Vacation Hiking Road Trip: Part 3 of 4
- Park Link: https://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm
- Video: https://youtu.be/TIYUhVb8mdk
With today being a travel day, as we needed to head around the High Sierra range closer to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park, we decided to go a bit out of the way to do a drive by of Death Valley National Park. It added about two hours to our travel time, but being so close I wanted to get a look at areas of which I had again seen some fabulous photos.
Being the “Hottest, Driest, and Lowest” National Park, I just wanted to take a look. We had two primary objectives: A stop at Zabriskie’s Point, and a drive down Artists Drive with a stop at Artists Palette.
Just when I thought our trip could not be any more diverse, we entered the park. “Driest” indeed. With no trees in sight, it felt as though we had again entered another planet. According to the website, Zabriskies Point is “the most famous viewpoint in the park”. Having been there now, I can understand why. The golden colored hill variations are quite the sight to see. Being the adventurer that I am, you can imagine how very difficult it was for me to see others out on the ridges of these spectacular hills without being able to join them. I saw oh so many trails I would love to explore one day, but for today all I could do was sit and enjoy the view. I know it sounds incredibly cliche, but I am simply in awe of what has been created. To think this area was once under water is mind boggling.
Moving on, we passed the sign indicating we were at “Sea Level” and again I was reminded of the history of this location. Living close to the Pacific Ocean, and having traveled through several mountain ranges to get here, it is unimaginable to think that just beyond that sign we were lower than that. Artists Drive is a short and easy “must do” just as everyone says. It is truly like driving through a rainbow. I have no idea how these colors got there, but again it looks like Mother Nature had an enormous paint gun fight with the hillside. At Artists Palette, it would appear Picasso, or the likes, dropped their paint palette and neglected to clean it up. The pictures in no way do it justice as the pinks and greens are vibrant and truly fascinating. As Chris adopted the “tick-tock, next stop” mantra to keep me on task, we made our way out of the park. Whether we return is yet to be seen, but on this day I was glad we went out of our way to see what we could. With another National Park crossed off the list, we were on our way.
We were unable to do any hiking, and I’m not sure I will ever make it back to do that, but there are certainly many trails to choose from. In April it was hot, and as the months click on it will only get hotter. Heed the warnings and prepare yourself with plenty of water should you explore beyond the confines of your vehicle.
Happy trekking