The Low Point

We have arrived in Death Valley and have set up at the Texas Springs Camp. It is situated a little high up off the valley floor, so we have a view out over the valley to the Panamint mountains. Our back window looks out on some sandy hills. We arrived not knowing where we would camp. Most of the RV camping in Death Valley is a first come, first served variety, but we got here at about noon, just after check out time, and had a few choices in one of the favorite camp areas. Score! This is a dry camp, no generators allowed, so our solar is extra nice.

The drive this morning was lovely. I'm sure you'll get tired of reading about our wonderful driving experiences, but it is all true. As we left the Tonopah Dispersed Camping area, we drove south on US 95, and quickly started seeing Joshua trees. Topping a pass, you could see four ranges of mountains in the distance, including the snow-topped Sierra. Gorgeous. We also drove through the town of Goldfield, NV, which looked like it came out of some movie set. I took a ton a pictures, but with Russ's big camera, so nothing to post... again.

Distant Mountains

Joshua Trees

More mountains and Joshua Trees and sagebrush

After setting up and getting settled, we drove south through the valley to Bad Water Basin, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. We hiked out maybe two miles onto the salt flat. It was perfect timing, since it is forecast to rain tonight at 7 pm, and so the clouds kept the sun off us and made for a comfortable hike. We plan to stay here for four nights, so we'll have many opportunities to really explore the park.

The Low Point

Salt flats and the view into north Death Valley

This was the trail.