Death Valley National Park Pin

Named by 19th-century pioneers stranded in the desert after becoming lost on their way to California gold fields, Death Valley lives up to its moniker. It is North America’s hottest place, where summer temperatures often exceed 120 degrees F. Death Valley also is the driest, less than two inches of rain falling annually. Home to the continent’s lowest elevation, the park boasts spectacular desert and mountain scenery and surprisingly rich populations of plants and animals.