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Death Valley National Park is one of my favorite US parks. Located in the Mohave Desert in southern California, it encompasses mountains, playas, salt basins, slot canyons and several dune fields. From Aguereberry Point (6433 ft) in the Panamint Range or Dante’s View (5500 ft) in the parallel Black Mountains, one can see the extent of the valley below. Between Death Valley and the Pacific are four mountain ranges, each reducing atmospheric moisture. Roughly 10,000 years ago, much of the park was a 100 mile long lake, one in a chain that extended all the way to Mono Lake near Yosemite. In its place today is Badwater Basin, a large salt pan and the lowest point of elevation in North America at 282 ft (86 m) below sea level.
Badwater is an attractive subject for photographers. It is contained by several mountain ranges which form a nice photographic frame. More interestingly, the salt in the basin often forms raised roughly hexagonal shapes after any winter flooding. Since the basin runs north-south, it works as both a sunrise and sunset location. I prefer sunset as it allows more time to walk around and find the best salt patterns. This image was captured 15 to 20 minutes after sunset. I’ve stopped being amazed by how quickly most people leave a scene like this as soon as the sun sets when some of the best color will appear a bit later, often more delicate and nuanced.
Badwater Basin is about 20 miles south of Furnace Creek. There is a marked stop and viewing platform, but I prefer to continue a bit around the bend to the next pullout. On this evening, I was surprised there were only two other photographers here.
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