Do you think you would have the gumption to take off across an unexplored desert in a covered wagon, with only a vague idea of where you were headed? Few people today would probably have the courage . . . but in 1849 a group of pioneers (known as the ’49ers’ ) set off from Salt Lake City, trying to reach the gold fields of California to make their fortune. They took what they thought was a shortcut! After much misfortune and many lost lives, a group of them finally stumbled out of the furnace. “Goodbye Death Valley!” one of them uttered. And the name stuck!

Located mostly in eastern California, with a tiny corner in western Nevada, Death Valley is the largest national park in the lower 50 states, its 3.4 million acres of wilderness amongst the most desolate you will find. It is a place of extreme temperatures (134 ° F.) and, at 282 feet below sea level, it is the lowest place in the United States. (The Dead Sea in Jordan is the lowest place on Earth).

It is a vast emptiness with little human presence, interrupted only by the rusting remains of buildings, wagons, and machinery from the time when Borax was mined in the area. It is here that the famous 20-mule trains were hitched to wagons to haul the borax to the closest railhead. Most of the mining failed within a few years, leaving behind ghost towns scattered around the region.

It is a place you must experience from close up to appreciate its raw beauty and unforgiving harshness. We start our explorations from Ridgecrest, California, rising at 4 am to make the two-hour drive into the park in time to witness the sunrise over the sand dunes at Stovepipe Wells. The sinuous mounds turn to gold in the early morning sunlight as we hike up the sides, following the traces of a sidewinder snake, its telltale hook-shaped tracks gliding over the pristine sand where all previous tracks have been wiped clean by the wind. Tracks of kangaroo rats and stinkbugs can also be seen punctuating the sands. Each time you visit the dunes they are slightly different as the relentless wind constantly sculpts and reshapes them.

Just south of Stovepipe Wells is the Furnace Creek area where a colorful moonscape opens up before you. A one-way road, known as Artist’s Drive (10 miles south of Furnace Creek) wends its way for nine miles through ravines and rock formations. The highlight of the drive is Artist’s Palette where outcrops of salmon pink, egg yolk yellow, lavender, turquoise, and green mineral deposits are splashed across the barren land. The best time to visit is at sunset when the intensity of the colors is at their peak.

In this area, we spot a coyote walking along the side of the road. It comes very near the car, allowing us to take photographs. We are also able to photograph a number of small lizards on the rocks. Although less than two inches of rain falls annually in Death Valley, in the springtime the desert seems to bloom in some places, providing unique photographic opportunities.

Continue along the same road, and you will reach Badwater Basin, the lowest place in the United States, as indicated by the marker on the hill by the parking lot. A formidable, nearly pure white, salt pan stretches as far as the Panamint Mountains. Several thousand years ago, a lake filled the area; when it evaporated, it left behind a 1-5 foot layer of salt. A briny pond, whose water is four times saltier than the ocean, can still be seen.

As you wend your way back to the Visitors Center, be sure to stop at Zabriskie Point, one of the most popular outlooks, ideal for viewing both sunrises and sunsets. After you park, it is a short hike up a hill where you will see a panorama of steep, eroded hills and badlands where rills and gullies have been sculpted into the brown soil (parts of the 1970 film, “Zabriskie Point” directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, were filmed here.)

If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle or would like to rent one at Furnace Creek, you can drive north to a remote alley between the Last Chance and Cottonwood mountain ranges. On an old saline lake bed known as “The Racetrack, ” rocks glide mysteriously across the barren sands at night, leaving deep furrows behind them. No one has ever seen them move, and scientists are hard pressed to explain the phenomenon. NASA has set up a website (www.racetrackplaya.org) where you can upload any photographs you take of the rocks and contribute to the research database that is being compiled to try and explain this mystery. Despite the name given to the area by early explorers after unspeakable suffering, Death Valley is a place of exceptional beauty that should not be missed. Ideally, you should plan on spending 2-3 days in the park if you want to explore some of its more remote areas.

PHOTOGRAPHIC TIP
The best time to photograph Death Valley is at sunrise or sunset. Plan on being at your selected location at least an hour earlier to pick your spot and set up your tripod. The best places for sunrises are Dante’s Peak, Zabriskie Point or Badwater. For sunsets go to Artist’s Drive, Zabriskie Point or Ubehebe Crater. A wide-angle plus a mid-length telephoto lens will permit you to photograph different aspects of the desert. A polarizing filter is critical when photographing on the salt flats. This area also lends itself to panoramic and HD photography

IF YOU GO
Death Valley National Park is open every day. Entrance fees vary (www.nps/gov/deva; Tel 760-786-3200). The best times to visit are in the fall and spring. You really need a car to explore the park and in some places, only 4-wheel drives will do. Be sure that your car is in excellent working condition, and fill up completely with gas. Although it is possible to purchase fuel at Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells, and Panamint Springs Resort, it is exceedingly expensive. You should also carry plenty of water with you. A good paper map (available at the Visitors Center) is essential since there is little cell phone coverage outside the Furnace Creek Area if you are relying on electronic maps.
Although we stay at a hotel in Ridgecrest, California, a popular gateway to Death Valley, it is a two-hour drive from Furnace Creek. There are several places to stay inside the park, including The Inn at Furnace Creek and the Ranch at Furnace Creek  tel 800-236-7916) open mid-October to mid-May; or Panamint Springs Resort (www.deathvalley.com/psr; Tel 775-482-7680). The advantage of these is the flexibility you will have to stay out as long as the light is sufficient for photography or for shots of the night sky in a location where there is no light pollution

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