9 Reasons to Visit Death Valley Next Time You're in Las Vegas - Canyon Tours (2024)

If you’re searching for an excursion beyond the limits of Las Vegas but don’t have the time to journey to the Grand Canyon, don’t despair. Between the Valley of Fire to east, Red Rock Canyon to the north, and Death Valley to the west, there is no shortage of nearby places to visit from Las Vegas.

We’ve already covered why you should visit Red Rock Canyon and the Valley of Fire. Next up: Death Valley.

Death Valley National Park is the largest national park in the lower 48 states, covering an area of over 3,000 square miles. It’s also the lowest, driest, and hottest area in North America. Here are 9 reasons why you should visit Death Valley:

The oldest rocks in Death Valley are over 1.7 billion years old, but Death Valley as we see it today is comparatively young.

The region was formed about three million years ago through a geological process called “Basin and Range”, which occurs when the Earth’s crust stretches and develops faults to accommodate the extension. But basin and range processes occur a little differently in Death Valley—because of the unique strike-slip faults that perpendicularly border the central extent of the region, the valleys formed by the basin and range process are wider and exhibit more “subsidence”. That means that the gradual sinking or caving in of the “basin” part of the process is more pronounced in Death Valley than anywhere else. This leads to some pretty cool formations—keep reading to learn more.

Because of the unique development of the basin and range process in this area, Death Valley contains an extreme range of elevations and is home to a wide variety of different geological formations, including:

The average winter temperature hangs around a balmy 65-76 degrees – perfect for people looking for a warm escape from their regular snowy climate. In the summer, however, average temperatures easily climb above 100 degrees, so be sure to pack extra water and wear appropriate clothing.

Why so hot? Along with the area’s lack of surface water and low elevation, Death Valley’s extreme temperatures result from a climatological phenomenon called the “rainshadow effect”: As warm, moist air masses from the nearby Pacific Ocean are forced above the mountains that surround the valley, they lose moisture. The resulting dry air causes higher average temperatures and low precipitation levels.

Death Valley is anything but dead. While some areas are generally devoid of life (such as salt pans and some of the lower slopes of the surrounding mountain ranges), other places where water is more abundant, like the higher mountain ranges, are home to thriving communities of wildlife and vegetation, including:

Every spring, cooler and wetter winter weather enables wildflowers to flourish throughout the park, even at Furnace Creek (the hottest part of the park—and the hottest part of the continent).

The annual bloom peaks in March. If you’re planning to visit in the spring, call the park ahead of your visit so you can time your trip just right. The best place to view the bloom is in the south part of the park, around Badwater Basin towards Furnace Creek.

What causes the colorful terrain? The bright hues you’ll see in this breathtaking spot are created by metals in the ground: