Visiting the 'Death Valley' in California: Man VS Wild

From breath-taking waterfalls to sophisticated urban areas, California is a complete package for travellers. It has the perfect balance between natural beauty and man-made elegance which lures thousands and thousands of tourists throughout the year. Amongst spectacular coastlines, snow-capped summits, expansive farmlands, and vibrant urban places, one of the fascinating and wowing places in this state is the Death Valley National Park. This national park spreads across 3.4 million acres and is known to be the driest place in the entire country.

Due to the dry weather in Death Valley of California, it is also known to have registered the world’s highest temperature in July 1913 in Furnace Creek. The highest temperature recorded here was about 57 °C. Still, this place never fails to fascinate the travellers as its home to thousands of flora species amongst which 50 species are found just in the Death Valley of California. This place is also home to 300 species of birds, 51 species of mammals, and 36 reptile species. But that’s not the reason why it interests adventure-seeking people. If you are planning on visiting this place, here is what you can look forward to: -

1. Taking a drive to an artist’s palette

Artist’s Palette is a natural occurrence where rocks are smudged with different colours. The best time to visit this part of Death Valley is during early morning or late afternoon when the sunlight is slanting and makes the landscape beautiful.  You can stay here for some time and witness the marvel of nature while you come back from the Oasis of Death Valley.  On the left side of this palette is the R2’s Canyon which is the shooting spot of Star Wars film. The Amargosa Range is the 9-mile sedimentary hills showing a colourful palette of mauve, green, pink, lavender and gold.

2. Visiting Scotty’s Castle

Built-in the year 1920, Scotty’s Castle is a Spanish-style castle and probably one of the most notable places to visit during your trip to the Death Valley California. This fable attraction was initially the residence of Walter Scott who was a gold prospector and a cowboy who regularly performed in Wild West. The castle is a fascinating structure from the outside and interesting from the inside as there are several tunnels running under the building. You can take a tour of these tunnels if you plan to visit here between November and mid-April. The highlights of this castle are the chime towers that consist of a set of 25 carillon chimes. It is said that these chimes once struck keep playing for 45 minutes in a single go.

3. Dante’s View

Talking about serenity and beauty, Death Valley is not short of spots that can bring both of these things together. While you take a trip, one of the best things to see in Death Valley is the mesmerizing view from Dante’s Top. The view is breathtaking as you stand or sit at the summit of a hill which is 5457 ft. high from sea-level. From this point, you get to see the entire southern basic of Death Valley. If you are visiting here on a clear day, you will be able to see the highest point of the country which is Mt. Whitney and the lowest point which is the Badwater basin from the same place.

4. Zabriskie Point

Golden sand, rocky hills, beautiful views and an adventurous hike up to the summit makes Zabriskie Point one of the best places to visit in Death Valley for adventure lovers. This point is the highest amongst the nearby hills and it allows the visitors to get a spectacular view across the golden badlands. The place became famous once the 1970s movie was named after this place as Michelangelo Antonio. After this, the cover of ‘Joshua Tree’ album was also shot here. And now there are several tourists who visit this place to get some beautiful pictures for their cover.

5. Amargosa Opera House

Yes, you read the name right. You must be wondering, ‘An opera house’ in the middle of nowhere right? But this is true. The opera house has a strong history as the opening of this place was due to a New York dancer who loved singing and dancing. It was in 1967 when Marta Beckett's car broke at the same spot and she was stranded all alone. To earn a living, she started this opera house and became famous for performing in the same opera house. If you are creating an itinerary of places to visit in Death Valley; do not forget to include Amargosa Opera House in your list because it is one of the most popular attractions. Also, if you wish to get more information on the upcoming shows or tours of the place just contact the person at the motel next to the opera house.

Such is the affinity for this place that many of those who take Los Angeles sightseeing tours drive from the west coast to this breathtaking spot – there’s no disputing that this place is ‘worthy’!