One of the most important geographical terms is elevation. Elevation describes how high or low a location is in relation to the mean sea level of Earth. It has many different uses, for example in architecture and town planning, and can have a direct influence on an area’s climate, with low elevation spots tending to have warmer temperatures and reduced chance of snowfall. Elevation is typically measured in feet or meters. Most locations have an elevation above sea level, but it is possible for some very low locations to have elevations lower than sea level.
1. Lowest Elevation in the United States
Many major American citizens are located near coastal areas, meaning that they have relatively low elevations in general of around 500 feet (152 m) or less, but the United States features a vast array of landscapes, including many mountain ranges, canyons, high plains, and more, resulting in very different elevations from one state to the next. In general, the rule is that as one moves further inland, the average elevation will start to rise. The lowest states, for example, are Delaware, Florida, and Louisiana, which are all located on the coast and have large amounts of low-lying coastline.
2. Lowest Elevation Point in the United States
The point with the lowest elevation in the United States is Badwater Basin, which is located in Death Valley, California. Badwater Basin is a large basin that contains some dry and wet areas, with a large pool of extremely salty water in one section. The maximum length of the basin is 7.5 miles (12 km), while its maximum width is 5 miles (8 km). The lowest point is located in the western part of the basin and has an elevation of 279 feet (85 m) below sea level. It's one of the lowest points in the entire world. The lowest point in the world is in the Dead Sea, which has an elevation of 1,391 feet (424 m) below sea level at its lowest point.
Badwater Basin is well known for its unique salt flats and their hexagonal honeycomb-style formations. Some plants and animals are able to live in the area, but Badwater Basin is very inhospitable to humans. The water is completely unsafe for consumption due to its high salt content and the flats are dangerous as they are filled with mud. In spite of this, Badwater Basin and Death Valley are still popular touristic spots, offering some truly unique views that cannot be replicated anywhere else on Earth.
3. City
The lowest city in the United States in terms of elevation is Calipatria, formerly known as Date City, in California. Calipatria is found in Imperial County in the southern part of California and covers an area of just 3.72 square miles. It has a population of around 7,500 people and an elevation of 180 feet (50 m) below sea level. This makes it not only the lowest city in the United States, but also the lowest in the entire western hemisphere. Due to its unique elevation and location, Calipatria has a very hot desert climate with minimal rainfall and high temperatures for almost the entire year.
California is also home to the lowest census designated place in the United States. Furnace Creek, which is located in Death Valley, is a very small community in Inyo County. It has a population of barely two dozen people and an elevation of 190 feet (58 m) below sea level. It also has the distinction of being the site of the hottest recorded air temperature on Earth at 134°F (57°C).
More ideas: Things to do in Victorville
4. State
Despite being the home of many of the lowest points in the United States and western hemisphere, California is not the lowest state of all. Its mean elevation is actually relatively high at 2,900 feet (880 m). The state with the lowest average elevation is Delaware, which has a mean elevation of just 60 feet (20 m) above sea level. The highest point in the state of Delaware is the Ebright Azimuth, which has an elevation of 447 feet (136 m), while its lowest point is at sea level in the Atlantic Ocean.
The state with the largest elevation span, which is the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points in the state, is Alaska. The highest point in Alaska is Denali at 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m), while its lowest point is the waters of the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea, which are at sea level, giving it a total elevation span of 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m).
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Attraction Spotlight: Death Valley National Park
Straddling the border between eastern California and Nevada, Death Valley National Park is a land of extremes. Set in a below-sea-level basin, Death Valley experiences extreme heat and steady drought in the summer and snow and rare rainstorms in the winter, creating a vast diversity of fauna and flora in one of the harshest landscapes in the world. Established as a national monument in 1933 and as a national park in 1994, Death Valley National Park is the most significant U.S. National Park outside Alaska, spanning 3.4 million acres with more than 1000 miles of paved and dirt roads. The Park is made up of a variety of landscapes, ranging from low valley floors crusted with barren salt flats, deep and winding canyons, spring-fed oases that teem with wildlife, rolling dunes, and high, rugged, snow-capped mountains. Famous attractions in the Park include Titus Canyon, Badwater Basin’s salt flats, Telescope Peak Trail, the Devil’s Golf Course, and the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.
Attractions in the Park
Death Valley National Park’s 3.3 million acres encompass below-sea-level salt flats, mountain-size dunes, colorful sandstone canyons, and mysterious singing rocks. The lowest spot in the park is Badwater Basin, which rests at 282 feet below sea level, while the highest point is Telescope Peak, which soars to 11,049 feet above sea level.
