Death Valley: ‘The Rebel’ National Park
Death Valley is a national park of a different flavor. It’s a region of extremes… extreme temperatures… extreme geology… extreme history… extreme scenery. Death Valley could be considered a rebel amongst Americas National Parks and appeals to those who are seeking a departure from their familiar surroundings, and a refuge from cold in winter.
Death Valley is most popular in autumn and winter months when the rest of the country is shivering under the icy chill of winter and a blanket of snow. Death Valley beckons ‘snow-birds’ from across the upper latitudes of north America with her dry desert climate and her persuasively mild temperatures.
Death Valley covers more than 3 million acres, roughly 1 1/2 times the size of Delaware. It is also a region of uncompromising beauty and scenic wonder all it’s own.
Death Valley is a popular destination throughout the year, but especially in the winter months, and recreational sports such as hiking, mountain biking and riding horseback are all popular activities inside the park.
Death Valley and the Mojave Dessert is home to more than 56 kinds of mammal, 36 species of reptile, several types of amphibians and fish species, and more than 400 classifications of birds have been spotted within the park.
Mammals found inside the park include include bighorn sheep, foxes, coyotes, squirrels, rodents, jackrabbits, bats and more. There can also be found a wide variety of reptiles within the borders of Death Valley such as the Chuckwalla, the second largest lizard found inside the United States. This interesting creature likes to hang out near rocky areas and will squeeze into rocky crevices and inflate itself when it feels threatened. Or the desert horned lizard a moderately sized lizard with pointed scales that protrude from it’s head and body in the shape of horns. Only the ‘horns’ on it’s head are rigid, the rest of the horn-like scales are soft and feel more like normal reptile skin. One interesting thing about the horned lizard is it’s ability to shoot a stream of blood from the corner of it’s eyes when it is threatened by a predator. This creates a distraction and allows the lizard an opportunity to escape.
There are more than a half-dozen ghost towns in Death Valley. These colorful relics from Death Valley’s past were mostly mining towns that sprung up in the late 1800’s to mid 1900 when gold, silver and copper ore was found in the area. One of the most interesting of these ghost towns is the town of Panamint City. This little town was short lived, but made up for it’s short life through its audacious reputation. Panamint City was founded by two outlaws who were hiding-out from the law. During their hiatus in the Panamint Mountains, these two lucky outlaws discovered silver in Surprise Canyon and subsequently decided to give up their life of crime for a more domestic lifestyle. During it’s time, Panamint City was considered one of the toughest, rawest, most hard-boiled little hell-hole that ever passed for a civilized town. However the fast life of Panamint City led to an early demise, as the city went from the height of it’s boom in 1874 to utter destruction from a flash flood just two years later in 1876.
More information can be found about Death Valley National Park and it’s many tourist attractions, lodging options and activities by visiting NationalParkReservations.com/deathvalley.htm There you will find a complete listing of lodging options both inside the park as well as near the parks perimeter. You can also learn more about Death Valley’s many ghost towns and other tourist attractions at the National Park Reservations site.
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