With a name that conjures everything that is harsh and dangerous, the Death Valley National Park – the largest in the contiguous United States – is a place of extremes. Its mountains rise sharply from the lowest point in North America (86 meters below sea level) to over 3,000 meters above sea level. In the summer, temperatures ascend well above 40 degrees Celsius – in fact, the hottest temperatures recorded anywhere in the world, 56.7 degrees Celsius, was measured in the Death Valley. These extremes make for some unique features: singing dunes, rugged colourful canyons, extinct volcano craters, rocks that mysteriously move, and salt flats that extend beyond what the eye can see.
Tip: As the largest national park in the continental United States, it is not difficult to find a place to enjoy some quiet and solitude. But the best time to visit is between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the least busy time of the year. The weather is more mild, and bus tours are not seen anywhere.
Rainbow-coloured mountains
Artist’s Palette, one of the most iconic features of the Death Valley, is an easy loop drive south of Furnace Creek with an incredible display of turquoise, red, maroon, yellow and purple colours of the sand. The best time to visit is in the late afternoon as the sun strikes the mountains and makes the colours more vibrant.
Zabriskie Point is another spectacular place to marvel at the multi-coloured rolling hills. This is an extremely busy spot among photographers for sunrise as the mountains change from purple-ish tones to warmer yellow and orange tones.
Hiking in the Canyons
There is no shortage of impressive dry canyons in the Death Valley National Park. Our favourite was the Golden Canyon just below Zabriskie Point. Its rock formations are like the other-worldly landscapes of Star Wars movies, with sharp pointy mountain tops and contrasting massive bright orange monoliths. The hike is easy and relatively flat and even if you are short on time, it is worthwhile to walk at least the first few hundred meters to see the best of the canyon.
Another popular but more strenuous hike is through the Mosaic Canyon, near Stovepipe Wells village. Here, flash floods have carved out smooth marble passages called narrows. For those short on time, it is not necessary to hike the whole trail, as the first set of ‘narrows’ can be seen less than 500 meters from the parking lot.
In the scorching heat, you might not feel like hiking, so here are two more beautiful canyons which can be admired from your car. However, the road through both canyons is not paved, so a four-wheel drive is recommended. The first one, Twenty-Mule Team Canyon near Zabriskie Point takes you through the lunar-like landscape of cone-shaped mountains of all colours. The second, Titus Canyon offers a glimpse into the geological past with its fossils hidden in its vertical walls.
Tip: In the summer, the canyons provide a welcome shade at the hottest times. However, do not forget to bring sufficient amounts of water with you.
Salt formations
As one approaches the lowest point in North America, the sand changes into white layers of salt. Salt crystals form unique formations that can be observed from two must-see spots:
- the Devil’s Golf Course is a rough section of salt rocks of all sizes. It is best to avoid walking here, as these rocks are razor sharp and even a gentle fall can result in bad cuts.
- the Badwater Basin is more visitor-friendly. A short walk takes you to the large flat hexagonal patterns of salt that make up a beautiful snow-like scenery. Make sure to walk at least for 30 minutes to reach the least damaged (and whitest) areas. As the sun sets, the white salt in Badwater Basin reflects its colours making it turn almost pink.
Tip: After rare rainfall events, the hexagonal salt patterns in Badwater Basin fill up with water creating millions of small pools that created stunning reflections of the sky.
The (singing) sand dunes
There are two major groups of sand dunes in the Death Valley National Park. The most accessible are the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, located just a short drive away from Stovepipe Wells village. Due to their close proximity to lodging, they are excellent option for sunrise and sunset photography with light creating gorgeous shadows around the sandy curves.
However, to reach the most impressive sand dunes of the park, more effort is needed. The Eureka Sand Dunes can be reached after a rough 2.5-3-hour drive on the bumpy dirt roads. Those who brave the rugged road conditions will be rewarded with a view over a more than 200-meter high sand dune in one of the most isolated places of the park. Due to its massive size and height, the dune creates a deep booming sound on windy days. However, to hear it one must climb all the way to the top, which makes for a strenuous hike, but the views and the boom of the dunes are well worth it. Even on days without wind, it is possible to create the sound by simply walking down the top of the dune. This generates enough sand grain movement to recreate this effect. There are only a handful of singing dunes in the world, Eureka being the only one in America and the only one in the world with this particular sound frequency.
Racetrack Playa
The peculiar so-called ‘sailing rocks’ mysteriously move along the dry soil of the Racetrack Playa leaving only trails behind them. No one has yet witnessed how these rocks move, fuelling the imagination of visitors. However, to reach the playa, it is necessary to drive for at least 3-4 hours on a gravel road dotted with sharp rocks which cause many flat tire incidents.
Tip: A sturdy four-wheel drive can be rented inside the park at the Farrabee’s Jeep Rentals in Furnace Creek village.
An extinct volcano
On the northern end of the park lies the Ubehebe Crater that formed following a cataclysmic explosion nearly 300 years ago. The geological layers of this massive crater can be easily explored from the parking spot, or during a hike around the perimeter of the crater.
Stunning panoramas
A few high mountain ranges cross the Death Valley National Park providing excellent spots to see the landscape from above. Dante’s View, south of Furnace Creek, is the highest point in Death Valley and from here one can see just how extreme the national park really is, from the salt flats below to the steep mountains in the backdrop.
Rhyolite
There are a few remains of the old Wild West in and around Death Valley National Park. One of the most accessible is the town of Rhyolite, located just outside the park’s eastern entrance. There is not much left from the town except for a few huts, crumbling buildings, a rusty car and an ancient graveyard. What might be the highlight of the town is the collection of ghost statues awaiting visitors at the town’s entrance.
Leave a Reply