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Scotty's Castle Fire Closure
Due to a fire at Scotty's Castle on May 20, the Scotty's Castle Visitor Center and grounds are closed, tours are cancelled, and power and phones are out. The road through Grapevine Canyon is open. The castle may re-open on Wednesday May 29.
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Furnace Creek Campground Temporary Closure
Furnace Creek Campground will be CLOSED for construction starting April 16, 2013. Texas Springs Campground will remain open for summer camping in the Furnace Creek Area. More »
Plants
Death Valley has more than 1,000 described plant species ranging from ancient bristlecone pines to ephemeral spring wildflowers.
Despite its reputation as a lifeless wasteland, Death Valley National Park contains a great diversity of plants. The park covers over 3 million acres of Mojave and Great Basin desert terrain, with elevations ranging from 282 feet below sea level at Badwater Basin to 11,049 feet on the summit of Telescope Peak. Annual precipitation varies from 1.9 inches on the valley floor to over 15 inches in the higher mountains. Vegetation zones include creosote bush, desert holly, and mesquite at the lower elevations up through shadscale, blackbrush, Joshua tree, pinyon-juniper, to sub-alpine limber pine and bristlecone pine woodlands. The saltpan is devoid of vegetation, and the rest of the valley floor and lower slopes have sparse cover, yet where water is available, an abundance of vegetation is usually present. |
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Endemic Plants & Animals
Endemic Plants & Animals (PDF) Read More
Did You Know?
In 1929, no rain was recorded in Death Valley, California. From 1931 through 1934, a 40 month period, only 0.64 inches of rain fell. More...