I love the desert. I find it very beautiful and peaceful. I love everything about it, from the colors, the weather, vegetation and the animals that live in this harsh environment. Which is why Death Valley has been a park that I have wanted to visit since I first heard about it. I love the name of the park, it implies that you are risking your life by being there. The first time I ever saw the park I was watching The Twilight Zone (The series from the 1960s in black & white) the episode was about these astronauts that landed in a strange land, for most of the episode you see these men walking around this wild environment and the rock formations really mesmerized me that I had find out where it was filmed, and it just so happen to be Death Valley. Ever since then, I knew I had to go. Coming from Vegas, the trip was really nice, the only 'big city' you really encounter is Pahrump and then its nothing but open land. Since I only had one day to see this massive place, I wanted to have my hikes be close to each other, so I stayed on the southern end of the park on Badlands Road and made my way to hike The Golden Canyon Trailhead to Red Cathedral, then to The Artists Palette, Badwater Basin and finally end at The Ashford Mill Ruins on my way out. Really I only scratched the surface of all there is to see at Death Valley, but it blew my mind as I knew it would. I arrived at the park around 8am and the parking lot was almost full, however hiking the trails you still felt as if you had the place to yourself as most people went in different routes. Also, due to its massive rocks and canyons, its very echo-ey. There is really no cover as you hike, it was a semi cloudy day so while it was 87º it actually felt a little chilly as you started to climb. It was my first time climbing on sand, going up wasn't hard but coming down was tricky because you can slide easily. It is recommended to take short quick steps coming down, which is what I did, and it really did make the climb down easier. Getting to Red Cathedral was amazing, you get a beautiful overhead view of the park that goes on for miles. The colors are stunning, all shades of orange, red, browns and even green (algae). I could have stayed up there forever but knew I had to make my way to see the other locations before heading back to civilization. The Artists Palette was the next stop after this trailhead, it is basically a loop where you can see color formations in the mountains due to the algae on the mountains. From a distance they almost look like someone took chalk and painted the mountain, its pretty wild because the colors are random from pinks to greens, whites mixed with the browns and orange from the sand and dirt. The loop has several lookout points that you can walk and even hike, and it truly is stunning. This spot had many visitors so I made my way to the Badwater Basin, which is the lowest point in the USA at 282 feet below sea level. Pretty wild that the ground is covered in salt (table salt really) as far as the eye can see. However, the ground also has these hexagon-like shapes that cover the entire area, like the earth is cracking in hexagon forms. I made my way as far away from where the crowds were so I could see how far this would go on, and it just kept on going. The sand eventually stopped, but the ground all around that area was barren and covered in these shapes, no other words but simply amazing. By this point the sun was out and the weather was perfection, but I knew I had to leave soon, so I got on Badwater Road again and made my final stop at the Ashford Mill Ruins, which is literally the last stop before leaving the park on the south end. Really they are just ruins in the middle of the desert where mining took place in the early part of our country's history. Outside of a sign, all that is left of this shelter is 2 walls. Its a bit spooky as there is nothing around there for miles, however a nice way to end the day's trip. I am still in awe that I was at Death Valley and will definitely be returning to check out the northern part of the park. The park itself is massive, there is so much more to see and explore that one day simply isn't nearly long enough. A week's time is probably a good amount of time to cover the park. Did you know there are waterfalls in Death Valley? That's for round 2 or the continuation of this blog to come :)
The next pictures are part of the Artists Palette Loop Trail
The next pictures are part of the Badwater Basin & Ashford Mill Ruins
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