Badwater Basin and Artist’s Drive are, undoubtedly, two of Death Valley’s most photogenic spots. Resting at 282 feet below sea level, Badwater Basin was once a vast expanse of salt flats and salty puddles, however, has now dried up to a surreal area of crunchy salt crystals. Artist’s Drive is a scenic nine-mile road that offers beautiful vistas of the Amargosa Range’s sedimentary hills and their multi-hued palette of pinks, golds, greens, and lavender. Get the best sunset views of the folded and rippled Golden Canyon cliffs from Zabriskie Point, which offers a spectacular panorama of the many-hued badlands from a 100-yard-long paved trail.
The Ubehebe Crater is a half-mile-wide, 600-foot crater formed from molten lava meeting groundwater just over 300 years ago. The volcano has colorfully striped layers of orange and rusty sedimentary soil and can be viewed up close to a hiking trail that runs along the southwest rim towards several other craters, including Little Hebe.
The silky, rippled Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are 100-foot high dunes that are easily accessible and offer breathtaking views at sunrise or sunset with long shadows and soft light making fantastic photo opportunities. The Dunes are home to rattlesnakes through so be aware.
Mosaic Canyon features polished marble narrows and colorful, slick rock embedded with multi-colored rock fragments known as Mosaic Breccia. One of the most popular scenic highlights of Death Valley, Mosaic Canyon can be explored on a hiking trail that ends at a dry waterfall.
Once part of a massive freshwater lake, Death Valley has Salt Creek, which is the last remaining remnant of this lake and home to the rare pupfish, a living fossil that evolved to survive when the lake’s water changed from freshwater to saltwater.
Things to Do
Death Valley National Park offers a variety of activities and things to do for the whole family, including exploring the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, visiting the Borax Museum, which tells the story of the history of borax in Death Valley and has an exciting mineral collection, and watching a 20-minute introduction film about the park in the Visitor Center. Outdoor activities range from hiking, backpacking, and camping to mountain biking, birding, and sightseeing. Game rangers offer guided tours of the Park, along with nature walks, patio talks, and night programs.
Educational Programs
Death Valley National Park offers a variety of educational and community outreach programs for visitors of all ages, including adult’s classes, activities for children and families, Junior Ranger Programs, Junior-Ranger guided tours of the park, nature walks, patio talks, and night programs.
Nearby Attractions
Nearby attractions include the Amargosa River Natural Area, the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, the Borax Museum on Furnace Creek Ranch, the China Ranch Date Farm, the Eastern California Museum, the Goldwell Open Air Museum in Rhyolite Ghost Town, and the Manzanar National Historic Site. Other attractions worth visiting include the Tecopa Hot Springs and the Trona Pinnacles.
Visitor Information
Death Valley National Park is located in Death Valley near the border of California and Nevada and is open year-round. The Furnace Creek Visitor Center offers a variety of information about the park, various exhibits, and a 20-minute introduction film about the park, where visitors can learn more about the abundant cultural and natural resources of the park.
Attraction Spotlight: Rehoboth Boardwalk
Rehoboth Boardwalk is a 1-mile stretch of walkway beside the Atlantic Ocean in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. This fun stretch of sand and boards is one of the state’s most popular attractions and walking this stretch of land is considered a must-do activity in Delaware. This year-round beach resort town is a perfect holiday destination for fall and winter, although it is frequented by visitors all year long.
The boardwalk is filled with restaurants, family amusement activities, shops, and businesses of every kind, which has led to Rehoboth Beach being named as the best family beach on the east coast. Finding a list of things to do on the Rehoboth Boardwalk is a breeze with the useful website compiled by Jack Casto and his team. The website, which has an extensive list of things to do and businesses located there, is a useful resource all under one roof.
· About Rehoboth Beach - Find a list of travel and news articles on the Rehoboth Boardwalk. Includes articles published on popular travel and news websites.
· Local Media - Get the hang of local radio, newspapers, magazines, and online forums to know the inside story.
· Things to Do - From museums and waterparks to malls and everything in between.
· Boardwalk Businesses - Here is a long list oflocal businesses like boardwalk hotels, condos, other hotels in town, bed & breakfasts and inns, local realtors with summer rentals, local rentals by owners, and local campgrounds.
· Web Cams - Live video and offline web cams featuring one of the cleanest beaches in America.
· Weather - Local weather forecast for tides, storm, water temperature, and more.
· Transportation - All about the buses, taxis, and Jolly Trolley in the vicinity.
· Local Savings - Here is where you will find a list of local daily deals and occasional area deals.
· For seniors - A list of senior centers and learning aids for seniors.
· Cycling/Walking/Jogging Trails and Beaches - Where to jog, cycle, and walk with maps and trails for guidance.
· Bike Rentals, etc. - A list of all the bike rental shops in the locality.
