The hotels within the park were fully booked and too expensive for us anyway, but unless you choose to stay within the park, be prepared to drive an hour or more to get there. We decided to stay at the Motel 6 in Beatty, NV, which we enjoyed, but we also would have liked to have a few more restaurant options (Happy Burro Chili and Beer was very good and our best meal). We did not get to eat within the park. We tried to get indian fry bread at the small restaurant on the Timbisha Shoshone Indian Reservation within the park, but they had unfortunately run out of food. There are no grocery stores nearby, so be prepared with plenty of food and water before you head to the park.
We decided to head to Death Valley National Park because of the "Super Bloom". We had never been before and didn't know what to expect. While the flowers were incredible, there are plenty of other geological features within the park that make it well worth the trip even after the flowers have faded. Death Valley lies between the Panamint and Amargosa Mountain Ranges. The valley itself is 156 miles long and Badwater Basin within the valley claims the lowest elevation in North America at 282 ft below sea level. Within the park you can discover sand dunes, canyons lined with marble, brightly colored mountain sides, and expansive salt flats via car. Other famous locations, including the Racetrack Playa where rocks seemingly move on their own, are only accessible with an off road capable vehicle or by hiking. (To learn the mysterious circumstances behind how the rocks move, go here.) The hotels within the park were fully booked and too expensive for us anyway, but unless you choose to stay within the park, be prepared to drive an hour or more to get there. We decided to stay at the Motel 6 in Beatty, NV, which we enjoyed, but we also would have liked to have a few more restaurant options (Happy Burro Chili and Beer was very good and our best meal). We did not get to eat within the park. We tried to get indian fry bread at the small restaurant on the Timbisha Shoshone Indian Reservation within the park, but they had unfortunately run out of food. There are no grocery stores nearby, so be prepared with plenty of food and water before you head to the park. Besides the flowers, one of the first plants we came across within the park that made us stop was a strange looking bush covered with orange filament-like strings. It took some research when we got home to figure out what this plant was. Turns out, it is a parasite plant called Toothed Dodder. According to a Death Valley National Park post, it is in the Morning Glory family and related to the Sweet Potato. It does not kill it's host bush, but the tendrils reach out to find annual flowers and plants and it will kill them. As strange as this plant is, it is native to the Mojave Desert and just part of this ecosystem's normal lifecycle. After the flowers and beautiful scenery, the salt flats were our first stop. The salt flats in Death Valley are extensive and cover almost 200 square miles. The beginning of the salt flats (from our driving direction) was well before Badwater Basin and had surprising patchy areas of grasses/vegetation and streams of water! We had to walk a little ways to get to the salt flat and even with February temperatures (already in the low 90's), we were glad we took water. Once we got out to the salt flats, there was a nice variety of crystal structures as the water evaporated and the salt dried. In some of the muddy areas around the water we even found some small worms burrowing through the mud. Suddenly the placards at museums talking about fossilized worm trails and burrows made sense! After a couple more stops to look at flowers, one of my favorites was the Gravel Ghost, and a stop at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, we came to Badwater Basin. Badwater Basin is located in the salt flats of Death Valley and is the lowest point in North America at 282 ft below sea level. There is a label on the mountainside across the road from the parking area for Badwater Basin that marks sea level. While it is not impressively high in a picture, it certainly is when you are standing there! As we drove away from Badwater Basin at the end of our first day in the park, we came across a coyote trying to cross the road. Fortunately, everyone stopped in time, but I think the speed limits in the park are much too high. Please watch for wildlife and be cautious. After deciding not to continue crossing the road, the coyote practically sat down next to our car and gave us great looks! We pulled off the road and watched it from the car until sunset. A perfect end to our first day exploring Death Valley!
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September 2022
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