It's still summer - enjoy Death Valley and stay safe

Now that it’s midsummer, inquiries about Death Valley have slowed down some, but that doesn’t mean folks aren’t going. And this time of the year, many are from other countries, so Death Valley and the U.S. deserts may be new for them. Although modern cars and lodgings make desert travel pretty comfortable, that doesn’t relieve you of the need to take care of yourself and your car.

This is the National Park Service website for DV. There is a link for Daily Report. Each day, they post the weather conditions: yesterday’s, the forecast for today, the extended forecast, and a summary of the year. Today’s predicted range at Furnace Creek is 95-120°F (35-49°C); at Scotty’s Castle it is 79-112°F (26-45ºC). The high so far this year was on July 6: 129ºF or 54ºC.

The Daily Report also has road closures and special announcements (e.g. no gas at Scotty’s Castle).

http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm

Pay close attention to the weather forecast, especially in summer, for two hazards. The heat is obvious. Also, any chance of precipitation, no matter how slight, carries a risk of flashfloods in the mountains and canyons. You may not see a drop at lower elevations because it can be raining in the mountains (look for gray clouds with “streamers”) but the humidity is still so low that any moisture evaporates before reaching the Valley floor. DO NOT hike or camp in the mountains, in canyons or washes when there is any threat of thunderstorms. Flashfloods can strike with enormous velocity and carry vast amounts of water, rocks, and vegetation. If you hike in canyons (in clear weather of course), you’ll see water and erosion marks that show how powerful this can be; Titus is a good example. You cannot outrun a flashflood, and your loved ones may never know what happened to you because some victims are never found.

Again, it goes without saying, you need to have lots of water and drink regularly. If you are producing scant amounts of urine or it is darker than usual, or if you feel dizzy or parched, you need to drink more. Eat at least a little food every few hours to keep your body chemistry in balance. You may feel cooler with a “cool collar” or a damp bandanna around your neck or forehead.

If someone is not perspiring, along with other symptoms like dizziness, breathing problems, disorientation, or even fainting, it means their body functions are shutting down due to heatstroke, which kills people. You need to cool them down immediately by spraying with water, fanning, wet towels or clothing, and get medical help right away. Generally this means taking them to a ranger station from where the rangers can get emergency transport; cell phones do not work in DV.

Take care of the car as well. Modern cars don’t usually cause trouble, but guard against overheating. You’ll see road signs before long upgrades advising turning off the air conditioner. This may be uncomfortable for a few minutes, but do it. It helps prevents overheating. If it does overheat, pull off the road and let it cool; don’t open the radiator or overflow tank caps while hot. Radiator water tanks are located at many spots; this water is for cars only, not drinking. On long downgrades, do not “ride” the brakes; this will overheat them and possibly make them fail. Use the transmission instead and shift to a lower gear.

With the right preparations and precautions, Death Valley is a wonderful place to visit all year long. That’s why some of us are here on this forum, to help people find the best places to see and stay safe and healthy.

Enjoy your trip, and come back and tell us all about it.

It's still summer - enjoy Death Valley and stay safe

Just to say we noted your advice on previous postings. We were in DV on July 6th 2007 and it was hot!!!! coming out of the car was like stepping into an oven! No wonder there is a place called Furnance Creek.

Our journey started from Yosemite NP at 7.00am through the Tioga Road and Pass with breathtaking scenery and a spectacular descend ahead (not for the faint-hearted). The temp here at this altitude was 68-70degF..We stopped off at the Tioga Gas Mart where we had a fantastic breakfast from the deli all freshly cooked and prepared to order.It also has a good gift shop and was impressed with the wine supply (I liked the labels with the red trucks).

We then proceeded along 395 and was amazed there was still snow on the mountain tops.There wasn%26#39;t a lot of traffic just a few trucks, but more vechicles as we drove through the small towns along the highway. As we headed south so the thermometer began to rise. We turned onto 136 after Lone Pine and it was still 104 miles to DV. We probably didn%26#39; t see more 10-15 cars along the route to Furnance Creek. It was reassuring when we passed another car (although i wouldn%26#39;t like to experience a breakdown as you can%26#39;t get any signal on your mobile phone). We heeded the signs to turn off the air conditioning during the ascents and was glad when we could put it back on. The scenery we saw from the drive was amazing.It was good to be back in civilisation when w arrived at Furnance Creek.

We enjoyed our night%26#39;s stay at Furnance Creek and drive through DV but to really appreciate all the sites you need to go in their winter when you can venture out of the car.