Death Valley, CA - favorite locations?

I hope to be headed off to Death Valley soon, and while I've been

there before, and have done some research, I was curious to see if any

in the group who had shot the area had any favorite, don't-miss

locations, either in Death Valley itself, or the surrounding area.

I like sunrises on the Stovepipe Wells dunes, as well as the Racetrack (if you have a 4x4 vehicle). I never made it to Zabrisky Point at sunrise (I am usually on the dunes) but it's a popular spot in the morning. I have made some great shots around Bad Water in late afternoon, especially at the Devil's Golfcourse.

Around the park you have the ghost town of Rhyolite (just east of Stovepipe Wells), and, if you are willing to drive a bit more, the Alabama Hills (west) and the Bristlecone Pine forest of the White Mountains (north)

Ralph, I haven't found the place yet, but I've always been intrigued with the wild celery canyon. Its rarely mentioned and I first read about it in an old newspaper column written by Fr. Crowely and had a national syndication in the 30's and 40's(the same Fr. Crowely that Crowely Lake is named after.) It might be worth asking the rangers about. A miner who struck it big was so used to living in his shack in the desert, he stayed put and availed himself the luxury of having a celery garden. He missed celery more than civilization. A flash flood took out the Miner, his shack, and his beloved garden and the his only memorial it seems, was the celery he planted that grew wild afterwards in the canyon where his shack had been. Let me know if you happen to find it! I've got his (the miner's) name somewhere. I'll try to look it up(if I can find it!) Good Luck!

Ralph, If you get a chance take a look at Phil Kemper's website

at Deathvalleyphoto.com. Phil has a gallery in Lone Pine, if you're

going through you may want to stop by and say hi. He shoots

8x10 and knows a lot about the valley.

Joel

Ralph,

 

Check out the NPS site for Death Valley. I believe that it says that they are doing major road and parking area construction at Bad Water. You may not be able to photograph there. That leaves a lot of other nice areas in Death Valley, though.

Just came back from 5 days shooting 4x5 in Death Valley and did a ton of research before I went. I really liked 20 Mule Team Canyon - be sure to drive deep into it - not just from the highway. Unlike so many other spots, it is actually a nice place to go during the middle of the day when the sun is high since this puts light down into the canyons.

 

I can confirm that the road near badwater is being worked on. Actually, they are building a boardwalk out into Badwater and once completed, your movements will be restricted out there so now is the time to get out there and shoot it. When I was there, they were down to one lane, but allowing traffic to go through. Better for me was the salt creek that runs along the west side of the highway north of Furnace Creek. I made some of my best images at sunrise there by parking on the highway and walking down into the salt creek. Lots of good salt formations, glistening light off the surface of the water, very still - nice reflections of the Panamints in the distance. Great spot.

 

Mesquite dunes were nice as I expected, but unlike dunes I was familar with at Oceano, the sand at mesquite seemed a bit more coarse and compacted when I was there so didn't find many strong ripples (result of colder weather at night?) The drive to Eureka dunes is a bit out of the way, but I found them to be less molested (footprints) than Mesquite and very interesting to work with (VERY tall dunes ala Great Sand Dunes in Colorado) - certainly worth the drive. Be ready to do some walking either way to find good locations. One tip at Mesquite is to park by the Devil's Cornfield instead of the main parking area and walk into the dunes from there - less footprints to deal with.

 

I also really enjoyed the Racetrack Playa. It's a 35 mile drive on a gravel road, but very nice along the way - big Joshua Tree "forest" en route, lots of interesting patterns in the mountains on the west side of the road - most certainly worth the drive since you won't see anything like this anywhere else. Park on the southern most end of the racetrack and be ready to walk out there to the south and east end of the playa to the source for the bigger rocks (mountain slope). I was there in late afternoon and the light was nice. On thing I wasn't prepared for was the lack of contrast in the tracks left behind by the rocks. You need a decent "cross light" from the sun to get good contrast in the surface of the playa so I would go early or late just like the dunes. Once I waited for the sun to go down a bit, I got a 1 stop difference between the tracks and the surface of the playa.

 

Zabriskie Point is nice, but it's been shot to death. You certainly want to get there early - it's clearly a sunrise location. The badlands near Zabriskie including 20 Mule Team Canyon were much better for me. Walk down into the canyon for better compositions.

 

Have fun - it's a great destination.

Thanks for the tips, everyone.

The dunes at Stovepipe Wells are certainly a favorite as they pose almost an endless variety of possibilities. I too, like Twenty Mule Team Canyon and I would suggest checking out Mustard Canyon as well. Definitely plan to stop at Rhyolite, just a short drive from Beatty. This would be another early morning place. When exactly are you planning to be there? Unless you are an ice climber, don't plan on seeing any Bristlecone Pines until May, maybe. But, the Alabama Hills might offer some pretty nice views. I've been to this area seven times and plan another journey in early April. I never try to see too much in one trip. You will end up driving forever and have little time to actually make photographs. Here's some more inspiration for you.<div></div>

I'm glad someone mentioned Mesquite Flat sand dunes but

what about Golden Canyon, Artist Palette drive etc! To get the

best rock shots wait till the sun drops below the hills then shoot

a really long exposure of just the rocks alone. The different

shades of stone really pop and look surreal.

 

 

Don't just drive to Dantes Point (A) then to Badwater (B) etc

either, there are lots of little discoveries to be made along the

way. Who can compete with Westons view of Death Valley!?

Move on to the least explored areas and make your own

classics. Take lots of beer..I mean water with you as it gets really

hot out there. :-(

 

 

CP Goerz

There was a paperback Ansel Adams/Nancy Newhall guide to photography in Death Valley, which should be available quite cheaply. I doubt that it's changed that much in 50 years. (C.P. Goerz probably has 10 copies in his basement). Have fun. Bill

Bill you exaggerate! I only have four copies!! ;-)

 

CP Goerz

I heard an interview with a ranger there the other day on the radio and he said it looked like Ireland this spring.I also talked to someone who was out there a few weeks ago who broke out his kayak and went for a spin. Walt Byrnes