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Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park (Death Valley National Park) 位於加州東緣，占地面積高達5270平方英里，是美國第六大的國家公園，公園橫跨了加州和內華達州的莫哈比沙漠，以其驚人的沙漠景觀與神秘色彩聞名。公園擁有各種地質形態，包括鹽沼、沙丘、峽谷和山脈。最著名的地標包括北美洲最低點Bad water basin、Devil’s golf course等。
死亡谷國家公園的景點大致可以分為四個區域，包括公園中央的Furnace Creek Area、北邊的Scotty’s Castle一帶和西邊的Stovepipe Wells Area和Panamint Spings Area。
Since Las Vegas is only about 2 hours away by car, there are many tours from Las Vegas during the peak season. If you are traveling from Las Vegas, you may want to consider a one-day tour. Day tours usually focus on the Furnace Creek Area, which is one of the most popular areas.
Death Valley National Park | Driving Itinerary & Notes
我們的一日遊行程從南加出發，一路往東，經US395和CA190，上午由西邊進入Death valley的Panamint Springs Area，之後進入東邊的Stovepipe wells area、往北開至最北端的Scotty’s castle。下午往南造訪Furnace Creek area，再由CA190轉CA160開到當天住宿的拉斯維加斯旅館。
Summer is actually the off-season for Death Valley, and we drove to Death Valley as an outpost from Los Angeles to Grand Circle. The advantage of summer is that you can take advantage of the long days of sunshine and compress what would normally be at least a two-day trip into a one-day drive. We took advantage of this and covered all four areas of the park in one day. If you are coming in fall or winter, we recommend splitting the whole trip into two days, and spend more time hiking in cooler weather, preferably staying in the park.
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Death Valley is characterized by being very hot, really very hot, because death valley is famous for its below sea level elevation, sweltering climate and vast desert, so usually there are more tourists coming to death valley in winter or spring. The name "Death Valley" comes from the fact that occasionally in the news, there are tourists who get lost and dehydrated while hiking in Death Valley in hot weather. During summer vacation, the temperature in Death Valley is so high that it is hard to hold the steering wheel when driving, so you need to have some preparation before entering Death Valley, both psychologically and in terms of equipment.
You should always replenish water in Death valley, we prepared three big buckets of water for this trip, and four of us drank almost all of it in the whole day. It is important to note that people should not go hiking in the summer, otherwise it will be dangerous for their lives under the extremely high temperature. When we went there, the temperature was nearly 60 degrees Celsius, and there were warning signs all the way to remind people to be alert to the high temperature. Bring plenty of water and a damp towel when you go outdoors.
How vast is the desert? Just take a look at the photos, you can tell that the desert has gradually changed from grassland to yellow sand before entering the Death Valley.
Death Valley | Area Attractions
Panamint Springs Area | Father Crowley Vista Point | Rainbow Canyon
Father Crowley Vista Point, the westernmost point, was our first stop. Most of the tourists come to Death valley from Las Vegas direction, so the Panamint springs area, which is farther away from the four areas, is often abandoned. In fact, the scenery here is quite spectacular, Father Crowley Vista Point is one of the must-step attractions. You can see the colorful Rainbow Canyon formed by volcanic rocks without walking from the parking lot, and if you walk along the trail east of the parking lot, you can see the whole Paramint valley.
Stovepipe Wells Area | Mesquite Last Sand Dunes
The main attractions in Stovepipe wells area are Mosaic Canyon and Mesquite Flast Sand Dunes, Mosaic Canyon requires a long unpaved road or hiking up the hill, our sedan is not suitable for the weather and it is too hot, so we decided to give it up and go straight to Mesquite Flast Sand Dunes. Mesquite Flast Sand Dunes: Mesquite Flast Sand Dunes is the most accessible sand dunes in Death Valley National Park, and many people climbed the dunes to play on it, even in the scorching heat, children had a great time playing on the sand. The top of the dune is a colorful desert scene.
Scotty’s Castle 區域
Scotty’s castle在Death valley的北端，前往的路上要開大約四十分鐘的車程。雖然中間沒有稱得出名字的景點，但這一路有不少大片的sand dunes，連續大片的沙丘是非常難得的風景。
Scotty’s Castle
Scotty’s castle這座城堡是從1922年開始興建的，城堡以Scotty為名，但Scotty其實不是什麼偉人，而是個騙了芝加哥富翁Albert Johnson的錢來死亡谷假裝開採金礦的騙子。這個故事的發展非常有趣，Johnson一開始被騙了一段時間，但時間久了之後開始起疑，於是決定親自前來查探。Scotty這個騙子倒是不慌不忙，打算等著Johnson受不了這裡的氣候離去，然而Johnson偏偏身體狀況比較特別，這裡炎熱的天氣竟然對他的健康有益，因此長住了下來。住久了之後其實也看穿了Scotty是個騙子，沒想到東窗事發後Johnson反而卻和他成了朋友，還決定興建這座城堡以供度假使用。於是騙子Scotty對外宣稱這是他賺了錢蓋的城堡，取名為Scotty’s castle。
The Visitor Center is located behind the main castle building, which is quite impressive for the heat of the desert.
