What to Do in Death Valley
17 Jan 2014
This post is mainly pictures because sometimes images speak louder than words, or whatever. No, actually, I’m just super busy and feeling horrible about how I have all these gorgeous photos of Death Valley sitting on my computer doing nothing. So, Death Valley.
If you have only one morning in Death Valley, here are the things I recommend you see and do (you might notice that these happen to be the only things I saw and did in Death Valley and therefore you might come to the conclusion that everything you see or do in Death Valley is spectacular, which it might be, but I don’t know, because this is all I did. You might also say, what about Badwater Salt Flats? To which I say, they are probably spectacular but I ran out of time and didn’t go. So maybe you should, and write a blog post about it):
1 Watch the sunrise.
I already wrote a post about this. It was….wait for it…spectacular. Read all about it here. 
2 Play in the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.
There really is nothing in life quite like goofing around on dunes. Go barefoot. Leap with joy. Watch out for snakes. You might see some sidewinder tracks. Or little mousey-rabbit-mystery tracks like the ones pictured below.
Mystery Tracks
3 Hike Mosaic Canyon and look at all the pretty rocks.
This four mile hike takes you through beautiful slot canyons and alongside the colorful cliffs that explain the canyon’s name. It’s a pretty easy hike–perfect if you only have a couple hours or if you walk really slowly because you have to take pictures of every single rock. Also, there is the potential (for us, unrealized) of seeing bighorn sheep.
What you shouldn’t do is follow your boyfriend up onto a narrow ledge with a 100 foot drop off to either side because he will think this is a good place for lunch and then you will have to slide down on your butt while he jumps around and does cartwheels behind you because he somehow is severely lacking in self preservation instincts.
Obviously he also took pictures, in between the cartwheels.
So now you know what to do if you ever end up in Death Valley for a morning in winter. You probably shouldn’t do this hike in the summer as if would likely be similar to hiking in an oven. But, go for it if you must. Just don’t blame me.
Have you ever been to Death Valley? What did I miss? Share your thoughts below!
I’ve never been, but I want to! That sunrise, holy crap.
Yeah, it’s pretty ridiculous!
That sunrise picture would have been worth the trip…in fact, in the interest of the time you do not have, it would have been completely acceptable to not post any words at all…just the sunrise picture.
Gorgeous pics – shows that you can get a lot out of visiting a place for only a short time!
Syd, everything looks really… well, spectacular. Great photos! Loved the first one from the Mosaic Canyon. The one where somebody, who is severely lacking in self preservation instincts, is jumping down the rocks.
Ha, you nailed it. I had pictures where it was more clear that he was going to land it okay, but I chose that one because it’s funnier.
That looks amazing!! Great photos
Wow that sunrise photo is gorgeous! I would just sit out there all day watching the sunset and sunrise. Although if I was more daring I’d do a jump or two myself but perhaps I will leave that to you :)
I have to admit that although getting up at crazy o’clock would be difficult to see that sunrise, it would certainly be worth it! There are so many amazing spots around the world that you can experience beautiful sunrises but based on your pictures this has to be up there with the best.
Great post Syd and love the pictures – thanks for sharing your experiences in Death Valley!
Looks like an amazing place to visit the rock formations are stunning
Far too adventurous for me. I’d love that sunrise though. Give me an armchair and a cocktail for that one.
That is one place I would love to visit! Your pictures are amazing! I love the picture of the sunrise and I bet it was an awesome experience hiking between those rocks!!
Very nice sunrise!
As for the boyfriend with an issue in self preservation… Yep, I can relate… Oh well the view was nice at least!