Death Valley Trip Highlights Days 2- 6
This is the second post from Bob as he leads a trip to Death Valley with Mass Audubon’s Tours.
The geology and topography combine to make breathtaking landscapes throughout Death Valley National Park. This is a beautiful spot called Zabriskie Point. As the sun rises, it lights up the Panamint Mountains in the background.
From 6,400 ft. we spy between the peaks and to the basin below – Badwater, at 282 ft. below sea level.
Wildrose Canyon on the west side of the basin. Here at about 8000 ft. we visit the charcoal kilns, built in 1877. They are a relic from past days of mining and smelting in the area. The Pinyon Pine trees were cut and burned to make charcoal for the Modock Mining Company. Today, ten kilns stand side by side in perfect symmetry, and still give off the scent of charcoal.
Sunrise at the Mesquite Dunes provides interesting light on the ripples and newly forming dunes. The winds coming off riverbeds pick up the small particles of sand. When they meet up with winds from the North, they swirl around and deposit the sand at this location. Lots of beetles, small mammals, lizards and side-winders make this their sandy home.
A look from Dante’s View. Here we’re at 5,500 feet and looking down onto the salty basin below. The mountains on the left side are where a couple of the previous pictures were taken. It’s often windy and quite cold here, but it was quite beautiful on this particular morning. In fact, we saw a rattlesnake out sunning on the edge of the hill.
As we end our time at Death Valley and begin to head back to Las Vegas, we make a stop at Red Rock Canyon. Here we find the Joshua Tree and a number of very colorful rock formations. Many birds along with snakes, lizards, and the desert tortoise live in and around the Red Rock National Conservation Area.
Interested in Mass Audubon tours, learn more! I’ll be back with more updates on spring at Wildwood soon!