· Churches - A list of churches and community resource centers.
· Rehoboth Boardwalk's Photos - Offers free professional pictures of the boardwalk that can be used for non-commercial purposes.
· Other Photos - Other local photos that capture instances like beach fireworks, storm aftermath, aerial photos of the location, and more.
· Local Higher Education - Lists all the local universities and colleges.
· Rehoboth Links - Everything about the location, from parking and street maps to beach jobs, public libraries, and more.
· Downtown Business Links - Alist of downtown local convenience businesses.
· Other Rehoboth Links - Find a comprehensive list of theatres, clubs, leagues, and societies in the locality.
· Recipes & Fun - Cookery classes, online recipes, juke box, internet radio, and more.
· Other - Free webhosting and free BlogSpot sites plus lottery, US Phonebook, charities, etc.
Rehoboth Boardwalk, N Boardwalk, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware 19971
Attraction Spotlight: Warm Mineral Springs in Florida
Warm Mineral Springs is located in North Port, Florida. The sinkhole is filled with water from several springs and is the only warm water spring in Florida, making it geologically significant. Native American remains found there make it culturally significant as well. The site, which some claim is the fountain of youth sought after by Ponce de Leon, is open for swimming. A full menu of spa services is also available, including massages, facials, waxing and skin care.
Formed by the collapse of a cavern some 30,000 years ago, Warm Mineral Springs is a 236-foot diameter swimming hole with a depth of 230 feet. The spring’s primary source of water is a 207-foot deep vent that emits over 20 million gallons of 83 degree mineralized water daily. Although the source of the water is unknown, it is known to contain chloride and hydrogen sulfide as the primary minerals, and virtually no dissolved oxygen. Traces of over 51 minerals make it the most heavily mineralized springs in the continental United States. 5 to 7 million gallons of water overflow from the sinkhole daily, ultimately running off into the Gulf of Mexico.
Approximately once every 10 years, the water in the sinkhole turns crystal clear, when heavy winter rains change the hydrostatic pressure on the water table, and clear, cooler water is released into the springs. In 2015, when this last occurred, visibility in the natural pool increased to over 140 feet. Normally, visibility is 8-10 feet. The phenomenon has been studied by the US Geological Survey and the Department of the Interior.
The historic 1950’s buildings servicing the springs were most likely designed by Jack West, of the Sarasota School of Architecture. Otherwise known as Sarasota Modern, the architectural style rose along the central west coast of Florida following World War II. Jack West was among the leaders of the movement and also designed the Sarasota City Hall. A circular “cyclorama” building is home to a 226-foot long mural by Don Putnam, a local Sarasota artist. The mural is accompanied by sculptural figures, and depicts Ponce de Leon’s Florida arrival in the 1500’s. It is thought that Warm Mineral Springs is in fact the Fountain of Youth that Ponce de Leon was searching for.
History: In the late 1950’s, the amateur archeologist and scuba diver William Royal found the remains of 7 individuals, as well as archeological finds in the sinkhole dating back 10,000 years. Of the human sculls found, one still contained organic brain matter. At the time, the remains were the oldest evidence of human occupation of Florida. Warm Mineral Springs was open as a small spa in the 1960’s, at which point recreational scuba divers removed most of the archeological evidence before proper scientific explorations and research could be carried out. It wasn’t until the 1970’s, that the owners restricted access to the site, having been encouraged to do so by an employee of theirs, Wilburn Cockrell, who was also a Florida State University archeologist. More archeological finds were discovered in the 1980’s, including early evidence of tool making. In total, the remains of at least 20 Paeloindian individuals were found at the site, as well as remains of Pleistocene era mammals such as the camelid, saber-toothed cat and giant ground sloth.
At the time the remains were deposited there, they would not yet have been underwater, since ocean levels were a good 90 feet shallower, most of their water still locked away as sheets of ice. The human remains were buried within the walls of the cave, above the water line. When first discovered, they upended the belief at the time, which was that humans arrived in Florida only as late as 7,000 years ago. Carbon dating now places some remains from this site at 12,000 years old.
In 1977, the Springs were added to the National Register of Historic Places, having likely once been used as a burial grounds for prehistoric people living in Little Salt Springs. In 2010, Sarasota County and the City of North Port purchased the site for over $5 million with the intent to develop it for tourism. In 2012, after the development plans failed to pass, the springs were temporarily closed. Local residents and city commissioners were concerned that the site would become overdeveloped, and were unhappy with the grossly ambitious first round of proposals. While a new bidding process is underway, the springs reopened for swimming in 2014, and has since reopened for spa services.
12200 San Servando Ave, North Port, FL 34287, Phone: 941-426-1692
