Death Valley Road Trip, Camping Death Valley National Park, Mojave Desert California
Dante’s View, DVNP
Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. It is one of the hottest places on Earth.
Bad Water
The Badwater Basin is the point of lowest elevation in North America, at 282 feet below sea level. It is located 85 miles east-southeast of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States, with an elevation of 14,505 feet.
Tallest Peak
The highest point in Death Valley National Park is Telescope Peak, in the Panamint Range, which has an elevation of 11,043 feet. This is one of the few spots that you can see the lowest point and the highest peak in the lower 48 states.
Lying mostly in Inyo County, California, near the border of California and Nevada, in the Great Basin, east of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Death Valley constitutes much of Death Valley National Park and is the principal feature of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve. It runs from north to south between the Amargosa Range on the east and the Panamint Range on the west; the Grapevine Mountains and the Owlshead Mountains form its northern and southern boundaries, respectively. It has an area of about 3,000 sq miles.
Desert Climate
Death Valley has a subtropical, hot desert climate, with long, extremely hot summers; short, mild winters; and little rainfall.
The valley is extremely dry, because it lies in the rain shadow of four major mountain ranges (including the Sierra Nevada and Panamint Range). Moisture moving inland from the Pacific Ocean must pass eastward over the mountains to reach Death Valley; as air masses are forced upward by each range, they cool and moisture condenses, to fall as rain or snow on the western slopes. When the air masses reach Death Valley, most of the moisture has already been lost and there is little left to fall as precipitation.
see also –
Death Valley Topo Map
Benchmark California Atlas
Inyo National Forest Map
Inyo Forest Topo Atlas
Jawbone Canyon Map
Amargosa Opera House @ Death Valley Junction
Bodie State Historic Park
download digital version of this map –
Mount Whitney is universally famous as the highest peak in the contiguous United States, as well as the highest point in California. National Geographic’s Trails Illustrated map of Mount Whitney delivers unmatched detail and valuable information to assist you in your exploration of this beautiful region. Expertly researched and created in partnership with local land management agencies, this map features key areas of interest including Sequoia, Kings Canyon NP, Inyo NF and John Muir Wilderness; South Fork Kern River; Diaz Lake; and Cottonwood Lakes.
With miles of mapped trails including the popular Pacific Crest and John Muir trails, this map can guide you off the beaten path and back again in some of the most breathtaking scenery in the region. The clearly marked trails include mileage between intersections. A Mount Whitney trail profile inset showing the changes in altitude from various points along the Pacific Crest Trail Junction and the Whitney Portal Trailhead provides a handy tool for hikers. Scenic byways are noted for those wishing to take in the scenery by car. The map base includes contour lines and elevations for summits, passes and many lakes. Some of the many recreation features noted are campgrounds, trailheads, boat launches, swimming and fishing areas, and pack stations. Map includes helpful information about climbing Mount Whitney. (which you should do online and offline, months in advance, if you really plan to hike the peak)
