Death Valley Image Gallery

Click images for slideshow view.

Badwater Salt Flats

Badwater Basin Pond

Dante’s View

Dante’s Ridge

Along Dante’s Ridge

Along Dante’s Ridge

Harmony Borax Works

Devil’s Golf Course

Mesquite Flat Dunes

Mesquite Flat Dunes

The Jumper

The Jumper

Artist’s Palette

Artist’s Drive at Sunset

Zabriskie Point

Zabriskie Point

Zabriskie Point

Mosaic Canyon

Scotty’s Castle

Scotty’s Castle

Scotty’s Castle

Scotty’s Castle

Scotty’s Castle

Scotty’s Castle Southern View

Death Valley National Park

As the driest, hottest, and lowest place in North America, Death Valley is certainly a land of extremes. At 3.4 million acres, it’s also the largest national park in the Lower 48, about the size of my home state of Connecticut.

Lowest Lows and Highest Highs: Looking at Telescope Peak (11,049 ft) from Badwater Basin (282 ft below sea level)

What I couldn’t imagine before visiting is how beautiful it is, with a variety of things to see and do, even a castle.

Scotty's Castle rivals that of Hearst in the beauty of some of its furnishings. Seriously.

The former Harmony Borax Works, just north of Furnace Creek. Mmmm... borax.

Ubehebe Crater: Just another hole in the ground. Or is it?

Badwater Basin and Salt Flats above is one of the hottest spots in the valley (FYI: plan on drinking one gallon of water a day in the hotter months) and, according to The Tree of Life, a slice of heaven. However, as evidenced by their names, things in Death Valley are generally not seen as heaven on earth.

Devil's Cornfield

Devil's Golf Course

Dante's Ridge looking down on Badwater Basin

These menacing names belie the fun that can be had in the park. One of the most entertaining features, especially for kids, are the sand dunes. The easiest to get to are those just outside Stovepipe Wells.

The Mesquite Flat Dunes are about 150 feet high and a popular spot for running, jumping, surfing, and just plain mellowing out and watching the sunset.

Photographic opportunities abound throughout the park, especially at sunrise (yeah, that never happened) and sunset. You can see more images in my Death Valley Image Gallery.*

Artist's Palette at dusk is particularly beautiful.

Zabriskie Point is a stunning vista throughout the day.

Death Valley is certainly worth a detour and is one of my favorite national parks thus far. I can’t wait to go back.


*7% of the credit for these photographs goes to @javachik, who graciously loaned me her camera for the weekend.