死亡谷国家公园恶水盆地的盐滩, 加利福尼亚州, 美国 Salt flats in Badwater Basin, Death Valley National Park, California, USA (© Jim Patterson/TANDEM Stills + Motion)

死亡谷国家公园恶水盆地的盐滩, 加利福尼亚州, 美国 Salt flats in Badwater Basin, Death Valley National Park, California, USA (© Jim Patterson/TANDEM Stills + Motion)

对比之谷 The valley of contrasts

死亡谷国家公园周年纪念

死亡谷国家公园颠覆人们对沙漠的想象，横跨加利福尼亚州与内华达州，总面积约340万英亩，是美国面积最大的国家公园。盐沼、火山丘陵、流动沙丘与覆雪山峰交错分布，构成极端而多变的地貌。从海拔11000英尺的望远镜峰，到低于海平面282英尺的恶水盆地，这里呈现出鲜明且震撼的对比。

罕见暴雨唤醒山谷，野花短暂盛放，隐秘绿洲为野生动物提供栖息之所，近1000种植物在极端环境中顽强生长。恶水盆地是北美洲海拔最低点，广阔盐滩在天际线上裂解出几何纹理，呈现出近乎超现实的景观。早在1849年，廷比沙肖松尼人便在这片山谷中安居生活。

鉴于其独特且极端的地貌景观，1933年，时任美国总统赫伯特·胡佛正式将死亡谷指定为国家纪念地。1994年，《加州沙漠保护法案》进一步将其升格为国家公园，面积扩大一倍以上，使这片极端沙漠得以长期保存。

Death Valley National Park's Anniversary

Death Valley National Park challenges first impressions. Spanning more than 3.4 million acres 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 snowcapped peaks create a landscape shaped by time and extremes. From the soaring heights of Telescope Peak, which rises over 11,000 feet above the desert floor, to the depths of Badwater Basin, 282 feet 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.

Recognizing its unique landscapes, President Herbert Hoover designated Death Valley a national monument on this day in 1933. That protection expanded in 1994, when the California Desert Protection Act elevated it to national park status and more than doubled its size, ensuring the preservation of this extraordinary desert for generations to come.