WHERE: Death Valley, Calif.

Take a rest from the slots on the Las Vegas Strip with a day trip to Death Valley.

It, too, is a place of extremes. Rainfall barely reaches 2 inches a year and dries up in a jiffy. Native Americans called the valley Tomesha — "the land where the ground is on fire."

In spring, however, temperatures average around 65 degrees, and if conditions are favorable, the valley is awash in wildflowers and flowering cacti.

This month's Wildflower Update posted on the park's Web site suggests 2009 is promising for a show of blooms.

"In early February a strong storm brought 1 to 2 inches of rain and significant flooding throughout the park, which greatly increases the prospects for spring wildflowers," writes park naturalist Charlie Callagan.

"Much of the park received an early rainfall in October and just before Thanksgiving. ... Some wildflowers such as Desert Gold, Brown-eyed Evening Primrose and Sand Verbena have already been observed blooming along park roadsides in the southern and northern ends of the park."

In Death Valley, the lowest, hottest and driest spot in North America, spring wildflowers are not a yearly event. It's a rare treat for conditions to be just right.

The bloom this spring may not match the memorable blooms in 1998 and 2005, but it will still be well worth a viewing. The peak blooming period along the valley floor and up to 2,000 feet is from mid-March to early April.

FROM LAS VEGAS: To celebrate an anticipated wildflower show in Death Valley this spring, Pink Jeep Tours is offering a special price of $209 for the Flower Power Trekker Tour through April 30 (regular tour price is $239). Guests travel via an air-conditioned, spacious sightseeing vehicle with stops at Furnace Creek, Devil's Golf Course, Badwater, Zabriskie Point, Artists' Palette and more. The tour includes a picnic lunch among the flowers. Tour time is nine to 10 hours (7:45 a.m. hotel pick-up); $209 per person with lunch included. 888-900-4480, www.pinkjeep.com.