Death Valley National Park - May ‘24

I immediately fell in love with the wildflowers, the rich tones vibrant against the stark goldens of the desert. I took a Death Valley tour from Las Vegas a few years ago. I was struck by how different some of the landscapes were as all I knew before going is that it’s a desert and can get extremely hot. I went in early May which was hot but not yet unbearable for me compared to the sweltering humidity of Midwest summers. Speaking with our tour guides though, I was more than a little horrified to learn they ran the tour through the later parts of the summer as well when temps would steadily remain in the triple digits.

Walking the salt flats, I understood how you can get lost in the desert. It’s disorienting to see how little progress you’ve made when things in the distance seem in reach. Comparatively, the soft pastels of Artists Palette were chalky and peaceful. I wish I could have lingered there to see the colors change as the day went on. These are the images that stayed with me as I resisted sleep in the passenger van rumbling back to the Vegas Strip after midnight.

Death Valley National Park in California, United States

Season: Early May

Notable locations: Dante's View, Badwater, Artists Palette, Zabriskie Point

Kit: Images from this trip were taken with an iPhone