We actually hadn't even gotten inside park boundaries before we made our first stop in a field of beautiful desert gold. I had hoped that there would be a bit of a desert bloom event happening and while I don't think it was as big as it's been in past years, it was super impressive to see the entire desert floor in places just covered in beautiful wildflowers! These particular shots were actually from Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge just east of Death Valley.
Our first side trip and stop inside Death Valley was the view from Dante's Ridge at 5,476 feet in elevation. Absolutely gorgeous drive to the ridge and the view was super impressive. At the elevation, it was actually kind of chilly, but the sun was intense. From up here, you could see all of Lake Manly, which was the primary reason I wanted to go visit the park since for the first time since 2005, it actually has water in it!
Lake Manly (below) from Dante's Ridge (above)
After we had lunch at Dante's Ridge, we dropped down to Zabriskie Point. This was probably the most touristy place in the whole valley, but still wasn't too bad. Definitely worth the stop since the highly eroded geology here is just amazing! It's also the site of an old borax mine. Actually a lot of Death Valley was historically mined for one mineral or another.
We left Zabriskie Point and then drove to Badwater Basin which is 282 feet below sea level! Keep in mind we just dropped down here from +5,476 feet! With the heat and added atmospheric pressure, walking around down there just felt oppressive. The kids weren't wild about leaving the car, but we walked out to Lake Manly and that turned out to be really neat. Again, lots of tourists, but there was lots of room to spread out. The lake is hyper-saline, so there are salt crystals everywhere. We waded out to shin-deep and our sandals and pants immediately were caked with salt.
Salt crystals coming up in chunks (above)!
Lake Manly (above and below) which hasn't held water since 2005!
Emma hates having her picture taken (above). Salt crystal lake substrate (below).
Badwater Basin (above and below) is the lowest point in North America!
After Badwater Basin, we drove back north to the Furnace Creek Visitor Center which was actually not that exciting so we didn't stay long although I did top off my gas just to be on the safe side since from this point, we drove north in the park and away from people and services. The drive is 110 miles, but because two-thirds of it is gravel, it takes 3+ hours. In those 3 hours, we only saw a few other vehicles. Death Valley is huge! And the scenery is just phenomenal. Seeing all the landscapes and how all of it has been shaped by water is really neat.
Near Beatty Junction (above and below)
We finally drove up out of Death Valley (still in the park though), drove through the Last Chance Mountains, and finally dropped down into Eureka Valley, eventually ending at the base of the Eureka Dunes (tallest dunes in California) and our campground. We quickly set up camp and got ready for a fire and dinner. Unfortunately, the lighter I brought (and had tested before I left) wouldn't light and I ended up borrowing a lighter from a neighboring camper to get the fire going. Also, my propane stove wouldn't light either so we had to do everything over the fire. The next morning I discovered that a spring in my stove was broken, so after 20 years, I unceremoniously retired it.
Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes (above and below)
Views from Death Valley's North Road (above and below)
Sunset at the dunes were pretty amazing and the full moon that eventually came up was awesome. And the overnight temperature that I had been worried about turned out to be perfect. And in a stroke of luck, the bathroom which was nicer than expected was out of toilet paper, but I brought my own! And that concluded the day!
Camped at Eureka Dunes
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