When exploring the salt flats and playas in Death Valley, we often pick out a patch of white or a shimmer off in the distance, park the car at a spot with a sensible-looking approach, and head out cross-country to see what we might find. On some days, the sensible approach pans out, with a gentle downward grade through uneven but easy terrain leading to the edge of an expansive landscape full of opportunity.
On other days, what looked easy from the car turns out to be an unpleasant odyssey, with a gentle bed of colorful rocks dotted with desert holly plants slowly giving way to terrain with the consistency and color of cocoa powder, or treacherous and craggy formations with edges sharp enough to easily pierce human skin and rigid enough to badly twist an ankle. Regardless of how it turns out in terms of the photography, these days of exploration are among the best in the park. If you are planning a trip to Death Valley, you may be interested in our ebook, Desert Paradise: The Landscape Photographer’s Guide to Death Valley National Park.
