000 (USGS, 1985)

Vegetation Classification at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Mojave National Preserve, Castle Mountains National Monument, and Death Valley National Park: Final Report (Revised with Cost Estimate) NPS Natural Resource Report NPS/MOJN/NRR-2020/2178 (Julie M. Evens, Kendra G. Sikes and Jaime S. Ratchford, October 2020)

Vertebrate Paleontological Resources of Death Valley National Park, California (Vincent L. Santucci, Torrey Nyborg, Paul H. Buchheim and Kevin E. Nick, extract from Nevada State Museum Paleontological Papers No. 1, November 2011)

Videos

Death Valley (National Geographic National Park Collection, 7 of 7)



Books expand section


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Last Updated: 16-Oct-2024