Where is the lowest elevation point in North America?

The lowest elevation point in North America is in Badwater Basin, Death Valley, which is located at 282 feet below sea level. Death Valley is specifically located in eastern California (mostly in Inyo County), and it is part of Death Valley National Park. It has an area of about 3,000 square miles. The highest point in Death Valley itself is Telescope Peak in the Panamint Range, which has an elevation of 11,043 feet.

Areas located below sea level, such as Death Valley, generally have extremely dry climates, which allows the water that fills the area to quickly evaporate. Briny lakes and salt flats are then left behind as the water evaporates. The hottest temperature recorded in Death Valley, as of April 2015, is 134 degrees Fahrenheit. It occurred on July 10, 1913.

Death Valley was not created by the erosion of a river. Instead, it developed from movements in the Earth's crust, which brought the region below sea level.