You're killing me! Visiting Death Valley

When Dave suggested going to Death Valley National Park so we could drive through another slot canyon, I was all for it. I love slot canyons...Death Valley...I wasn't so sure about. Granted, I knew nothing about the place other than it sounded desolate.

Let’s just say my expectations for the park itself were low. Nonetheless, I was wide awake and happy as we headed out of Vegas, the sun up and a large translucent moon about to set above the mountains.

Being two hours away (30 minutes of that was just getting out of the Vegas) we decided to make a trip of it and sight see some other local attractions between Beatty, NV (the last stop before Death Valley) and Titus Canyon, our route to the unknown wonders that awaited us within the park.

I finally saw my first ghost town, Rhyolite, even though there’s not much left of it these days and most of what does sits behind chain link fences. Still, it’s a fun little stop as it includes a house made out of bottles.

The next stop along our journey was to the Goldwell Open Air Museum. While the number of outdoor sculptures is a limited, it’s definitely worth stopping by and checking out, especially the ghost statues of the last supper.

From the Goldwell Museum it was a fairly short drive to reach the signpost letting you know you’re entering Death Valley National Park…although there is no sign letting you know this is the road to Titus Canyon or that it is a one way only going into the park.

I can’t recommend entering the park this direction enough for a couple of reasons.

It’s just a lovely route. Between the mountains and the boulders it’s so pretty. To our amusement, we unintentionally wound up in a convoy of four vehicles which included a Subaru Outback. Everyone made it through, no car was left stranded behind in case you’re worried about the difficulty level.

The canyon has it’s own boom and bust town, Leadfield, to stop and look at. Not much left but a good place to get out and stretch.

There’s also a small petroglyph once inside the canyon portion.

Finally, but mostly importantly, it also takes you into the park proper via a slot canyon. Who doesn’t love that! It’s not as narrow as Maggie Canyon was but the height! Wow! And the ruggedness of this area is simply breathtaking.

Once inside the park, it is literally miles between the sights and the sheer barren rockiness of it all is a bit….strange. Aside from numerous off-roading and hiking trails waiting to be explored, there are a number of less taxing things to see here. There’s something for everyone you might say.

Ubehebe Crater – a 2,000 year old explosion crater.

The Devil’s Cornfield – named by early Death Valley promoters. The field of arrowweed plants reminded them of “bundled corn left to dry in rows at harvest time”. Bundled corn sounds a bit too mundane so they sensationalized the name.

The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

The Salt Creek Trail – sitting at 200 feet below sea level follow this salty life giving stream along its meandering path. If you’re lucky you’ll catch a glimpse of the rare Salt Creek Pupfish. Sadly, we were not so fortunate.

One of my absolute favorite sights of the whole trip was the Artist’s Palette. We reached the turn off for here as the sun was starting to set. The colors were beautiful but the next time we’re in the area, it’s a must see when the sun is shining as I expect the colors would be absolutely stunning and easier to see in photos. The road not only takes you to look out points for a better vantage of the nearby hills (and to keep you from blocking traffic taking pictures) but you also drive through a narrow canyon comprised of of the pink and green rock. Personally, the dark brown and light green hills remind me of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

It was dark as we made our way out of the park much as we had made our way in, via a less used road. The sky was black with a million stars twinkling overhead. There was no city glow on the horizon. Almost no cars around us. Just us and a desolate yet beautiful landscape. The moon, mostly full and lovely as she peeked in and out from behind neighboring mountains, graced us with her presence as we drove on the long, somewhat lonely highway back to Vegas.

Death Valley was an unexpected delight that made the twelve hour trip worth every minute of it. Much to my surprise, I found if given the opportunity I could spend several days wandering happily around its vastness.

Who knew?