Springtime in Death Valley can be one of the best times of year to visit this astounding place. The weather will generally be mild, most of the winter storms will have passed, and you can experience the desert in bloom. Death Valley blanketed by wildflowers is something everyone living in the West must see at least once.
Deciding When to Go
While any time in spring is fine, figuring out when to go to see the bloom is a tricky business. Wildflower blooms last only two to three weeks, so you need to be able to act fast. Begin checking the NPS Death Valley News website around the beginning of March. The park service will post wildflower updates at the start of the season and update them as the bloom progresses. The timing is different every year, but generally count on March to April being the time to visit if you want to see the flowers.
Getting There
The best way to get to Death Valley is in a very fast car with no top. Take the 395 until you hit the 178 around Inyokern for the best way to get into the park through Searles Valley and for some nice open desert driving. As you drop into the valley, stop off at some of the turnouts around the twisty downgrades and peek down...you'll be able to see the rusted out hulks of all the cars not lucky enough to have such great steering. On the way you'll see some gorgeous views of the Panamints.
If you've got an off-road vehicle (or a rental...) be sure to stop off to check out Ballarat. Ballarat is the gateway to some extreme 4x4 roads and off-roading; Charles Manson's hideout is tucked away up in those hills.
Eventually you'll come to a fork in the road, one heading left to go to the 190...but the better way to go is up Wildrose Canyon Road. This road is a windy road up into the Panamints. Going slowly up through the altitudes will give ample time to see how the bloom's progressing with lots of washes to go tromping off into to see the various wildflowers. The road is paved, but parts of it may be washed out or turned to gravel. Towards the top it is listed as a dirt road on most maps. But it all just leads into the next best part of the trip.
Camping
The best place to camp during late winter and early spring must be the Wildrose campground. This campground is at the top of Wildrose Canyon Road, or at the end of Emigrant Canyon Road. Water may or may not be available; bring lots of your own to make sure. Most times it is usually populated with tent campers; if you have an RV it's not a place for you. With a tent you can park and hike on up some of the little hills and really get some nice privacy and views.
Hiking
If you camp at Wildrose, there are some great hills and mountain trails close by for some night hiking or nice day excursions up to Wildrose Peak and Telescope Peak. During the summer these are some of the only longer hikes you can do, but during spring you may even get a chance to still see some snows and wonderful views.
Take Emigrant Canyon Road and you'll pass by yet more washes with flowers if the bloom is high enough and a number of dirt roads leading to some fun stop offs for very short little hiking excursions like Skidoo and the Eureka Mine. There's not much by way of longer hiking, but they're fun places to visit nonetheless.
The Artist's Palette drive is wonderful at any time, but you may be lucky enough to get there while there's still some wildflowers out. While there's no marked trails, you can part at the Artist's Palette viewpoint, scramble down into the bottom of the washes, and then start meandering through the various runoff areas. As always, try to only follow what look like existing scramble trails; don't make new ones. If you have enough patience, you can eventually scramble on up for some wonderful views of the valley itself.
Badwater is also a great place to start some longer hikes. Just go out onto the dry lake bed and make your own trail. The farther out you go, the less trampled the salt will be and the salt formations will start to become all the more dramatic. Even if the weather is cool, bring sunscreen since it'll be bright. And watch out: the salt will do a number on weak-soled boots.
Driving up to Dantes View or Mormon Point can also be a great way to gain some nice changes in altitudes during blooms and get a chance to see some wonderful flowers.
Originally posted 2008-12-06 04:12:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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