Best Death Valley National Park Day Trips & Things to Do

This Eastern California region of approximately 3,000 square miles located in the Mojave Desert is the hottest place on earth and the driest and lowest place in North America. Death Valley was first designated as a national monument by United States President Herbert Hoover in 1933 and changed into a national park in 1994. It features sand dunes, vibrant rock formations, canyons, ranches, wildlife and ghost towns. Points of interest are Scotty's Castle, Badwater Basin, Furnace Creek, Harmony Borax Works, Keane Wonder Mine, Wildrose Charcoal Kilns and Tecopa Hot Springs. Death Valley's Furnace Creek reached 134 degrees Fahrenheit on July 10, 1913 setting a world record for the highest temperature ever recorded on earth.