The summit of Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous United States, reaching an elevation of 14,508 feet. (This is a bit higher than it was believed to have been; a recent survey just put it at that height.) And just across the mountains, 84.6 miles away in Death Valley, you will find Badwater...

One of my favorite destinations in Death Valley National Park is located in Wildrose Canyon, where you will find what are believed to be the best known surviving examples of charcoal kilns in the western states – plus a great hiking trail and campground. The Wildrose Charcoal Kilns are among the...

Are you planning a trip to Death Valley soon? While there are many great places to visit and interesting things to see in the park, I encourage you to make a stop on your way to the park – and it does not even require that you take a different route. About an hour north of Baker along Highway 127 lies...

Most of us have watched Bugs Bunny cartoons where Bugs walks through the desert and sees a mirage. While the hot desert sun often creates the appearance of water where it does not actually exist, there are quite a few places throughout the Death Valley area that are real desert wetlands and not mere...

There has been a lot of news coverage lately about the “super bloom” occurring in Death Valley National Park. People are flocking to the park to see and photograph the spring wildflowers. More than likely, many of these people do not know about the people primarily responsible for protecting that...

Every once in a while, the climate conditions in Death Valley are just perfect to create a breathtaking display of flowers called a “super bloom.” There is an amazing super bloom in Death Valley right now. If you’d like to see it, head up there as soon as you can, as it will probably last only...

Numerous Santa Clarita Valley residents travel to Death Valley National Park each year by way of Highway 190, which intersects with Highway 395 in Olancha. While on their way to the park, they drive past an area named Lower Centennial Flat. As they drive by, they might look out of their vehicle window...

What comes to mind when you think of Death Valley? Wide-open expanses of flat desert land? Immense sand dunes? 115-degree temperatures? Or higher? There is a completely different side to Death Valley that might not come to mind – Telescope Peak. Telescope Peak is located in the southwestern corner...

One of the places that captivated my attention early in life was the Racetrack, or playa, in Death Valley. This is where the moving rocks – aka sailing stones, rolling stones, sliding rocks, peripatetic rocks – move. The Racetrack is a dry lakebed, and the moving rocks did just that – they...