Death Valley National Park is a repeat park for me. While famed for being hot and dry, the park contains both the Amargosa and Surprise Canyon wild & scenic rivers with beautiful oases. In February of 2024, there was enough water to kayak in Lake Manly. I came here with my kids when I still traveled by burning carbon. We were fortunate enough to tour Scotty’s Castle before it was closed due to flooding and fire. I had rattlesnake at one of the fancy restaurants, but that’s off the menu now. The good news is that there are more electric car chargers now, although last time I stayed my ‘quiet’ campground was filled with huge RVs and other gas burning vehicles and generator noise all night long.

This time I hiked out into the basin, since the grand scale is difficult to comprehend from the parking lot. While a very few species have adapted to the extreme climate, humans can not live here during the summer. And yet every day we choose continued desertification of our planet over choosing to convert from fossil fuels.

“All in the valley of Death, rode the six hundred”

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Click to see my photos of all national park units in California.