These photos were taken in October 2018 at Badwater Basin which is an endorheic basin in Death Valley National Park and the temperature reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit whilst we were there. This is noted as the lowest point in North America and the United States with a depth of 282ft below sea level.
The image above is where Tatooine in the famous movie series, Star Wars has filmed in the park for Episode IV - A New Hope and Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Director George Lucas thought it was the perfect location because it’s like it belongs on another planet!
The photo above shows the Mesquite flat sand dunes which are the most visible but not the largest sand dunes in Death Valley National Park. A small parking lot located off Highway 190, two miles South of Stove Pipe Wells offers a great starting point for a trek out to the dunes.
Hi @Samox24 … amazing pictures thank you for sharing
Death Valley
Death Valley , California, USA
The aptly named Furnace Creek currently holds the record for hottest air temperature ever recorded. The desert valley reached highs of 56.7C in the summer of 1913, which would apparently push the limits of human survival
I went to Death Valley on a cross country trip I took decades ago because I remembered my grandfather watching Death Valley Days on TV when I was young.
There was an interesting segment about a man trying to revive a ghost town in Death Valley on this past Sunday’s CBS Sunday Morning.
We have three fabulous National Parks here in Washington. Olympic is my favorite due to its diversity. Temperate Rainforests, mountains with glaciers and wild Pacific Beaches. I know Olympic about as well as anyone. We just returned today from pet sitting fr three weeks just outside of Glacier National Park in Montana.
National Park passes are great deals. And if you are a US citizen or perm resident and 62 or over, you can get a lifetime pass for $80 which covers you and others in your vehicle, even if they are younger. My husband has one and we have put it to great use this year.
I spent a year living out of my Pontiac Voyageur van and drove all over the USA. I bought the pass for National Parks and State Parks. Wisest move. Got to stay in the same places as you did @Vanessa_A and several more. Most memorable: ? oh that’s a tough one!! I find the parks in the USA are user/tourist/traveler friendly, hands down. Worth every penny to do the passes if you’re road tripping for any amount of time. Ok, one stand out. Hayden Valley in Yellowstone Park. OMG! pulled off to some side road, slept to super silence…awoke to the sun just starting to rise, mist coming off the river…the sound of hooves shuffling through sage brush by bison…and realized I was surrounded by the slowly moving herd. Photos didn’t do that justice! Utah and the canyon lands…superb!!! Hope to hit the road again like that soon
Fire away. It’s arguably the most diverse National Park in the entire system. It really takes planning for for a one time visitor, but it sounds like you can easily return. So much depends on some one who lives near Olympic time of the year. Amount of time in the Park and if you are a hiker. In reality most visitors to most Parks are not hikers.
@Mars, I loved Death Valley! I went right before the world shut down with an REI cycling trip. We went in February so the heat was bearable.
I spent two weeks canoeing in the backcountry of the Everglades, and despite the mosquitoes that is one of my favorite parks ever.
@Lisa_and_Nancy when I was in college I took some time off and lived in Tucson AZ. Every chance I had I went cycling around and hiking in Saguaro National Park. I was born in Tucson, but hadn’t been back for quite some time. And despite that being my birth state, I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon. Some day…
I am pretty partial to the USA National Parks, and living so close to Washington D.C. we are fortunate to have access to some that are mostly free year-round (or we have found ways to enter them for free without breaking any rules, like parking in Riverbend Park and then walking to Great Falls). We are also SO CLOSE to Shenandoah National Park, Harper’s Ferry and get to both fairly regularly.
