Death Valley National Park is located in east-central
California, right on the border with Nevada. It is one of the most
interesting places to visit in California. No matter what direction you
come from you'll be struck when you enter the valley as the landscape will
change from High Sierras to desert and the view of the valley like a vast
emptiness with the mountains in the background is just breathtaking. Death
Valley holds a number of records like being the lowest (282 feet below sea
level) and hottest place in the Western Hemisphere. The valley has a lot to
offer and is a great place for photography. Think about it... Canyons,
craters, bright colors, sand dunes, good looking ruins, grand views. For
those seeking solitude, it is the perfect place. Even if some attraction
points might seem a bit crowded, if you leave those behind within a few
minutes you'll find yourself completely alone.
We visited Death Valley three times, first time in October 2001 and then
again in February 2003 and June 2004. Before the first trip, I read on the
web that is best if you carry water with you at all times so I bought a
cooler and filled it with ice and water. That proved to be extremely
useful. It's not that it was very hot (it was October so I imagine August
is worse), it's the fact that it was incredibly dry. So dry that we felt
the need to drink water continuously. It was ok as long as we stayed in
the air conditioned car, but when you got out, it was like getting hit
by a hammer: we were knocked out by the heat! I can't begin to imagine
how it will be if you visit in August (which I don't recommend). Second
time we visited Death Valley in February and it wasn't so hot and dry.
