48 hours in Death Valley - Part 2
Sunrise at Zabriske Point
As promised, here's part 2 of spending 48 hours in Death Valley.
I honestly forgot how old I was when I first visited the park. My dad took the entire family on a road trip - it used to be a tradition that we take an extended trip to somewhere in the U.S. and Europe and usually it was for more than 25 days. One more reason why I miss being a kid.
The only place I really remember was Badwater Basin. My dad pulled up and demanded we take a photo with the sign that read "282 feet below sea level". I reluctantly stepped out of the car and boy, it was hot as hell. I hated it because I never did well in the heat. As soon as we got that picture taken, I hopped right back onto the car. Nope, enough with the heat, I thought. I showed my dad some pictures I took from the trip - we both reminisced for a bit and he jokingly told me it was so bad back then when we visited - it was only 109 as opposed to the normal low 120s.
It was a whole different experience this time. I tried to outdo my dad and picked the right season to go to Death Valley. As I mentioned, October to April are peak seasons because they offer a moderate climate to visit a place as hot as Death Valley. The average high for me was the low 60s and at night, it dropped to the high 30s. Both were doable for me ever since moving to Seattle (FYI, Seattle was forecasted to have lots of snow while I headed out for my trip). It was truly a blessing. After spending the night at camp with brutal winds and sand getting inside my tent. I wanted to snooze so bad but I knew if I slept it, I'd risk the opportunity to snatch a good spot for sunrise at Zabriske Point. I reluctantly got up, quickly ate some snacks and made some coffee. Trust me, coffee is your best friend when you got barely any sleep and woke up at 5am. I wore extra layers and headed out for Zabriske Point. Keep in mind that we're in a desert, temperatures do vary a lot from day to night. So dress accordingly! I was able to get by with a t-shirt and yoga pants during midday but early mornings and evenings would call for warm layers. You don't want to be freezing when you're trying to enjoy the amazing views around you.
I got to Zabriske Point at around 6:20. Sunrise was at around 7am. Tip: get to where you want to watch sunrise or sunset at least 30 mins before the actual time, you get to see a lot more of action with the light! Zabriske Point deserves all the hype as one of the best sunrise spots in the park. I can't speak for anywhere else because it's the only spot I stopped for sunrise. From my experience, I don't regret picking it as my spot for sunrise. You get to see the badlands wake up to the morning light. You also get to see the mountains afar glowing as the sun rises above the horizon. While the sun is doing its thing, the moon was getting ready to rest for the day. I bet it's gotten tired after being 'full' the night before.
After watching a great sunrise show Zabriske Point, I headed out for Ubehebe Crater. It's about an hour drive from Furnace Creek to Ubehebe Crater along Scotty Castle Road. By the time I set out for that area of the park, it was already 8am. The road was quiet (perks for traveling earlier than most people) and scenic. There were so many random pull out spots for pictures and I highly recommend you do that. There's a short hike when you reach Ubehebe, I didn't complete the entire thing but I did spend an hour hiking on the rim. Again, Death Valley really is best at showcasing desert landscape with dramatic mountains in the background. At Ubehebe, you almost get a 360 degree view of the entire park. You see snow-covered mountains while right in front of you is a giant hole that got blown up by dead volcano. It's truly mind-blowing and fantastic.
Scotty Castle Road that takes you to Ubehebe Crater
After spending a good amount contemplating how small I am in comparison with everything around me, I began my way back towards Furnace Creek. On the way, I drove off road towards a canyon. Stopped to get a quick snack - I had a bag of tortillas with me and tuna pouches. I decided to make a quick lunch with both and called the whackiest tacos I've ever had. I had hot sauce with me and it cured all the uneasiness I had while devouring the makeshift tacos. I picked a spot where I was facing some random mountains and it made lunch a hundred times better than it was supposed to be. Then I hit the road again. I can't fully remember how many stops I made on the way, but I'll keep reminding you - there are many spots where you can pull over and just stop, admire the view for however long you want. Make your own adventure - hike for miles or no miles. Sit in the car and just look at the gorgeous scenery around you. Take a nap. Seriously, whatever you do, you can't go wrong with anywhere inside Death Valley. I'm not even exaggerating how beautiful every single bit of it is. You won't regret any decision you make. The only one you'll regret is deciding not to do what I recommend.
“Make your own adventure - hike for miles or no miles. Sit in the car and just look at the gorgeous scenery around you. Take a nap. Seriously, whatever you do, you can’t go wrong with anywhere inside Death Valley.”
I did opt for a quick nap back at the campground. Getting no sleep is no good for me. I took a 30 minute nap and decided I needed to get gas. I entered the park with half a tank after driving from Vegas and gas was expensive in the park. What can you expect? The total came to about $60, I suppose that's not so bad to fill up a Hyundai Santa Fe in California. After I filled up gas, I headed towards Artist Drive - another crazy popular spot in the park. There is a viewpoint to stop with a bathroom and a short hike takes you to Artist Palette. I tried to be adventurous and stopped 0.5 miles before reaching that viewpoint. I thought I was so cool, so I did that and walked about a mile to get up close and intimate with Artist Palette. Don't expect solitude here. There were a lot of people so I'm glad I opted for the 1 mile walk because again, you're here to explore. Don't opt for the shortcut, opt for the long ride and the surprised along the way.
I spent a while admiring Artist Palette, tried to take that perfect photo of the surreal colors reflecting off the rocks due to the various types of minerals that live in the rock. I don't know the details but I did read the sign that explained why it was the way it is. Obviously, this is a popular sunset spot as well but I decided not to stay there because guess what? I got to head back to Zabriske Point for sunset. I normally don't go back to the same spot because I'm the type that wants to go to as many places as possible. But I couldn't forgo the idea of seeing the badlands come alive again.
I quickly made a stop at Badwater Basin to pay homage to the first time I came to the park and left for Zabriske Point. I decided that this time I am going to hike into the canyon and get the front-row view of sunset. I power hiked about 1.5 miles on the Badlands Loop and found a spot on top of the Badlands and waited for the magic to happen. Again, words simply can't explain how amazing the view was. The badlands are an interesting geological feature - when the light hits in the right spots, you'll see layers upon layers of depth (way to go for finding a poetic way to describe the scene). It's not as popular as Artist Palette, but you'll actually see different colors reflecting off the badlands when sunset hits. To best honest, how the light bounced off the rocks really made a difference.
I think I almost cried. And I think I talked to myself too many times while I was out there alone watching everything happen around me. The skies were changing colors - from blue skies to cotton candied skies. It was spectacular and possibly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life. I've traveled a fair share but I haven't been everything but Zabriske Point will always, ALWAYS have a place in my heart.
After sunrise, I headed back to camp. I had to hike in the dark for a bit. It also spooks me out because of how dark it gets. But I'm slowly working on conquering that fear. I'm not invincible yet so I do get a little creeped out hiking in the dark. Silence and darkness are something I'm getting used to and I'm glad I'm able to make some progress in overcoming that fear.
Back at it again - Sunset at Zabriske Point
Back at camp, I fired up the JetBoil, made dinner and had a beer because no trip is complete without a beer underneath the dark skies and a fire. Slowly but surely, I fell into deep but in my head, I couldn't be excited to head to Joshua Tree National the next day. Adventure awaits and I can't wait to experience it.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and my rambling of how I journeyed through Death Valley National Park. Solo traveling is fun but it does mean that I don't have anyone to share it with other than through conversations, pictures, and writing a blog about it. I truly hope this inspires you to get out of your comfort zone and get close to nature. When you're in nature, you're never alone and you're hardly in bad company. Cheers 🤙