DESERTS |CANYONS | MOUNTAINS | FORESTS

No permit is needed to get here, but do treat the area with respect. Still out of respect for them, I will hold off posting GPS coordinates to Blue Canyon. But will always help anyone who is interested in seeing this area for yourself. If you would like directions to some of these places, just like my facebook page and send me a message. I will reply back to you with directions and or GPS coordinates to Blue Canyon for your own travels. It’s a little out of the way from the main road of travel most people take on their first trips out this way, but worth the extra effort.

Drive 32.2 miles on Route 160 to the intersection with Indian Route 21. Take Indian Route 21 14.4 miles and turn right onto Indian Route 6260. Take Indian Rte 6260 6.2 miles  and turn right. Stay on Indian Rte 6260 for 2.1 miles to (36.47199 N, 110.93591 W) and turn right onto a good dirt road. Continue 0.5 miles to an open area and park at ( 36.472935 N, 110.970187 W).

It is over 130 miles long, but only around 12 miles wide, running roughly north-south near the border with Nevada.

From an elevation of 1000 meters at the north end, the land slopes down steadily and for 70 miles the floor is below sea level, reaching a low point of -86 meters at Badwater, the lowest point in the Western hemisphere. The depth of the depression is partly responsible for the extreme high temperatures, which can exceed 130°F in summer. High, unvegetated mountains of sombre reddish color flank the narrow valley on both sides, a few are high enough to have snow for many months of the year.

Best time of year to visit is the winter time in my opinion. Been here three different times and the winter was very pleasant. Highlight of the trip for me is always spending the night at the race trace area. You will have to endure miles of washboard roads that will rattle your car loose, but it’s worth it.

The low, salty pool at Badwater, just beside the main park road is probably the best known and most visited place in Death Valley. The actual lowest point (-282 feet) is located several miles from the road and is not easily accessible – in fact its position varies, but a sign in front of the pool proclaims it too to have an elevation of -282 feet, and it is here that everyone comes to take photographs. An enlarged parking area and other new facilities were constructed in fall 2003 to cope with the ever increasing visitor numbers at the site

Several salt trails and shallow seasonal streams lead towards other pools out across the valley. During occasional rainy periods, a large shallow lake forms, several miles across and only a few inches deep, but most of the water soon evaporates or sinks below ground. Badwater never dries out completely, and even manages to support a unique species of fish – the Death Valley pupfish, a small bluish creature which has evolved to survive in the hot saline conditions. South of the salt pools, the seasonal Amargosa River meanders for 30 miles via several routes towards the mouth of the valley, before sinking into the sand.

Surrounded by nine mountain ranges, Death Valley is cut off from rejuvenating rainfall and cooling Pacific winds, making it one of the driest and hottest places in the world. A record high temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded there in 1913, and a ground temperature of 201 degrees has also been registered—11 degrees shy of the boiling point for water.

This valley is also a land of subtle beauties: Morning light creeping across the eroded badlands of Zabriskie Point to strike Manly Beacon, the setting sun and lengthening shadows on the Sand Dunes at Stovepipe Wells, and the colors of myriad wildflowers on the golden hills above Harmony Borax on a warm spring day.

Death Valley is a treasure trove of scientific information about the ancient Earth and about the forces still working to shape our modern world. It is home to plants, animals, and human beings that have adapted themselves to take advantage of its rare and hard won bounty. It is a story of western expansion, wealth, greed, suffering and triumph. Death Valley is a land of extremes, and much more.

In 1849, a group of pioneers crossed Death Valley in search of a route to the gold fields of California. When finally making their escape from the valley, the group bid it farewell with the words “Good bye Death Valley!” christening it with the name it is known by today.

A lot of variables come into play here depending on how wet the summer was, El Nino or La Nina. There is no precise way to really plan it.

This year I was off by a week. Photographers were telling me I needed to be there a week earlier than I had my plans booked for the trip. But I was lucky this year. The fall colors stuck around for me in most the areas I was traveling to, especially the area called the Dallas Divide.

It takes me 18 hours to drive just to the southern section of Colorado from Dallas Texas. So I took off after work and changed my itinerary around and headed straight to the Dallas Divide area since this was the prettiest spot on the trip. And the decision did not disappoint me. I got a chance to explore a lot of the back roads and see a lot of different vantage points to see the mountain range.

Other areas we explored were around Ouray and Silverton to see a few old gold and silver mines. We checked out a few waterfalls in a couple of box canyons that still had enough water worthy to photograph.

I made the plans months in advance and had to just simply guestimate on when I wanted to try and be there. Most people were telling me I planned the trip too late as fall colors are in full swing during late September. I planned my trip for the first week of October. Lower right is a map to the main locations to photograph in the Tetons. Someone was nice enough to post one like this on one of the photo forums I hang out on. Helped me a lot in the beginning. Click on it and it will bring up a larger version. Print it and take it with you.

The leaves were just starting to change with no real color the first couple of days. But as it got colder the color was getting better. By day 4 the color was in full swing and it seemed to happen suddenly. I was hitting the main areas to photograph and it was a zoo with all the photographers. Over 100 of them were lined up along the road photographing Oxbow Bend. I was getting up at 4:30am every morning. Not so I could get first light since that was a couple of hours before sunrise, but to establish my position for the shot I wanted. If you want the best position, scope the area out the day before and do the same.

Almost every day, I was the first to arrive at the scene where ever I was going. I scoped out each location the day before so I know where I wanted to be. Schwabacher’s Landing was no different. Photographers were lined up all along the small pond or lake with the Tetons hitting the water. There is a small area to get the so called perfect spot. Really about 6 or 7 people can get that perfect angle. The rest have to position themselves in other areas along the pond.

It’s pretty much the “photographer’s code”. If you miss the opportunity to get the right spot, have enough manners to move on to a different spot and try again the next day. But there were a few times someone would try and move in between us who were late arrivals. I hit Schwabacher’s Landing twice and both times was either the first or second person there. The first arrivals would jokingly talk about what to expect as the late comers would arrive one by one.

I was out in the elements for this trip the entire time camping for 12 days, mainly at the Signal Mountain Campsite. I was a little disappointed in the cloudless days we seemed to be getting, but we had good weather for the most part. During the last 2 days a strong cold front came through with heavy rain. The wind had blow away most of the leaves on the trees. I was kind of surprised by this but felt fortunate to have had plenty of time to get most of the shots I wanted. My dad had gone on this trip with me. So during the day we tried our luck fly fishing the Snake River and a few lakes. We did not catch very many fish but my dad did catch 4 nice sized trout. I caught one. We had a great time camping out.