I finally visited Death Valley National Park this past Saturday after wanting to for a while and I was not disappointed. There’s something about deserts that just really fascinates me. Brandon and I decided to do a day trip and even though we left LA really late (around 10:00 AM), we were still able to see quite a few things! We arrived at the park around 2:45 PM and our first stop was Dante’s View. To get here, you’ll pass by Mesquite Dunes (we didn’t stop because it was going north and we were going south). Once there, it’s a quick, very short hike, (really just a walk up hill) to the view. Dante’s View gives you a view of the valley from over 5000 ft up.

We spent about 30 minutes here and then continued our way down to Badwater Basin. On the way, we drove past Artist’s Palette, The Natural Bridge and The Golden Canyons. We didn’t stop because it was nearing sunset (about 5:00 PM) and we wanted to see the basin before it got dark. The Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America and it’s approximately 282 meters below sea level! It was so cool just standing in the basin and looking up at the canyons and mountains on both sides and admiring it all. Up on the canyons (where Dante’s View is), they had put a sign that indicated where sea level starts and seeing how high up it was was just amazing! It was a bit hazy that day so Telescope Peak wasn’t very clear but the sunset from the basin was still beautiful!

Just some quick tips if you’re planning on visiting:

• Take the 15 fwy up to Bakers and enter the park through highway 127 through Shoshone (this is the shorter way). You’ll hit Badwater Basin first by going this way and make your way up to Furnace Creek Visitor Center.
• Bring lots of water and snacks (there wasn’t that many stops for snacks as the park is HUGE)
• Make sure you have enough gas. We were leaving the park from Badwater Basin and exiting through highway 127 to Bakers and we were down to our last hundred something mile range (I was slightly nervous we weren’t going to make it but we did, yay!) Plus, gas can get really expensive in the park (this is partially because gas prices have been going up regardless, haha).

Here are some photos from the trip, hope you enjoy!

TTFN!