I’m in the middle of internet research and planning so I’m turning to the Dope for actual experience recommendations.
We’re packing up our cameras, our hiking boots and a case of water and heading to Death Valley in early February for almost a week and then heading to the Valley of Fire for a couple of days.
Already on the must see list is the Scotty’s Castle Tour, Sunday brunch at the Furnace Creek Inn, Artist’s Drive and hikes across the salt flats, Natural Bridge Canyon and Darwin Falls.
What shouldn’t we miss? Any favorite sunrise/sunset locations?
If road conditions and your vehicle type permit, don’t miss Titus Canyon. You can include a stop at Rhyolite and check out the Goldwell Open Air Museum. If you don’t want to drive the entire canyon, you can hike up from the valley floor. The hike up Golden Canyon to Zabriskie Point is pretty awesome, especially early in the morning.
Another neat trail is Marble Canyon just outside of Stovepipe Wells. As far as sunrise goes, my favorite spot is out in the sand dunes. My favorite spot for sunset is in the pool at either The Ranch or The Inn.
Bring binoculars, at minimum (and as powerful as you’re willing to carry/purchase), and a telescope if you can (although those are a pain to carry).
Why? The sky. If you’re like most people, seeing The Sky from Death Valley will be a unique experience.
The whole point of the trip is photography - I’m already planning the packing of camera gear. Clothes just get to fit around whatever space is left
Going in Feb means that the thermometer won’t be very exciting unfortunately, but I’ve checked out pictures and added every suggestion except Racetrack playa, I don’t think we’ll be able to manage that road.
If your schedule is flexible, I’d highly recommend spending a little time in the Mojave National Preserve. From Baker you can drive down to the visitor’s center at Kelso Depot and see Kelso Dunes (more impressive than the ones in DV). You can head back to 1-15 via Cima Rd, which has one of the densest Joshua Tree “forests” anywhere. Also, when in Baker, don’t miss the Alien Fresh Jerky store. Further east, they have great burgers at the Hotel Nipton, but the hours are kind of flaky.
This stirs some memories. You have to see:
-Stovepipe Wells: have a date shake at the date plantation
-Devil’s Golf Course: go at dawn-the place is fascinating. Also, look for the desert pupfish (in some brine ponds)
-Scotty’s Castle: Interesting old house
-the Funeral Mountains
Enjoy!
I’ve done several JDRF charity rides from Furnace Creek to Jubilee Pass and back. Great fun, but our visits have always been focused entirely on the ride, with only a few unscheduled hours. Last time we were there, we drove up to Dante’s View, which is an overlook almost 5,700’ straight up from Badwater. You can see a bit of Badwater and Devil’s Golf Course below, and spectacular views of the basin itself. Next time, I want to head out a day early to bike that climb.
I don’t know if the tons of rain they had in SoCal made it to DV, but if it did you might get lucky and see the flowers. There were just a few still out when we were there in March.
Dante’s View, Zabriskie Point and Aguereberry Point are all good spots for photography. Zabriskie Point in particular overlooks some very interesting territory.
There are several ghost towns and ruins that make good photographic subjects: Harmony Borax Works, Eagle Borax Works, Leadfield (a ghost town in Titus Canyon), the charcoal kilns up near Mahogany Flat.
You should know that there is more than one set of sand dunes. The easiest to reach are the Mesquite Flat Dunes near Stovepipe Wells. The Eureka Dunes in the north end of the park are harder to get to but are more impressive (i.e. bigger).
