Background Death Valley is located in southeastern California. It is just east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. In driving east toward Death Valley in winter, one can see vegetation gradually change from lush green grass on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada to more sparse and hearty brown brush and scrub. Death Valley received its name from pioneer miners and settlers who died or nearly died crossing the Valley on their way to the gold rush of 1849. Perhaps because of its reputation, as well as its barren and stark features, it took a while for Death Valley to be recognized by the public and politicians as an important place worth preserving.
Death Valley forms the southwestern portion of the Great Basin Desert.
The Great Basin lives up to its name. Death Valley is different than the hundreds of other valleys in the basin because it's the lowest, hottest, and driest location in the Western Hemisphere. Death Valley itself is 130 miles long and between six and thirteen miles wide. Telescope Peak in the Panamint range is the tallest peak in Death Valley National Park, topping 11,000 feet above sea level. When you find yourself in a such a dry and barren place, it's difficult to imagine that in the past Death Valley was largely covered with water.