Mammoth: March 2018: Day 1: Death Valley

Mammoth

Mar 2018: Day 1: Detour to Death Valley

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. I imagine they get more unreal further in to the dunes, but by the road, not so much.

Hello parking lot.

Devils Golf Course.

Wander just a few hundred feet and the formations change considerably.

Salt crystals.

It may only be knee high, but it's a crazy knee high.

Artists Drive.

Artists Palette.

Winding road. Perfectly paved. And some lovely scenery.

Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level-- lowest elevation in North America.

Packed with tourists.

Wooden path at first.

Long walk onto the salt.

Sea level is about halfway up those mountains.

Dry lake at this time of year.

I could have gone further, but ran out of time.

Zabriskie Point. Golden Canyon is on the western end-- about 2.5 miles away.

Red Cathedral, to the right of Manly Beacon.

Lava from eruptions is the dark color.

Slot canyons among the yellow and brown hues.

The top. ADA accessible.

Dinner in Bishop at Yamatani.

Have modest expectations.

Scottish trout on left. Not bad.

Saba (mackerel), tako (octopus), and hotate (scallop) were pretty so-so.

Sake (salmon) wasn't bad.

So this is the place we see off the main drag but have never stopped by til now...

An abbreviated version of the classic Death Valley National Park "must" see stops on the way up to Mammoth: Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Devils Golf Course, Artists Drive, Badwater Basin, and Zabriskie Point. Sadly Dantes View was closed, and neither Harmony Borax Works nor and Twenty Mule Team Canyon fit into the time I had.

Having seen White Sands before, honestly, Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes wasn't very impressive. I suspect if you have time to hike deeper in, where you're surrounded by the dunes, it's worth the time... as far as this trip, though, the next stop was Devils Golf Course. That was truly unique-- calf-high formations in several distinct styles, some topped with salt crystals. Very cool. Make sure to stop by at least two areas since there are turn-outs every couple hundred feet. Road was surprisingly good too-- easily passable. Passed by Devils Cornfield on the way as well but didn't get too much of a look.

Artists Drive and Artist's Palette was a nice drive, complete with a short hike early on, that exposes you to the wind-swept mountains, not just the lowlands... although if you're tight on time I might skip it.

Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the Continental United States at 282 feet/86 meters below sea level, is definitely the highlight of any visit. Salt flats for miles next to several hundred feet of mountains that dramatically emphasizes just how far below sea level you are-- when you walk onto the salt, make sure to turn around and look for the sigh on the mountain indicating sea level. It's dramatic in a very understated way, yet the significant still sinks in.

Final stop was Zabriskie Point. Golden hues topped with darker lava. Well worth a visit. Apparently the slot canyons connect to Golden Canyon (2.5 miles one-way?) off Badwater Road, t'was strongly tempted to hike it!

The detour for Death Valley is considerable, it's maybe an hour to one of the entrances on the western edge of the park, and another 45 minutes to actually hit the center of the park (Furnace Creek) and most of the sights. Well worth the stop if you have time.

Being one of the spring break weekends, Mammoth and Bishop were both busy. Stopped at Yamatani for sushi in Bishop, hoping it wasn't a mistake... and it wasn't. But I went in with low expectations, so keep that in mind!