SOME LIKE IT HOT: SOARING SUMMERTIME TEMPERATURES DRAW THOUSANDS OF VISITORS TO THE HOTTEST PLACE IN THE U.S. - DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
For Immediate Release
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DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, July 15, 2008 - On a typical summer afternoon in California's Death Valley National Park, a large thermometer registers at least 115 degrees Fahrenheit. And, after emerging from the air-conditioned comfort of their tour buses, as many as 600 adventurous travelers stop for lunch at the Furnace Creek Ranch, many posing for photos with the thermometer as the backdrop to prove that they made a summertime trek to the hottest, driest and lowest point in the United States.
Despite its remote location and the extreme heat of the destination, the Furnace Creek Ranch is bustling with activity during the summer months. According to the National Park Service, more than 180,500 people traveled to Death Valley National Park during the months of June, July and August last year. Death Valley is one of the hottest places on the planet - second only to El Azizia, a desert in Libya. The highest recorded temperature in Death Valley was 134 degrees Fahrenheit, recorded in 1913.
In addition to the tour buses - typically traveling to or from Yosemite National Park and Las Vegas - the Ranch hosts golf groups with a penchant for the extreme and automotive companies doing hot-weather testing for new vehicle models. 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 staged throughout the park. Segments of an upcoming film called "Tree of Life" starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn were filmed in Death Valley last month.
"Those of us who work and live here think 115 degrees is pretty comfortable," said Phil Dickinson, director of sales and marketing for the Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort. "But there is a dramatic difference when the thermometer hits 125 or above. You can really feel it then." Dickinson has lived in Death Valley for more than 10 years.
Death Valley National Park draws huge numbers of European travelers during the summer months.
"Our guests from Europe are typically on multiple-week vacations and are visiting many of our grandest Western national parks during one trip," said Dickinson. "They are drawn to Death Valley not only because of the extreme temperatures, which they love, but also because of the vast open spaces and the surreal landscape of the park. It is not unusual to hear many different languages - German, French, Dutch and Italian - spoken during lunch at the Forty Niner Café or at the Wrangler Buffet."
The National Park Service reports that a total of 704,122 travelers visited Death Valley in 2007. The highest visitation month last year was October, with 82,269 visitors, and the lowest visitation month was February, with a total of 31,820 visitors. Surprisingly, there is a significant spike in visitation in August; last year some 72,000 travelers visited the park that month. Springtime is always a busy season in the park because travelers come to view the spectacularly colorful wildflowers that dot the landscape.
Xanterra Parks & Resorts, operator of the Furnace Creek Ranch and other concessions in the park, educates visitors about the potential dangers of the extreme heat through signs and park guides.
"Visitors to Death Valley in the summer should use an abundance of caution," said Dickinson. "We advise people to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water, wear sunscreen and broad-brimmed hats and to limit physical activities to the cooler early-morning and evening hours."
Xanterra has recently completed a project that will harness the power of the sun. Recognized as a leader in the hospitality industry for its environmental programs, Xanterra has completed construction of one of the largest privately owned solar photovoltaic systems in the U.S. The five-acre, one megawatt system will generate more than one-third of the resort's electricity needs. The facility is the largest solar PV system in the U.S. tourism industry.
Xanterra's year-round operations include the 224-room Furnace Creek Ranch; 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; a 3,000-foot airstrip; the Borax Museum and a service station. Xanterra also operates the Furnace Creek Inn, 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.
For more information about facilities in Death Valley National Park or to make reservations at in-park lodges, call toll free at 1-800-236-7916 or 1-303-297-2757 or go to www.furnacecreekresort.com.
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Xanterra Parks & Resorts® (consisting of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Inc. and Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C.) operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra Parks & Resorts is the country's largest park concessioner. Xanterra operates concessions in the following locations: Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial; and at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif.; and eight Ohio State Parks. Its affiliate Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C. operates concessions at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Xanterra also operates the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Ariz.
Long committed to the preservation and protection of the environment, Ecologix, Xanterra Parks & Resorts' environmental program, includes a variety of proactive environmental stewardship programs in each location. Xanterra has been repeatedly recognized for its environmental leadership in the hospitality industry and is the recipient of many honors, including major awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Travel Industry Association, Colorado Department of Public Health, State of Arizona, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
For more information about Xanterra, links to individual properties and reservations numbers, visit www.xanterra.com.
Media contact:
Mona Mesereau
(1) 720-842-5271
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