Death Valley National Park

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Man, 80, Sets Record for 'World's Toughest Race'

Bob Becker is oldest to finish grueling 135-mile Badwater run in Death Valley

(Newser) - At age 80, Bob Becker has become the oldest person to finish the Badwater 135, an ultramarathon often dubbed the "world's toughest race." The grueling course traverses 135 miles of California's Death Valley, with temperatures hitting 118 degrees Fahrenheit at the starting line, per CBS...

Man Dies After Hiking a Mile in 119-Degree Death Valley

Los Angeles County man appeared disoriented, drove car off embankment

(Newser) - A man died of heat exposure in Death Valley earlier this month, the second heat-related death in the California national park this year. Authorities say Peter Hayes Robino, 57, a Los Angeles County man, returned to the National Bridge Trailhead after taking a one-mile roundtrip hike on August 1, USA ...

Man Severely Burns Feet on Death Valley Sand Dunes

He somehow lost his shoes while at the park's Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

(Newser) - Another story of heat-related trauma out West, this time in Death Valley National Park. NBC News reports a 42-year-old Belgian visitor to the park lost his flip-flops Saturday during a brief walk at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. A news release explained that due to a language barrier, park rangers couldn'...

Motorcyclist Dies as Temps in Death Valley Break Record

Temperature hit 128 degrees Fahrenheit over the weekend

(Newser) - A group of six motorcyclists riding through a portion of Death Valley National Park experienced a lethal emergency Saturday amid record-breaking heat. One member of the group died from heat exposure and another was transported to Las Vegas and hospitalized with "severe heat illness," while the others were...

Tarantula Blamed for Death Valley Crash

Canadian motorcyclist was hospitalized, but the 'spider walked away unscathed,' NPS says

(Newser) - A Swiss couple who apparently didn't have an "I Brake for Tarantulas" bumper sticker on their rented camper van were involved in a crash in Death Valley National Park, authorities say. In a Facebook post , the National Park Service said the Swiss tourists braked suddenly to avoid hitting...

2 Inches of Rain Shutters Death Valley for Weeks

Heavy rainfall, flooding from Hurricane Hilary has caused 'extensive damage' in super-dry park

(Newser) - The hottest place on the planet has been shut down for weeks, but not because of the excessive heat. Instead, Death Valley National Park, the driest national park in the nation, has been closed off to visitors after receiving more rain in one day last month than the park typically...

Extreme Heat Brings More Deaths in National Parks

Visitors often underestimate the danger, Death Valley reports

(Newser) - Heat-related causes have killed more people in the nation's national parks so far in 2023 than in a typical entire year, and the month that's usually the deadliest hasn't arrived yet. Five people have died in conditions at least 100 degrees, the National Park Service says, the...

Tourists Bring Fur Coats to Death Valley's Heat

The official temperature of 128 degrees on Sunday didn't even break a record

(Newser) - Phoenix is breaking heat records all over the place , and Death Valley was set to approach one of its own on Sunday, reports the AP . It didn't quite get there—with the National Weather Service's official temperature clocking in at 128 degrees, while a thermometer that is very...

Tourists Flock to Death Valley as Temperature Could Go Above 130 Degrees

In fact, it might be the potential for a record that's drawing some there

(Newser) - Temperature records could be broken this weekend in Death Valley amid a brutal heat wave sweeping much of the nation, but that apparently hasn't scared off the tourists. The Guardian reports people are still visiting the national park in California, which bills itself as the lowest, hottest, and driest...

In Death Valley, 'Entire Trees and Boulders Were Washing Down'

Flash floods spurred by record rainfall strand 1K in Calif. national park

(Newser) - Record rainfall Friday trigged flash floods at Death Valley National Park that swept away cars, closed all roads, and stranded hundreds of visitors and workers. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but roughly 60 vehicles were buried in mud and debris, and about 500 visitors and 500 park workers...

Man Dies After Running Out of Gas in Death Valley

He's not the first to die this year in extreme heat

(Newser) - Visitors to Death Valley National Park found the body of a man there Tuesday, and authorities say he died after running out of gas in the California park. David Kelleher, 67, was found dead about 2.5 miles from his vehicle, which had a note in it reading "out...

Body of Hiker Found in Scorching Death Valley

68-year-old set out in temperatures of nearly 120 degrees

(Newser) - The dangerous heat of Death Valley National Park appears to have claimed another life. A police helicopter located the body of a 68-year-old hiker from Washington state who set off in temperatures of nearly 120 degrees, reports the Fresno Bee . The family of Douglas Branham says he planned to make...

Hottest Place on Earth Could Be Getting Hotter

Death Valley recorded a temperature of 130 degrees for just the fifth time ever

(Newser) - Death Valley on Friday saw some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded on Earth, and this may not be the end of it. Dubbed the hottest place on the planet for its official record temp of 134 degrees Fahrenheit, set in 1913, the spot in eastern California had only seen...

One Hiker Is Rescued, Another Is Dead

Arizona couple went missing in Death Valley National Park

(Newser) - A young congressional staffer has died after getting stranded for days in Death Valley National Park. Alexander Lofgren, 32, was pronounced dead after his rescue from a remote location in the park, according to a post by the Inyo County Sheriff's Office in California. Lofgren's girlfriend, 27-year-old Emily...

'There's Gold Up There'; a Death Valley Controversy

Environmentalist, tribes vow to fight plans for open-pit mine near national park

(Newser) - "There’s gold up there and the world needs gold," Stephen Swatton, president of international mining company K2 Gold, says of an area of desert terrain next to California's Death Valley National Park. But opponents including the Sierra Club and native tribes say the plan to mine...

How Hot Was It Sunday in Death Valley? It May Be a Record Breaker

It hit 130 degrees Fahrenheit, possibly the highest 'reliably' recorded temp ever

(Newser) - It's not called Furnace Creek for nothing. This section of Southern California's Death Valley is notoriously hot, and it may now hold the record for the Earth's hottest temperature ever recorded. Per National Weather Service stats , the thermometer in Furnace Creek hit 130 degrees Fahrenheit around 3:...

Navy Says Pilot Was Killed in Death Valley Fighter Crash

Identity is being withheld for a day

(Newser) - The pilot of a Navy jet fighter that crashed in Death Valley National Park was killed, the military said Thursday, per the AP . The identity of the pilot will be withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin in accordance with Defense Department policy, the Navy said in...

7 Park Visitors Hurt in Fighter Jet Crash

Witnesses say Super Hornet slammed into canyon wall

(Newser) - The crash of a US Navy fighter jet Wednesday in Death Valley National Park injured seven people who were at a scenic overlook where aviation enthusiasts watch military pilots speeding low through a chasm dubbed Star Wars Canyon, officials said. Ambulances were sent to the crash site near Father Crowley...

Last Month in Death Valley Was Hottest Month Ever Recorded on Earth

Average temperature over day and night: 108.1 degrees

(Newser) - Death Valley, well known for its often record high temperatures, has set a new one: Last month in Death Valley was the hottest month ever recorded on the planet Earth. The average temperature—over day and night—was 108.1 degrees, putting July 2018 about a half-degree ahead of July...

Death Valley Just Registered a Brutal Heat Milestone

The average temperature in July hit 107.4, hottest month in Western Hemisphere

(Newser) - It's probably been a hot summer where you are, but nothing like this: California's Death Valley registered an average temperature of 107.4 degrees for the month of July, per the National Weather Service . The previous record, set in 1917, was 107.2 degrees. It's not only...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser