News Release

Visitors Enjoy National Park Week at Death Valley

Visitors enjoy ranger-led sunrise hike at Zabriskie Point.

NPS photo/Hoerner

News Release Date: April 25, 2018

Contact: Hilary Clark, 760-786-3276

Over 200 visitors enjoyed a range of programs on Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22. Junior rangers and their families learned about the importance of Leave No Trace ethics through fun, interactive activities on Saturday.

On Sunday, visitors enjoyed a sunrise hike led by a park ranger at Zabriskie Point through mustard colored canyons. That same day, park rangers spoke to visitors about recreational opportunities on public lands and wilderness in Death Valley. Adults and children shared their favorite memories of the outdoors with comments that included: “seeing a wolf in Yellowstone,” and “capturing a rainbow at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.”

In addition, visitors learned about the Wilderness Act and different qualities of being in wilderness.  Values that resonated with them ranged from connecting to nature to escaping stress.  Through bags of mylar balloons collected in the park, maps of where they were found, and pictures of wildlife harmed by these balloons, visitors learned about how they can make a difference by not littering.

Superintendent Mike Reynolds emphasized: “We are excited that so many people came to Death Valley to celebrate National Park Week and learn about the incredible resources here. This is a special place that you cannot fully explore in a lifetime.”

-www.nps.gov/deva-

Death Valley National Park is the homeland of the Timbisha Shoshone and preserves natural and cultural resources, exceptional wilderness, scenery, and learning experiences within the nation’s largest conserved desert landscape and some of the most extreme climate and topographic conditions on the planet. About two-thirds of the park was originally designated as Death Valley National Monument in 1933. Today the park is enjoyed by