One HOT Day in Death Valley National Park

#deathvalley #deathvalleynationalpark
So, you’ve only got one day in Death Valley National Park… what should you see?
We only had a few hours and still saw quite a bit!
Coming in from the west side of the park, we first stopped at Father Crowley Overlook, also known as Star Wars Canyon.
We then made our way down to the valley floor.
This drive certainly isn’t for the faint of heart, but the views are well worth the curves!
The road straightened out for a little bit as we headed to our next stop - the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.
We wanted to walk along the Salt Creek Interpretive Trail, but it was just too dang hot!
So, we cooled off by exploring the many interesting exhibits at the Furnace Creek Visitors Center.
Next up, we made our way to the lowest point in North America.
Badwater Basin sits 282 feet below sea level.
From the parking lot, look up at the rock wall and find the sea level sign.
Two to four thousand years ago the basin was the site of a 30-foot deep lake that evaporated and left behind a 1-5 foot layer of salt.
Artist’s Drive is a 9-mile winding, dipping, curving one-way drive through picturesque rock formations.
Colorful mineral deposits paint the hills and it makes for a spectacular drive around sunset.
Another great place to catch the sunset in Death Valley National Park is Zabriskie Point.
Well, we didn’t see it all, and all that means is we’ll have to come back!
(NOTE: We visited on a HOT day in early April. It got up to 106 degrees and was still 102 degrees by 6 pm, so we decided to forego our camping adventure in the park for the night. If it was just Sam and I we would've endured, but we had our 4.5 year old with us and figured he wouldn't be as tolerant sleeping in such extreme heat. Two days later it was only a high of 70, so unfortunately we visited right in the middle of a mini heatwave.)

[@DailyPassenger]

Death Valley vlog was really good....👌 Am sure a visit during winter will be worth it.💕✨ Lovely vlog, I am a fan now

[@ForgetSomeday]

Thanks! We thought we were visiting in the NOT-HOT season, but a sneaker heat wave got us in early April. It was down in the 70 just two days after we left. :(