Eureka Valley is located within Death Valley National Park and was added to the park when Death Valley became a national park in 1994. Death Valley NP is now the largest national park in the lower 48 states at over 3.3 million acres, 50% more than Yellowstone. Ninety One per cent of the park is designated wilderness and Eureka Valley is definitely wilderness. It is approximately 28 miles long and up to 10 miles wide. Eureka Valley could be its own national park. The valley is known for its soaring sand dunes, the colorful Last Chance Range and views to the snow-capped White Mountains that reach some 14,000 feet into the air.
Clouds pass over Eureka Valley at Death Valley National Park, California
Eureka Valley, upper left on map, is a 2 hour drive from the center of Death Valley NP, mostly on dirt and gravel roads.
Colorful strata are the predominate feature of the aptly named Last Chance Range.
The snow-covered White Mountains as seen from Eureka Valley.
Lazy clouds pass over Eureka Valley.
A full moon lights up the landscape over Eureka Dunes.
High winds kick up sand at Eureka Valley and eventually settles at the south end where the dunes reside.
The dunes rise up to 700 feet, amongst the tallest in North America.
The dunes look rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Sunset over the valley.
It’s amazing that anything grows or survives here.
Small mammals survive here by burrowing into the sand for relief. These nests are home to the kangaroo rat.
Rain makes an occasional appearance at Death Valley, but only a few inches annually.
After I endured the buzz over of that fighter jet, I headed up the sand dunes. Hiking sand dunes with camera gear can be exhausting. The key is to hike on firm sand, not the soft stuff. A cloudy day was producing flat light. With flat light, you don’t get any shadows which is vital to bringing out the ripples in the sand. However, there was a dark soot or dirt embedded in the sand that provided some good contrast that made these images pop!
The sun struggles to appear through the clouds at Eureka Dunes at Death Valley National Park, California
There are actually people at the top which gives you a sense of scale. I was about a 1/3 of the way up
After my visit to Racetrack Playa, I motored over more rough roads for 45 miles to Eureka Dunes. It’s in a remote part of Death Valley National Park so not many people go there. The dunes are 700 feet tall, amongst the tallest in North America. Low hanging clouds, a few sprinkles and a beautiful rainbow made for good photos.
Death Valley National Park is huge. In fact, it’s the largest national park in the continental United States. The park contains many remote areas that are difficult to get to but well worth the effort. One such is Eureka Dunes in the northern section of the park. They reach some 700 feet into the California sky. You have to drive about 40 miles on a severely washboarded road to get there from the center of the park. Most visitors go to the Stove Pipe Wells Sand Dunes but bus loads of tourists leave their tracks in the sand there. I’ve been to Eureka Dunes numerous times and enjoy camping at the somewhat primitive campground. The dunes are at the foot of the aptly named Last Chance Mountains and the sands are forever shifting. Nature is amazing!
