Death
VALLEY By Michael Kovalsky
explore the outdoors
Wintertime in Southern California—it’s really not THAT different than the rest of the year. However, winter here does bring us a great opportunity. It brings cool, comfortable temperatures to our country’s lowest, driest and (normally) hottest national park, Death Valley National Park. With temps reaching 117 degrees in the summer, Death Valley is much more forgiving during the winter when the average temperature is around 65 degrees. Now if you think the desert is dead, boring and not worth your time, you’re totally missing out. As the largest national park in the continental United States, Death Valley has sand dunes, saltflats, valleys, canyons and mountains. There’s truly something for everyone here. Star Wars fans, this also includes you—a handful of scenes from Episode IV were shot at Death Valley, and the locations just so happen to be many of the same sites I’d recommend visiting. In Death Valley it’s easy to get around—so easy that you can see the best parts in a long weekend trip. Grab a map when you enter the park, and be sure to visit the following sites: Mesquite Flat
22 Hill Section Life t December 2016
Sand Dunes, Zabriskie Point, Artist’s Palette, Dante’s View and Badwater Basin. If you had to choose one site in the park to spend most of your time exploring, it would definitely have to be the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Catch the early morning sunrise when the dunes will be shaped like new from the overnight winds. With no other footprints in sight, you’ll feel like you’re the first explorer to ever walk the dunes… and don’t just walk! Be sure to climb up the highest dune and run down. Who says you can’t be a kid again? The fun of Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, the wild rock formations of Zabriskie Point, the variety of rock colors at Artist’s Palette, the long vast desert views from Dante’s View and the white salt-flats of Badwater Basin—these are very unique natural features that you can see from just ONE trip. It’s an opportunity to get the kids interested in the outdoors and for the adults to act like kids, so don’t forget your camera! For more tips, photos and information on the park, please visit www.exploremorenature.com to see my trip guide to Death Valley National Park. December 2016 t Hill Section Life
23