Hottest, Driest, Lowest - desert of extremes in Death Valley (2.-4.3.09)

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It was a long drive from Yosemite to Death Valley since the mountain passes were closed for the winter and we could not take the direct route via Mono lake. We had to drive 5 hours South until we could pass the mountain range at Bakersfield and head again Northeast for the Eastern entrance of the National Park. Death Valley is an amazing landscape. You can find colorful badlands, snow-covered peaks, beautiful sand dunes, rugged canyons, and the hottest, driest and lowest spot in North America. On any given summer day, the valley floor shimmers silently in the heat with temperatures over 40C. For five months of the year unmerciful heat dominates the scene and for the next seven the heat releases its grip only slightly with most days well above 30C and the nights only 5C less. This desert is not cold at all at night. Rain rarely gets past the guardian mountains of the Panamint Range to the west and the Amargosa Range to the east, but the little rain that does fall is the life force of the wildflowers that transform the desert into a vast garden. The winter had brought some rain to the valley and we were lucky to experience the first wild flowers sticking out of the dry earth. We pitched our tent in a spot of fine sand and experienced a beautiful sunset. The bad weather was still following us and managed to pass slightly over the Panamint mountain range resulting in a brilliant game of orange colors. It was amazing with the silence of the desert and sounds of wind.

The valley is situated along two fault lines with the mountain ranges rising and the valley bottom sinking. This results in the extreme of a valley floor at sea level with a lowest point of -86 m at bad water and the 3000m high Panamit mountain range with the 3386 m high Telescope peak. We were looking from the view points on the eastern range down to a desert valley floor at sea level with snow covered 3000m high mountains just 20 km behind it. Where else can you get such a view?

We enjoyed 3 days in Death valley with canyon hikes in both ranges , drives along the valley floor covered by sand dunes and salt crusts and panoramas from the famous Zabriskie and Dante outlooks on the Eastern range. The people on the camp grounds were mostly return visitors coming again and staying for a week or so. We could understand this very well after our first night!

Practicalities:
Camping Stovepipe 12 US$ per site, Furnace creek 18 US$ per site; the Northwestern campgrounds are even free; camping season is only until April due to the unbearable hot summer temperatures, afterwards only the main camp ground is open.

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