Death Valley

February 2018

Death Valley National Park is one of those places I have always wanted to visit, but never could find the time to research and plan the trip. The park encompasses 3.3 million acres and is 150 miles long. This land of extremes is the hottest, driest, and lowest National Park, but offers a diversity of eco zones and life. There is no shortage of places to see and photograph; one must simply take the time to prioritize what you want to see and do. For us, it was mostly about photography, with a lot of scouting and hiking thrown in. I believe we averaged about 6 miles a day, and I am thankful the temps were only in the upper 70's. I can honestly say we only scratched the surface, but have already planned our next trip for January 2019 to further explore Death Valley and find some places we missed.

Psychedelic
Psychedelic

Photo © copyright by Kevin Reaves.

After a full day of traveling, via a flight from Atlanta to Las Vegas and a two hour drive, we went straight to Zabriskie Point to see what the view was like.  This is a better sunrise location, and we had no intention of photographing here for sunset, but it is one of the most popular viewpoints for good reason.  The view is over the multi-colored badlands, Badwater Basin, and the mountains in the background, and it is unforgettable.  Many images you see on social media and websites is from this viewpoint.  

After leaving here, we went straight to the hotel and got checked in and got a bite to eat.  We ventured out to Badwater in time for sunset, but found the view rather dull and cloudless.  Did not stay around long after sunset because we knew we would be back at Zabriskie at 4am the next morning for star photography and sunrise.  

Posted in west and tagged Death Valley, California, Winter, desert, badlands, sand, .