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mammals and birds that live at the lower elevations (from below sea level to 4,000 ft.); rabbits, rodents, bats, snakes, roadrunners, and even coyotes all get by on very little water. At the higher elevations, where pinyon and juniper woodlands blanket the slopes, animals are more plentiful and can include bobcats and mule deer. Elusive bighorn sheep are found on rocky slopes and in desert canyons. Above 10,000 feet, look for small stands of bristlecone pine, the planet's longest-lived tree; some specimens on Telescope Peak are more than 3,000 years old.

Avoiding the Crowds. You may think that no one would plan a vacation in a 120°F-plus (49°C-plus) remote desert, but Death Valley is a year-round destination. Visitors tend to avoid the summer and crowd Death Valley on weekends and school holidays the rest of the year, especially in the spring. December and January are the quietest months (with the exception of Christmas week and Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend). The following advice will help ease the crush during your visit.

Make accommodations reservations as far in advance as you can, at least 2 or 3 months ahead. Facilities are limited inside the park, and Death Valley's isolation makes it time-consuming to base yourself elsewhere. Those planning to set up in one of the first-come, first-served camping areas should try to claim a site between 9am and noon.

Avoid visiting on weekends and during school vacation periods. Plan to enjoy the most popular activities early in the day, before crowds start building up (around 10am). An alternative, particularly on summer days, is to wait until crowds dissipate, around 4pm. Remember, the sun doesn't set until after 7pm between June and

September, and it stays hot well past

midnight. ♦ With the help of a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle, you'll find a whole world of hidden valleys, ghost towns, mountainous sand dunes, and remote canyons that are inaccessible to most of Death Valley's visitors. Check the Park Service's official map, where roads are clearly marked according to how passable they are, and ask at the visitor center about current road conditions.

Just the Facts

GETTING THERE & GATEWAYS

All of the routes into the park involve crossing one of the steep mountain ranges that isolate Death Valley. The most common access route from Los Angeles and points south is Calif. 127 from I-15 at the town of Baker; from Death Valley Junction, Calif. 190 leads to the park's center. From Las Vegas, Nev. 160 and 372 lead to Shoshone at the intersection of Calif. 178 and 127, which is just 27 miles south of Calif. 190. Perhaps the most scenic entry is on Calif. 190 from the west, reached from Calif. 14 and U.S. 395 by taking Calif. 178 from Ridgecrest. To reach the same route from the north, pick up Calif. 190 directly from U.S. 395 at Olancha. You can also approach the park from Nevada by taking Nev. 374 from Beatty, which is on U.S. 95.

The Nearest Airport. The nearest airport is Las Vegas's McCarran International Airport, 5757 Wayne Newton Blvd. (☎ 702/261-5211; www.mccarran.com), with regularly scheduled flights on practically all major airlines, and offices of all major car-rental agencies. See the appendix (p. 660) for toll-free phone numbers.

It's a 2½-hour drive from Las Vegas to Death Valley. A four-wheel-drive vehicle is recommended for backcountry travel, and you'll need one to reach 2 of the 10 campgrounds (see "Camping," below).

INFORMATION

Contact Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, CA 92328 (☎ 760/786-3200; www.nps.gov/deva). Be sure to pick up the official Guide for the Visitor, a newspaper-style free handout listing most of the park basics. It's available at ranger stations and the Furnace Creek Visitor Center (see below). Also, it's not a bad idea to ask a ranger for tips on avoiding heat exhaustion and on high-temperature auto care.

The Death Valley Natural History Association, P.O. Box 188, Death Valley, CA 92328 (☎ 800/478-8564), operates the park bookstores; check ahead for the latest publications