Which North American desert includes Death Valley National Park?

The Mojave Desert includes Death Valley National Park and occupies parts of California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah.

Death Valley is geographically within the Mojave, although the national park also contains varied mountain, salt-pan, and canyon environments. The park’s Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America, at about 86 metres below sea level.

The Mojave is named after the Indigenous Mojave people. Its vegetation includes creosote bush and Joshua trees, especially in higher or less extremely dry areas. Joshua tree distribution is a useful clue when distinguishing the Mojave from the Sonoran Desert.

Death Valley is often treated as a separate desert in casual descriptions because it is such a distinctive landscape. Scientifically, however, it is generally recognized as a subregion of the Mojave Desert.