Welcome back folks and here was my quick trip to DV. I touched down at Las Vegas, Nevada and did my stay at Pahrump during 2/26-28 while I did my DV trips on 2/27 and half a day on the 28th. If you want to save time, try to rent a hotel in the park though that depends on your budget. Coming from Pahrump, where I stayed, will take you at least an hour. Without delay, here was my itinerary.
2/27
Sunrise at Zabriskie Point
This is a famous spot for people to do sunrise/sunset photos. It's recommended pretty much by the internet community that this is the spot to start or end your day. I had to pretty much leave Pahrump around 540AM that day to get here (one hr drive roughly). Lots of photographers already doing their stuff.
Twenty Mule Team Canyon drive
I was at this spot to locate the Return of the Jedi filming scenes. It's a one way road btw so you are going to have to find spots to pull off on the side and find the iconic spots. I did not see one person here so enjoy.
Furnace Creek visitor center
This is your chance to replenish food, gas or buy gifts back home for people. This is one of the few spots to have wi-fi. Also, you must have your National Park annual pass or proof that you purchased a park pass to get maps.
Mosaic Canyon
One of the famous hikes in the park. Will take about 30 mins to get here from Furnace Creek and its a very bumpy, gravel road as you enter this area. Due to the storm hitting this park a few days prior to my arrival, there was mini waterfalls on some parts of the hike. Its about 2.5 hrs round trip roughly. Stovewell Pipes is nearby... another chance to stock up on gas, food or supplies though it can be pricey.
Mesquite Sand Dunes
Next nearest spot to Stovewell Pipes. You can hike out to the tallest dunes which will probably be 30 mins from the parking lot. I only made it to the middle dunes. Another Star Wars filming location.
Golden Canyon to the Red Cathedral
 |
| Red Cathedral |
This is arguably the most popular hike in the park. Golden Canyon is roughly only 0.9 miles but if you hike out to the Red Cathedral it will add another 2 miles round trip. Most people retreat by the time they see the Red Cathedral from a distance. Only me and two others made it to the top (2nd pic in this category is the view from the top). This place is also the mother of all SW filming spots. Early on the beginning of the hike, roughly about 3-5 mins into the hike, to your left is all the Jawa hiding spots.
Artist Palette
You can hike up to the color rock formations. It's quick and fairly easy so since you are here, why not? Another spot for SW filming.
Devil's Golf Course
As you can see the sun was starting to set and my priority was to hit Badwater Basin prior to sunset.
Badwater Basin
BB is pretty much the spot most DV enthusiasts will tell you not to miss. The clouds obscured the sun that day. So much for a cool sunset pic. Anyhow, if you are trying to hit this spot prior to a sunrise or sunset, it will take 25-30 mins to get to the honeycomb like formations from the parking lot. So once again, plan accordingly. In the SW films, this is the spot from Dante's view where Obi-Wan shows Luke Mos Eisley from a far. In the film, BB is replaced with a matte painting of Mos Eisley. In reality, this is the spot where they were looking at.
2/28
Desolation Canyon
This place is a little difficult to get to if you are not using a GPS or have no idea where to go. For the other spots I visited, many of them have signs pointing where to go. DC is located a few miles after Golden Canyon. Once you enter the narrow road, there is a small sign that says you are in DC. But there are no signs in the main road that point out to here. I was only here to see more of the SW filming spots. I did not do the full hike. I heard if you do, you get to see a nice overlook of Artist Palette from above.
Harmony Borax
This spot is close to the Furnace Creek visitor center. It was my last stop before heading out to Las Vegas. Nice small operation that lasted from 1883-1888. What remains of it is impressive.
Conclusion:
That was that. If I had more time to spent, I definitely would had hit Natural Bridge hike, Darwin Falls and check out some of the ghost towns. DV is worth the look overall. Next stop: Las Vegas. Thank you for visiting and thank you Jesus for a safe trip to DV and back.
Comments
Post a Comment