Death Valley National Park is world renowned for being one of the most extreme places on earth. It consists of 5,262 square miles of area, protected in 1933 by the United States government under the Antiquities Act. This program establishes protected spaces within the United States which cannot be destroyed or developed in order to maintain their unspoiled nature. Death Valley was recognized as being worthy of protection due to it’s completely unique climate, an area that receives little rainfall yearly while also showing some of the hottest temperatures on earth. While one might assume that an area this extreme would have no life whatsoever, the opposite is actually true. While there are certainly areas of Death Valley that have large expanses of land without vegetation or animals as far as the eye can see, there are also other areas that are teeming with life. The plants and animals in these areas have adapted to be able to survive with little water in extremely hot conditions.
Death Valley holds many records for hot temperatures including the hottest air temperature ever recorded, however this record has been challenged by other parts of the world. The hot months in Death Valley are obviously in the North American summertime of July and August, when temperatures can reach a scorching 110 degrees plus for many consecutive days. While extreme, these types of conditions also attract visitors who want to not only experience this type of heat for themselves, but also to witness what the landscape would look like in such an area. While we do tour Death Valley year round, during the summer especially we limit the amount of exploration time that we allocate for guests. In the extreme heat of summer, it is simply too hot to stay outside for extended periods, making our tours take more of a shape of a sightseeing tour than our typical adventure tour. This is done to keep the safety of our guests in place at all times.
The best time to visit Death Valley is in the fall around October or November, as the weather has begun to cool off and has not yet reached the point of being cold. This preserves the landscape that you will see in the summer while not exposing you to the temperatures, basically allowing you to be able to be outside and exploring for longer periods of time without being uncomfortable. Our tours of Death Valley in the fall will fill up fast, so it is a good idea to make sure that you book as soon as possible.
Our tours of Death Valley start in Las Vegas, where our driver will pick you up at a designated location or at your hotel if it is one of our major pickup locations. This enables you to plan one day out of your vacation to visit Death Valley and still be back in Las Vegas that night to continue your exploration of our city. The Death Valley tour is unique in that we will get your there and back in a single day, as opposed to most other tours which take multiple days.