Summer in Death Valley National Park California - Hot and popular with tourists

Hard to believe, but July and August are boom months for this blazing hot desert destination on the edge of the Mojave desert in east-central California.

According to a recent press release: Summertime in California’s Death Valley National Park is extreme. And that is largely the reason the arid, desolate and ruggedly beautiful park draws more than 227,000 travelers during summer months when daytime temperatures often exceed 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

Although most people head to cooler places in the summer, tourists have several reasons to head towards one of the hottest places in the country - temperature-wise.

Death Valley National Park hosts as many as 900 tour bus travelers each day. Nearly all of the visitors are from European countries; most come from Germany, France and the UK, often posing for a picture outside under a large thermometer that registers the current temperature so they can prove to friends back home that they made the trek to the famous Death Valley, the hottest, driest and lowest point in North America.

“European travelers in particular love it here during our extreme summer months,” said Phil Dickinson, director of sales and marketing for the Furnace Creek Resort. “I think it is combination of the beauty of our wide open spaces, international travelers’ love of everything about the American West and, of course, our extreme heat.”

And the heat is indeed extreme. Death Valley National Park is one of the hottest places on the planet and its record-high temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit recorded in 1913 is second only to El Azizia, a desert in Libya, which reportedly reached 136 degrees Fahrenheit in 1922.

Almost all stop at the Ranch at Furnace Creek. the Ranch hosts golf groups with a penchant for the extreme conditions. One golf group from Las Vegas stages the ominously named “Heatstroke Invitational” each July. Additionally, there are Hollywood movie shoots and national magazine photo shoots regularly staged throughout the park. The park’s otherworldly geography makes it a particularly great location for science fiction movies. Parts of the 1977 mega-hit “Star Wars” were filmed in the park.

Although many come to the park in the blaze of summer, most are passing through. But should the urge to stay the night be irresistible, there are two year-round lodging operations – Ranch at Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells Village.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts operates the lodging within the park and other concessions: 224-room Ranch at Furnace Creek; the 83-room Stovepipe Wells Village; 18-hole Furnace Creek Golf Course, the world’s lowest course at 214 feet below sea level; two restaurants; a saloon; general store; spring-fed swimming pool; tennis courts; the Borax Museum and a service station. Xanterra also operates the AAA Four-Diamond-rated Inn at Furnace Creek, open mid-October through mid-May. The Inn includes a restaurant, gift shop, spring-fed swimming pool, tennis courts, lush gardens and conference and banquet facilities. The Inn provides a stunning and lush oasis in a harsh climate thanks to water flowing from nearby natural springs.