The California Desert

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The desert regions surrounding Death Valley (now all parts of Death Valley National Park) are full of some of the richest and most forbidding scenery in California. It is best visited in spring, when the wildflowers are blooming in abundance and temperatures are a mild 90 degrees or so. Mountain ranges here (though they may reach as high as 11,000 feet) are barren and devoid of moisture, so it's a good idea to bring PLENTY of water if you plan to visit. Death Valley and the basins that surround it are the most extreme examples of Basin and Range topography to be found in the Great Basin; the vertical relief fron the floor of Death Valley to the summit of Telescope Peak in the Panamint Range exceeds 11,000 feet! Many of the areas photographed here are accessible only by very poor dirt roads and a high clearance four wheel drive vehicle is recommended.

Eureka Valley - Seen from a primitive campsite at the mouth of Dedeckera Canyon- one of the most beautiful spots I've ever stayed at. The "road" can be seen heading off toward Eureka dunes in the distance. The view and the silence are so breathtaking from this vantage that they nearly drove me insane. Had I been alone at the time, I may have dismantled my vehicle and run naked and screaming into the desert, never to be seen again....
As it worked out, however, I just ate some chili and stared.

Flowers in Eureka Valley - Springtime can bring a tremendous amount of color to the desert. The rains in 1998 brought carpets of flowers to all the valley floors, and in Eureka Valley the colors complimented the colorful carbonate rocks of the Last Chance Range in the background.

Eureka Dunes - Reaching a variable height of about 800 feet, possibly the tallest dunes in the US. These dunes were once a playground for ATV enthusiasts and have now, thankfully, been declared off-limits to such activity. There are plenty of other places (Dumont Dunes to the South, for example) more accessible by car which are left open for off-roaders; these dunes are so remote that to have them anything less than wilderness would be a disgrace.

Noonday Dolomite in Panamint Range - A startlingly linear view of one formation traced through the ragged topography of the eastern slope of the Panamints. View is from Augereberry Point.

Racetrack Valley- Perhaps the first photo taken in this valley to ignore the sliding rocks that have made it famous. Rounded rock to left is part of the "Grandstand," a weathered granitoid body which juts up from the middle of the nearly perfect playa like the mast of a sunken ship.

Racetrack Valley- Another view of the perfect playa, this time showing more of the Grandstand from the north.

Rain over Racetrack Valley- A familiar phenomenon to those who frequent the desert is verga- rain that doesn't reach the ground but can be seen for miles away. This particular case did reach the ground...frozen. Winter can get very cold out here...at times the playas are coated with a thin layer of ice.

Saline Valley - Home of the famous (and crowded) Warm Springs, and now a part of Death Valley N.P. (for better or for worse...). Gigantic peace sign has been carved onto mountain behind the photographer, which, despite it's undoubtable good intentions, is nonetheless an ugly reminder that no wilderness sanctum is safe from self-indulgent hippies.

Saline Valley Waterfall- Water can be found even in the driest of places. This deluge issues from the mouth of a narrow, steep canyon on the eastern flanks of the Inyo Range, and feeds the Saline Valley playa with fresh salts to be precipitated onto the flats.

Striped Butte, Butte Valley - One of the most spectacular and least known landmarks in Death Valley N.P., Butte Valley lies in the southern Panamint Range and is accessible only by a very long and somewhat treacherous dirt road. Carbonate rocks of many colors (including orange!) combine to form Striped Butte. View is looking north from (usually) abandoned stone cabin at south end of valley near Anvil Springs. Can you see the face?

Barrel Cactus, Butte Valley - View looking south from near the top of Striped Butte. Mountain in distance is Manly Peak, an eminently climbable peak which I am yet to have the honor of ascending.

Desert Research Station at Zzyzx, California - Man-made desert scenery of the highest order can be found at Zzyzx Desert Research Station south of Baker, California. This is a view looking east across Soda Lake through the pool area. Zzyzx has an eerie (yet cozy) wierdness typical of the Southern California Desert; as a visitor to the dorms there I was once confronted (but not comforted) by a sign on one of the bunks in my room: "CAUTION: BED FULL OF BABY SCORPIONS."

