Death Valley National Monument was proclaimed on February 11, 1933, by President Herbert Hoover, placing the area under federal protection. In 1994, the monument was redesignated as National Park, as well as being substantially expanded to include Saline and Eureka Valleys. It is an example of a graben, or a downdropped block of land between two mountain ranges. Furnace Creek and the Amargosa River flow through the valley but eventually disappear into the sands of the valley floor.
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert bordering the Great Basin Desert. It is one of the hottest places in the world along with deserts in the Middle East. On the afternoon of July 10, 1913, the United States Weather Bureau recorded a high temperature of 134 °F (56.7 °C) at Furnace Creek in Death Valley. This temperature stands as the highest ambient air temperature ever recorded at the surface of the Earth.
Contrary to its name, this place comes alive with color and life in the spring. While the park is famous for its rare and spectacular wildflower displays, flowers are never totally absent in the off years. When conditions are right, the hills and valleys explode into a carpet of gold, purple, pink or white flowers. More than just a scorching desert, Death Valley offers park visitors a striking contrast of landscapes to explore. From the snow that frosts the park’s towering peaks to the lush wildflower meadows. And small oases that provide a reprieve from the heat to seemingly endless desert plains.
Located near the border of California and Nevada, in the Great Basin, east of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Death Valley constitutes much of Death Valley National Park and is the principal feature of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve. Established on October 24, 1994, Death Valley National Park is a beautiful but challenging landscape. Where unique wildlife have developed ingenious adaptations to the arid, harsh environment.