Fact Sheet
For more information,
Contact Abbey Wines
NPS Public Information Officer
760-786-3221
Death Valley General Information
Geography
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Death Valley National Park is located in the Mojave Desert in California and Nevada, 120 miles from the nearest major city.
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Death Valley is a 156-mile-long north-south valley formed between two mountain ranges – the Armargosa Range on the east and the Panamint Range on the west
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The park is 3.4 million acres making it the largest national park in the contiguous U.S.
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Death Valley is the hottest, driest, lowest spot in North America.
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The Badwater Basin in the park is the lowest point in the US at 282 feet below sea level. The salt flats in Badwater basin cover nearly 200 square miles
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Telescope Peak is the highest point in the park at 11,049ft. Bristlecone pines grow on the summit of this mountain.
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The Mesquite Flat Dunes were a shooting location for the “Star Wars” films in the 1970s.
Flora and Fauna
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Death Valley hosts nearly 400 species of native wildlife.
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There are more than 300 species of birds, including red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, LeConte’s thrasher and Townsend’s solitaire.
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The park also is home to mammals such as the bighorn sheep, coyote, gray fox and bats.
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Amphibians such as the desert-banded gecko live in the wetter regions and many reptiles such as lizards, snakes and tortoises populate the drier areas.
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More than 1,000 species of plants cover the park grounds, mainly low-lying shrubs, but Joshua trees and bristlecone pines can be found at higher elevations.
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Wildflowers bloom profusely in spring when enough rain falls.
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Devils Hole, a detached unit of DVNP is habitat for the only naturally occurring population of the endangered Devils Hole Pupfish
Weather and Climate
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In July, temperatures average 116 F.
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On July 10, 1913, temperatures at one point reached 134 F, the highest ambient air temperature ever recorded on earth’s surface
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