Scotty’s Castle在Death valley就像是個綠洲，城堡周圍竟然看得見綠色的樹，沙漠裡生物也很活躍。
In the garage at the back of the castle, there are still antique cars that Scotty used to drive.
You have to take a guided tour to see the inside of the castle. Although it's not expensive, it's not very popular during the off-season, so we had limited time and could only visit the outside of the castle. From the outside, the inside of the castle looks like this, but if you want to go further inside, you have to take a tour.
Next to the castle, there is a half-built swimming pool. From the side of the pool, you can follow the road to the back, and above it is the kitchen of the castle. Climb up to the clock tower on the other side of the castle, from which you can enjoy a panoramic view of the whole castle, and turn around and see Scotty's tomb.
Downstairs is the castle's powerhouse, which you can enter to visit.
Ubehebe Crater
Ubehebe Crater距離Scotty’s Castle不遠，是一個非常壯觀的火山口，大的看不到底。火山口的岩壁上漾著鮮豔的金黃色。不知道是否和當天天氣有關，我們感覺這裡的風非常大， 人幾乎都要被吹下去了， 費了好一番力氣才有辦法拍下金黃的山壁。
Furnace Creek Area
The Furnace Creek area is one of the most famous and must-see attractions in Death Valley, and is usually the main focus of a typical day trip. If you are considering an overnight stay, this is the best place to stay in Death Valley National Park.
Harmony Borax Works
The first place we reached from north to south was the Harmony Borax Works, a former borax mining area where many Chinese workers used to work hard in the unbearable heat of Death Valley. It's hard to imagine living in such a harsh environment for so long, and knowing that we would get heatstroke if we got off the train for more than 10 minutes, these people had to live here for a long time. Borax was refined here and transported out by train, and we could see many of the remains and tools left behind.
Golden Canyon
Golden Canyon Trail is sheltered due to the terrain and the trail is not long.Golden Canyon is a long, narrow canyon, and as you walk deeper into the canyon, you'll see a lot of rocks left behind by the people who came before you.
As it was too hot, we only walked until we saw the Red Cathedral and then turned back. Along the way, we could clearly see the color change of the stones. Turning the corner and following the loop will lead us to Gower Gulch, where we can walk all the way to the bottom of Red Cathedral.
Devil’s Golf Course
Devil’s Golf Course得名來自1934年的一本旅遊書，作者形容這個地方是一片「只有惡魔才能打高爾夫的平面」。這裡的地面非常崎嶇並且覆蓋了一層鹽結晶。為什麼會有鹽結晶呢？這是因為死亡谷其實以前曾經在海平面以下， 後來的地質變化將此處升高變成一個鹽湖，鹽湖被曬乾後才成為現在的樣子。
Devil’s Golf Course開車進來要走上一段很崎嶇的路面， 容易爆胎， 要注意一般車要開的非常慢且小心。
Badwater Basin
The further south we went, the lower the terrain became. By the time we reached Badwater basin, we were actually standing at 855 meters below sea level. From the parking lot, we could see an indicator of the sea level on the wall next to the parking lot, so that we could have a clearer idea of how low the terrain was.
和Devil’s Golf Course一樣， Badwater Basin也因為曾處於海平面下四處覆蓋著鹽。不過這裡的鹽湖仍未完全曬乾，因此我們還能看到鹽水池Badwater pool，這鹽水池是不流動的死水，也是這裡被命名為bad water的原因。沿著木棧道往內走些，裡面可以看到整片的Salt Flat，也就是鹽形成的平原。
Artist’s Drive
景觀道路Artist’s drive是一條支線道路，在Golden Canyon Trail和Devil’s Golf Course之間，因為是單行道，要從Devil’s Golf Course附近進入，所以看完了Badwater Basin之後回頭駛入的路線正好，這段景觀道路的風景真的很美，千萬不要錯過。
Artist’s Drive上正中央，也是最漂亮的觀景點A palette of color， 顏色鮮豔的石山大片排列在一起，就像是個畫家的調色盤。
Zabriskle Point
Zabriskle Point is a scenic spot located on the road leading to the east exit. I like this spot very much. I passed by Zabriskle Point just before the sunset, and the light is very beautiful. There is a small walkway, and you can climb up to the high point to get a nice panoramic view.
Dante’s View
Dante’s View據說是死亡谷國家公園日出最美的位置。 開車上來必須經過一段坡度很陡的長上坡。我們來到這的時間其實已是日落後了，黃昏時分光線還在，爬到崖邊可看到整個Furnace creek的全景。
Further reading
- More U.S. National ParksRelated Posts
- More Grand CircleRelated Posts
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