Death Valley National Park is different, probably unlike any other place you have ever visited or likely to again.
The dry, crusty mountainous pass opens to a valley the size of New Hampshire. On the face of it a timeless desolate, lunar-like void. Just don’t imagine there is nothing alive and of immense interest and possibility in the wilderness.
Nearly a thousand miles of paved and dirt roads traverse the changing landscape and you are never far from a moment of solitude and stillness that can define your time in Death Valley.
We camped at Furnace Creek Campgrounds. Mid-winter the daytime temperatures are manageable and the night gets a bit chilly. Spike turned in early (of course) and we luxuriated in the vast black skies and quiet until someone turned on their generator!
The lowest point in North America is the Badwater Basin at 282 feet below sea level. It is a surreal landscape of vast and shimmering salt flats. Walk out onto the salt pan and look back at the cliff above you – high up in the rocks is an indication of sea level which puts it all into perspective.
To get a better idea of the nature of the salt crystals that have gathered and eroded over centuries of wind and rain in the valley drive the dirt road to Devil’s Golf Course. You can walk out over the jagged spires of salt and imagine that “only the devil could play golf on such rough links”.
Artists Drive is a sign-posted scenic, one-way drive through multi-colored volcanic and sedimentary hills. To get the most out of the experience it is suggested to visit in the evening hours.
Abandoned mines litter the Death Valley landscape. There are an estimated 2000 hazardous mine features in the park. We visited the Keane Wonder Mine. It was, in the first half of the 1900s, one of the 2 most productive gold mines in Death Valley. It has subsequently been closed to public access as it is just too dangerous.
Thoughts and Things
It is advisable to travel to Death Valley in the winter but bare in mind, even though the days can be blistering, the nights can be cold. Take water everywhere you go and enjoy this National Park that will be like nothing you have ever seen before! Spectacular stuff!
Also keep in mind, if you are traveling with your canine companion, dogs are generally not allowed on hiking trails – so if you take the dog let this be a sight-seeing excursion. And there certainly are enough sights to see from the car or not far off the road where it is fine to walk the dog.