A vast underground water system and a geothermal cave system called the Devils Hole is what is underneath Death Valley.
The Devils Hole is a unique oasis within the desert and is also home to the endangered Devils Hole pupfish and the water system is fed by snow melt and rain percolating through the ground over thousands of years.
The biggest town in Death Valley is Rhyolite which at it's peak had a population of 5,000 to 10,000 people and was the largest town in Death Valley in the early 1900s gold rush.
Rhyolite had a stock exchange, operate, 2 churches, 18 stores, 50 saloons, 2 undertakers, 19 lodging houses, 2 dentists and 8 doctors.
Some people do live at Death Valley as there are around 50 to 60 living members of the tribe that live in the Death Valley area today.
Members of the tribe also work for local organizations and resorts.
Some of the members of the Timbisha Shoshone tribe still live in Furnace Creek and in the center of the park.
The Timbisha has lived in the valley for at least a 1,000 years.
The most scenic route in Death Valley is the Artists Drive.
The Artists Drive is a one way, paved, 9 mile drive that goes through eroded and colorful hills and is a viewpoint along the road that has the most colorful scenery.
Golden Canyon is also a nearby hiking area that has golden hills and winding canyons.
A few people have actually crossed Death Valley on foot.
The first recorded crossing of Death Valley was by Louis Philippe Loncke in 2015 and Roland Banas later who completed a solo, unsupported crossing of Death Valley in a shorter time.
Both crossings of Death Valley were done off trail and without any assistance.
Hiking Death Valley can be very challenging for some trails and other trails are pretty easy to hike.
Some of the hiking trails at Death Valley are even family friendly and others require some strength, training and willpower to get through.
In Death Valley there are as many as 108 trails which are available for walking, hiking and camping and they have a variety of different difficulty levels which range from easy hiking to challenging hiking.
The trails in Death Valley range from easy and family friendly hikes to strenuous climbs with significant gain in elevation.
Some of the well known trails at Death Valley include Telescope Peak, Golden Canyon and Twenty Mule Team Canyon.
The cost to hike in Death Valley is free although there is an Entrance Fee of $30.00 per vehicle and $25.00 per motorcycle which is valid for 7 days.
You can also buy an annual park pass for $55.00 to enter Death Valley unlimited for a year.
For some activities like back country hiking and camping a permit is also required at Death Valley.
Payments for Entrance Fees and park passes and permits at Death Valley are by debit and credit card or digital payments as cash is not accepted.
Death Valley National Park straddles Eastern California and Nevada and is known for Titus Canyon with a ghost town and colorful rocks.
Death Valley national park is also known for the Badwater Basin's salt flats and North America's lowest point.
Above, Telescope Peak Trail weaves past pine trees.
And north of the spiky salt mounds that are known as the Devil's Golf Course, rattlesnakes live in Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.
The most famous hiking trail in the US is the Appalachian Trail which spans 2,200 miles long and stretches as far as Georgia to Maine.
The Appalachian Hiking Trail passes through 14 different states and crosses several roads as well as towns and the trail is marked with white blazes and has over 250 sleeping shelters.
The Appalachian Hiking Trail is user friendly and not as complicated to plan as other long distance hiking trails.
Although the northernmost stretch, which is the Hundred Mile Wilderness in Maine is the most challenging logistically.
The Appalachian Hiking Trail is a cultural journey as well as a scenic journey and is one of the Big Three National Scenic Trails which also make up the Triple Crown.
The other two hiking trails are the Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail.
The longest hiking only trail in the US is the Appalachian National Scenic Trail which is also known as the A.T. or Appalachian Trail.
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail measures around 2,190 miles in length and distances and is the only longest hiking footpath in the world.
The other longest trail to hike in the United States is the American Discovery Trail.
The American Discovery Trail crosses through 15 states coast to coast and has a 6,800 mile route.
The American Discovery Trail boasts the longest hiking distance of any trail in the United States.
The American Discovery Trail also has 16 national forests and 14 national parks and stretches 6,800 miles from the Delaware coast to the Pacific Coast.
You can hike, bike and even ride horses on most of the American discovery trail.
Walking or hiking the American discovery trail would take at least 390 days just to cover 5,000 miles of the trail.
To walk or hike the American discovery trail would take around 450 to 500 days depending on how fast you hike or walk.
A lady named Briana DeSanctis, 40 years old set out on January 1st 2022 on the American Discovery Trail and traversed and hiked more than 6,800 miles across the nation and completed her Trek in Feb of 2024 on California's Pacific Coast.
The American Discovery trail starts out and stretches from Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware, to Pt. Reyes National Seashore, California.