Another large valley at Death Valley National Park is Panamint Valley. It is 65 miles long and up to 10 miles wide and stretches from Panamint Dunes, located inside the park, to the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Center. It is also home to the Barker Ranch, infamous as the temporary home of the Charles Manson gang in the late 1960s.
In the middle of my visit to Death Valley last week, I made a side trip through California’s Owens Valley. The snow level was much lower than in previous years as California has been hit with numerous storms this winter. Unfortunately, low clouds obscured the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Badwater Basin at Death Valley National Park, is a landscape of extremes. Extreme temperatures, extreme elevation changes and extreme dryness. Because the basin is at an elevation of 282 feet below sea level, the average high temperature in July is 116 degrees F. The highest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 134 degrees at Death Valley in 1913. Little wonder that I and most others visit during the winter months.
Badwater is surrounded by soaring peaks and eroded sandstone formations. Snow-covered Telescope Peak, standing at 11,049 feet, is quite a contrast to the salt flats at Badwater Basin. The salt flats are approximately 200 square miles in area and are formed when rain flushes minerals from the nearby hills and mountains to the flats of Badwater. The high heat and dryness ( DV only receives 2 inches of moisture annually) evaporates everything except the salt.
The upper elevations receive more snow than the main canyon at Zion, so naturally, I had to check it out. Looked more like the Sierras in California.
Recent snow has completely engulfed The Pine Valley Mountains in Southern Utah, just north of St. George. The arctic white peaks are quite a contrast to the parched desert sagebrush in the lower elevations. Signal Peak is the highest point here at 10,365 feet. This range is located within Dixie National Forest and is about 40 miles west of Zion National Park.
Photos from a recent snowfall at Zion NP.
Images from winter at Zion National Park and surrounding area. All were converted to Black and White. Color images will follow soon!
I went to Zion National Park today to photograph the amazing fall colors happening now but was detoured because it snowed. I mostly shot the fall colors(To Follow) but thought I’d post some early winter pics or both?
