Travel

Death Valley packed with tourists despite deadly heatwave that could break record for hottest-ever recorded temperature

It’s a hotspot in more ways than one.

Tourists from all over the world are flocking to Death Valley despite the region’s scorching temperatures — which have resulted in one recorded death.

Indeed the infamously arid region, which straddles the border of Nevada and California, attracted hundreds of people from France, Spain, the UK and other far-flung locales, the AP reported.

These pilgrims were reportedly undeterred by scorching conditions in the aptly-named tourist site, which also happens to be the lowest point in North America.

Meteorologists predicted last week would surpass Earth’s alleged hottest-ever recorded temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit (recorded in Death Valley in July 1913), but it’s yet unclear whether this molten milestone has been eclipsed.

Thor Teigen poses next to a thermometer displaying a temperature of 131 degrees Fahrenheit in Death Valley National Park, California on Sunday, July 7, 2024.
Thor Teigen poses in a fur jacket next to a thermometer displaying a temperature of 131 degrees Fahrenheit at the Furnace Creek Visitors Center, in Death Valley National Park, California on Sunday, July 7, 2024. AP

For many guests, the potentially record-breaking heat was the main point of visiting this possibly fatal attraction.

“I was excited it was going to be this hot,” Drew Belt, a tourist from Tupelo, Mississippi, who wanted to stop off at Death Valley en route to California’s Mt. Whitney, told the AP. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Kind of like walking on Mars.”

Visitors walk past a sign reading "Stop Extreme Heat Danger" at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park.
Mike Reynolds, Superintendent of Death Valley National Park, warned visitors in an advisory that “high heat like this can pose real threats to your health.” AFP via Getty Images

In other words, this desolate hellscape’s become too hot to resist for sightseers, who seem to make pilgrimages to Death Valley whenever meteorologists forecast record-breaking temps in the area.

Visitors could unfortunately be playing with fire. Mike Reynolds, Superintendent of Death Valley National Park, warned potential Icaruses in an advisory that “high heat like this can pose real threats to your health.”

On Saturday, an unidentified motorcyclist died from heat exposure while traveling through Death Valley with five other riders.

This comes amid an unprecedented heatwave that saw the mercury reach the triple digits across the US, prompting officials to issue heat advisories for 136 million people nationwide.

The lion’s share of those affected resided in the West, where dozens of hotspots matched or broke their heat records over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Northeast’s hot and humid temperatures are expected to persist with the New York mercury soaring above 90 degrees for the fifth day in a row today.