Every once in awhile you may be out travelling in a remote part of the desert and meet some guy like this. They're usually harmless as long as you keep your distance, but beware...Manson used to live out here, too.

email:tcope@pangea.stanford.edu

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Last updated 9/15/98

	Eureka Valley - Seen from a primitive campsite at the mouth of Dedeckera Canyon- one of the most beautiful spots I've ever stayed at. The "road" can be seen heading off toward Eureka dunes in the distance. The view and the silence are so breathtaking from this vantage that they nearly drove me insane. Had I been alone at the time, I may have dismantled my vehicle and run naked and screaming into the desert, never to be seen again.... As it worked out, however, I just ate some chili and stared.
	Flowers in Eureka Valley - Springtime can bring a tremendous amount of color to the desert. The rains in 1998 brought carpets of flowers to all the valley floors, and in Eureka Valley the colors complimented the colorful carbonate rocks of the Last Chance Range in the background.
	Eureka Dunes - Reaching a variable height of about 800 feet, possibly the tallest dunes in the US. These dunes were once a playground for ATV enthusiasts and have now, thankfully, been declared off-limits to such activity. There are plenty of other places (Dumont Dunes to the South, for example) more accessible by car which are left open for off-roaders; these dunes are so remote that to have them anything less than wilderness would be a disgrace.
	Noonday Dolomite in Panamint Range - A startlingly linear view of one formation traced through the ragged topography of the eastern slope of the Panamints. View is from Augereberry Point.
	Racetrack Valley- Perhaps the first photo taken in this valley to ignore the sliding rocks that have made it famous. Rounded rock to left is part of the "Grandstand," a weathered granitoid body which juts up from the middle of the nearly perfect playa like the mast of a sunken ship.
	Racetrack Valley- Another view of the perfect playa, this time showing more of the Grandstand from the north.
	Rain over Racetrack Valley- A familiar phenomenon to those who frequent the desert is verga- rain that doesn't reach the ground but can be seen for miles away. This particular case did reach the ground...frozen. Winter can get very cold out here...at times the playas are coated with a thin layer of ice.
	Saline Valley - Home of the famous (and crowded) Warm Springs, and now a part of Death Valley N.P. (for better or for worse...). Gigantic peace sign has been carved onto mountain behind the photographer, which, despite it's undoubtable good intentions, is nonetheless an ugly reminder that no wilderness sanctum is safe from self-indulgent hippies.
	Saline Valley Waterfall- Water can be found even in the driest of places. This deluge issues from the mouth of a narrow, steep canyon on the eastern flanks of the Inyo Range, and feeds the Saline Valley playa with fresh salts to be precipitated onto the flats.
	Striped Butte, Butte Valley - One of the most spectacular and least known landmarks in Death Valley N.P., Butte Valley lies in the southern Panamint Range and is accessible only by a very long and somewhat treacherous dirt road. Carbonate rocks of many colors (including orange!) combine to form Striped Butte. View is looking north from (usually) abandoned stone cabin at south end of valley near Anvil Springs. Can you see the face?
	Barrel Cactus, Butte Valley - View looking south from near the top of Striped Butte. Mountain in distance is Manly Peak, an eminently climbable peak which I am yet to have the honor of ascending.
	Desert Research Station at Zzyzx, California - Man-made desert scenery of the highest order can be found at Zzyzx Desert Research Station south of Baker, California. This is a view looking east across Soda Lake through the pool area. Zzyzx has an eerie (yet cozy) wierdness typical of the Southern California Desert; as a visitor to the dorms there I was once confronted (but not comforted) by a sign on one of the bunks in my room: "CAUTION: BED FULL OF BABY SCORPIONS."
	Every once in awhile you may be out travelling in a remote part of the desert and meet some guy like this. They're usually harmless as long as you keep your distance, but beware...Manson used to live out here, too.