Welcome Back to A Guide to Outside!
So as many of you already know, last month many roads began to close due to the coming winter storms. Roads are closing and we will not be able to travel as far up into the mountain ranges as we could previously. Though as we close a season of dry hiking in high elevations, this is the best time of year to visit lower elevation hikes, and climbs, and maybe take yourselves down to the lowest and hottest point in California Death Valley.
Why would you go to a place called Death Valley you ask? Well in the summer months at the lowest point in North America, the temperatures average between 110 and 116 ever summer with highs in the 120s. The highest temperature recorded there was 134 Degrees Fahrenheit in 1913. However, during the winter the months average in the 60s and 70s during the day and 40s at night. Making wintertime the best time to visit this magical place.
During the winter months at the highest point in the park telescope peak, usually has a small dusting of snow upon its top or up to two feet during the coldest part of winter. However, for most of the park, there is little snow and beautiful daytime temperatures. The above picture is taken from Panamint City, an abandoned mining town during a hike I completed in January and the ridge in the background is only 400 feet below the tallest point in the park.
The drive from town is about six and a half hours, but a desert is a place you can drive through, hike, camp, or backpack at any time of year, giving you a chance to still get your miles in, visit a different biome during the most comfortable time of year, and see yourself some cacti.
Honestly, if there is anything you happen to want to know more about hiking and camping, or any questions you have about the outdoors, feel free to email me at Posoborn1@my.scccd.edu. I am currently enrolled in the RC Forestry Program and looking forward to a future career in the great outdoors!
For more information about California State Parks:
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