Zabriskie Point

Story

Death Valley National Park in California is a desolate and remote park, but that doesn’t mean it is barren of beauty. It is quite the opposite and has some of the most dramatic desert landscapes anywhere. From incredible sand dunes to salt flats to soaring mountains, Death Valley is a photographer’s fairyland. But Zabriskie Point is in a league of its own within the park.

Death Valley National Park is incredibly vast. When looking at a map, you quickly see how big it is. Once you are actually in it, however, you realize just how expansive it truly is. It holds so many incredibly beautiful locations that it is hard to prioritize them all.

Zabriskie Point is one of the must-see location in the park. And not just once, either, for each time you visit it, the scene before you is different, sometimes subtly so and sometimes incredibly so.

The twisted, tortured rocks light up in the early morning and late afternoon, taking on the classic desert hues of oranges and deep yellows. But sometimes, like this morning, the sky also competes for your attention. With clouds and a cooperative sunrise, the sky is full of the same desert colors, filling your view with an explosion of color.

Sometimes the colors are red, but now and then they glow orange, transforming a beautiful scene into a magnificent photograph.

Beyond Zabriski Point

Just beyond Zabriskie Point, you can see into Death Valley itself, and beyond that, the sweep of the Panamint Mountains. The rising sun is kissing the top of Rogers and Wildrose Peaks. The rest of the Panamints bask in the warmth of the morning.

Shortly after I made this photograph, the sun climbed higher into the sky at Zabriskie Point. The rest of Death Valley braced itself for another hot day.