Salt flats in Badwater Basin, Death Valley National Park, California, United States

The valley of contrasts. Death Valley National Park, California, United States

Death Valley National Park challenges first impressions. Spanning more than 13,760 square kilometres across California and Nevada, it is the largest national park in the contiguous United States. Across this vast expanse, salt flats, volcanic hills, sweeping sand dunes and distant snow-capped peaks create a landscape shaped by time and extremes. From the soaring heights of Telescope Peak, which rises over 3,350 metres above the desert floor, to the depths of Badwater Basin, 86 metres below sea level, the park is a study in contrasts.

Rare rainstorms can trigger brief bursts of wildflowers across parts of the valley, while hidden oases sustain wildlife and more than 1,000 plant species thrive against the odds. At Badwater Basin, pictured here, the land sinks to its lowest point in North America. Its blinding white salt flats stretch to the horizon, fractured into geometric patterns that make each step feel surreal. Long before it earned its foreboding name in 1849, the Timbisha Shoshone people called this valley home. Death Valley reminds us that resilience often takes its most striking forms in the harshest places.