Journal destination
Stories from this city location. Explore published field notes, guided trips, and local perspectives.
The collection
01A nine-mile one-way loop where volcanic chemistry and desert weather paint hills in apricot, rust and lavender. This short drive is a concentrated geology lesson with big photographic payoff—best experienced early or late in the day.
02A close-up lesson in geology and light: Artist’s Palette is a compact, colorful stop on Artists Drive in Death Valley that rewards short hikes, patient photographers, and respectful visitors with striking chromatic landscapes.
03A compact, otherworldly classroom of geology and light, Death Valley demands early starts and good water. From Badwater Basin’s salt flats to Dante’s View, learn how to experience the park responsibly and meaningfully — whether on a day trip from Las Vegas or a two-day private journey.
04Badwater Basin is a surreal salt-flat basin at 282 feet below sea level—part geological laboratory, part desert cathedral. Whether you join a guided day trip from Las Vegas or arrive at dawn solo, this is a place where scale, light and silence remap your sense of distance.
05Devils Golf Course is Death Valley’s jagged salt field—an otherworldly expanse of crystallized ridges and spires. This guide explains why timing, gear and a bit of local knowledge turn a quick roadside stop into a memorable, safe adventure.
06A compact slice of Death Valley’s badlands, Twenty Mule Team Canyon is a two‑mile scenic loop of layered mudstone and painterly clay. It’s short on mileage but long on geological biography—and it’s best experienced with a camera, early light, and plenty of water.
07Death Valley National Park rewards planning as much as it rewards daring. From salt-crusted basins and ribboned badlands to dune silhouettes and a Milky Way like a river overhead, this guide shows how to experience the park safely and memorably.
08Zabriskie Point is Death Valley’s classroom for geologic time—badlands, volcanic ash, and desert light that shift from gold to garnet at sunset. Whether you come on a small-group tour from Las Vegas or overnight at Furnace Creek, here’s how to make the most of a visit that pairs dramatic views with world-class stargazing.