road trip – Alpine Stewards

From it’s lowest point at 282 feet below sea level to 11,049 feet above sea level Death Valley certainly has its extremes. It is commonly thought of as the Hottest, Driest, and Lowest National Park in the United States and one devoid of life. In March 2021 I was able to spend several days there and here are a few moments from that trip. So what are the best places to visit in Death Valley? Here are a few of my favorites spots and photos though I know there is so much of the park left to explore.

Badwater Basin

Badwater Basin is the lowest point of the park at 282 ft below sea level and also the lowest point in North America. One of the coolest things to see here was that a little bit of water remained here at the spring fed pool and several birds were there looking for food. The water is not “bad” per the name but just really salty though life does exist here. Surprisingly enough there is actually a unique snail that only lives in the water and plant called pickleweed. There is a “trail” that you can walk along that can take you several miles out on to the salt flats to see the amazing geometric salt polygons that form naturally there. I was only there during the day but have seen some amazing milky way shots from here so staying for the night shots is recommended.

Life lives even in the water at the “Badwater” spring.

Random Factoid of the Trip: The lowest point of dry land in the world is actually the shore of the Dead Sea which is approximately 1411 ft below sea level! Wikipedia

Zabriskie Point

Zabriskie is a popular sunrise point in Death Valley, partially I think due to how close it is to Furnace Creek where the majority of the camping in Death Valley is. I ended up spending two sunrises there to try and find a composition I liked. Check out some of my favorites below. It was certainly a challenging place to photograph and having a zoom lens helped a lot to get creative with different compositions. Taking the time to explore some of the other paths and trails definitely paid off and was well worth the effort of hiking around.

The final evening was spent on the sand dunes near Stovepipe Wells. Many of my favorite photos from the trip ended up being from here. The lighting was great and there were so many great leading lines that the dunes created. If you are looking for the best place to photograph in Death Valley I recommend these dunes. The hike out there did take some effort and bring plenty of water with you but it was well worth the effort. My best recommendation though is to get ice cream at the Stovepipe Wells General Store as it is a great reward after the hike and a fitting end to the day.

On the final day I headed out and took the Trona Wildrose road towards Trona and was shocked to see wild burros'(donkeys) alongside the road. I got a couple of good photos and of course checked out the internet to learn the story behind these animals. Sadly they are an invasive species brought over by settlers and miners during the gold rush. There population has continued to grow with no native predators and are actually causing detrimental effects to the native bighorn population from over eating. NP Info

Driving in Death Valley

The climb up to Towne Pass on State Route 190 is no joke, from below sea level to 4963 ft took it’s toll on the van so beware and go easy on your vehicle if driving through Death Valley. The grades can range from 6-9% for several miles so make sure you vehicle and it’s brakes are in good working order! Next time I visit I plan on coming in my truck as there are several places I want to visit that require 4 wheel drive and high clearance.

Now this was just a small taste of the beauty in Death Valley and barely touched the surface of what to do there. Next on my list of place to visit in Death Valley would be, The Racetrack, Telescope Peak, Eureka Dunes, and Dantes View.

Further reading of some of the lesser known history of Death Valley

Edna Brush Perkins

Timbisha Shoshone Tribe

Thanks again for following along on my journeys! If you loved any of these photos and would want to get them printed check out my photography gallery here.

What to do with a week off in October in the middle of a pandemic and mostly dreary looking forecast? Normally this would have probably involved a flight to somewhere warm and sunny but that was off the table for safety reasons. @hungryjewlz and I decided instead, that a road trip was probably our safest option, and allowed for more locations depending on how the forecast went. Several options were discussed but ultimately we decided on visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

The drive to Yellowstone was thankfully uneventful and soon we arrived in West Yellowstone and spent the night. We had grand visions of dirt bagging it in the truck for most of the trip but forecasted temperatures in the teens drove us to warmer accommodations.

The weather wasn’t look great for sunrise but we got up early and headed to the Lamar Valley knowing it is generally a good spot to see wildlife. We didn’t luck out for a sunrise but the valley itself it is a beautiful place. The wide open valley was such a contrast from the Cascades where peaks jut into the sky and the valleys are steep and narrow. We soon started to see some wildlife and quickly realized big zoom lenses are necessary here.

We stumbled across a big group of vehicles parked alongside the road and a fairly large crowd gathered on the hillside. These were the wolf hunters and we excitedly learned there was a pack of wolves relaxing across the valley. As you can see in the photo below my 300mm lens was nowhere near big enough. Oh, the wolf is that tiny black shape….. Soon we got bored and decided to see what else we could find in the park. A herd of buffalo stopped us on the road and to our surprise a coyote lingered in the background of the herd for a few moments.

Next we wandered around Mammoth and the Mammoth Hot Springs area and enjoyed the out of the world terrain that the hot springs creates there. While challenging to photograph the textures and shapes were alien yet organic at the same time.

The next day we headed in to try for sunrise and again were thwarted by heavy clouds and little light. We made an unplanned stop along the river were we found a herd of elk slowly starting their day too. It had been years since I had heard a bull elk bugling and it brought back fond memories of my childhood hunting with my dad.

Old Faithful was next and proved to be on time, though the rows and rows of empty benches was another reminded of the pandemic. We soon headed to the Grand Prismatic spring and were blown away by this one. The fleeting views between gaps in the steam revealed colors that were mesmerizing and hypnotic. The brilliant blues reminded me of glacial ice but instead of a cold frozen world, it was boiling hot. On the way back to our vehicle we had a to close encounter with a grizzly, I won’t go into too much detail but always carry bear spray in Yellowstone!

We continued south making our way towards the Tetons but a quick stop at the West Thumb Overlook trail proved to be one of our favorite part of the visit. The elevated boardwalk was fun to walk on and see the multitude of smaller hot springs from all angles.

Soon it was time for my first visit to Teton National Park and as we drove closer the Tetons proved worthy of their praise. The jagged skyline revealed itself slowly as we headed south and soon the iconic range dominated our westward view. We stopped at several places along the way to draft out our plan for sunrise and sunset shots. There are some classic viewpoints including the famous Snake River Overlook where Ansel Adams took his classic photo. Our favorite stop though was when we pulled over and spent some time with a herd of horses as they grazed in pasture with the Tetons in the background.

https://jacobmchenryphoto.smugmug.com/Yellowstone-and-Grand-Teton/i-37Vh67H/A

Over the next two days we explored the area, taking photos, and appreciating the beauty of the park. Finally on the last evening of our time in the park we got the epic sunset we were searching for. The video below is from the time-lapse I took on my iPhone X and below are some of the shots from the sunset. All of these are available on my photography website.

This was just a small taste of the Tetons and I can’t wait to go back. I am slowly considering adding to my bucket list the goal of reaching the high point of all of the National Parks so climbing the Grand may certainly be in my future.

To check out these photos and others in much higher quality follow this link to my photography page. Thanks again for following along on my adventures!

For further reading I recommend:

Yellowstone National Park History

Grand Teton National Park History

Grand Teton Mountaineering

Tag: road trip

My favorite locations and photos from Death Valley National Park in 2021

A quick visit to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in 2020