Originally published in 1995, soon after Death Valley National Park became the fifty-third park in the US park system, The Explorer’s Guide to Death Valley National Park was the first complete guidebook available for this spectacular area. Now in its fourth edition, this is still the only book that includes all aspects of the park. Much more than just a guidebook, it covers the park’s cultural history, botany and zoology, hiking and biking opportunities, and more. Information is provided for all of Death Valley’s visitors, from first-time travelers just learning about the area to those who are returning for in-depth explorations.

This new edition features a number of important changes—including information on the boundary and wilderness changes that resulted from the Dingell Act of 2019, the reopened Keane Wonder Mine area, the devastating flash flooding of Scotty’s Castle, scenic river designations, the Inn and Ranch resorts, renovated and now operated as the Oasis at Death Valley—as well as new maps and updated color photos. With extensive input from National Park Service resource management, law enforcement, and interpretive personnel, as well as a thorough bibliography for suggested reading, The Explorer’s Guide to Death Valley National Park, Fourth Edition is the most up-to-date, accurate, and comprehensive guide available for this national treasure.

T. Scott Bryan was an employee of the National Park Service from 1970 through 1986, which included time as a park geologist in Death Valley and as a ranger-naturalist in Yellowstone. In addition to his interest in all aspects of Death Valley, he has studied geysers and has been to geyser fields throughout the contiguous United States, Mexico, Japan, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Valley of Geysers on the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia, leading the first-ever US study group there in 1991.

Betty Tucker-Bryan is the founder of the Death Valley Hikers Association and the California section of the Desert Trail Association. She has written numerous books and articles on the outdoors.