Death Valley is most famous for two things – the deaths of 13 Gold Rush pioneers who were seeking a short cut to into California in the middle of the 19th century and for being the location of the hottest air temperature (56.7˚C) ever recorded on Earth.
In fact, both of these events are disputed or clouded in mystery. There are no completely reliable records of what happened to the so-called “Lost ‘49ers”, though it’s known that two parties entered Death Valley by way of what is now Death Valley Junction (also known as Amargosa), and not everyone came out alive. Whether anyone uttered the words, “Goodbye, Death Valley,” as they finally escaped the hellhole they’d entered a few months earlier is far from certain.
And the 56.7˚C temperature is disputed, though a subsequent reading or 54.4˚C, also recorded in Death Valley, is very much accepted and still the highest natural temperature recorded on the planet. It’s thought humans cannot survive for long in anything above 50˚C. Death Valley, indeed.
These are some of the cons of Death Valley, but there are pros too. For a start, it’s a picture-postcard beautiful natural environment, with everything from the classic desert-scape of the Mesquite Sand Dunes to Golden Canyon, a rugged trail that cuts through forbidding rocky badlands.
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Covering more than 13,000km2 – that’s roughly two-thirds the size of Wales – it’s the largest national park in the USA outside of Alaska and more than 1 million people visit it a year. With no light pollution from urban areas, it’s becoming increasingly popular as a ‘dark skies’ destination where constellations and galaxies can be more clearly viewed.
In the spring, the desert floor is carpeted with stunning flowers such as the bright yellow desert gold and desert marigolds and purple sage, and they in turn attract pollinators such as butterflies, moths, bees and hummingbirds.
Mammals survive in this harsh environment, including coyotes, bobcats and bighorn sheep, and birds like the famous roadrunner – aka Roadrunner, the cartoon animal that was always getting the better of Wile E Coyote.
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Roadrunners are actually a species of New World cuckoo, and it’s reported that they can reach a very respectable 32kmh. They can fly, but as in the Warner Bros animation, it’s said they prefer to outpace any predators. Or try to blow them up with Acme explosives!
Death Valley, then, is not the dead and lifeless place of bare rocks and sand expanses you might imagine it to be – just don’t get your wagon stuck here and, in the height of summer, stay out of the midday sun.
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