All Going
All Not Going
Death Valley Photography Trip December 10-13th, 2020
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START DATE
Thursday, December 10, 2020
06:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada)06:00 Hrs GMT -8:00 -
END DATE
Sunday, December 13, 2020
03:00 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada)15:00 Hrs GMT -8:00
RALLY POINT EVENT
OVERLAND BOUND REGION
US West
EVENT TYPE
Trip
DIFFICULTY
3 - MODERATE 1
Rally Point Event
Terrain Type
- Dirt Road
- Highway
- Mud
- Sand
Recommended
- 4WD
- Lift
- Off Road Tires
Channel
- HAM 146.460
Rally Point Details:
This trip will be run by Ron, @KLTH19, and will continue to be fleshed out as the trip approaches. Ron has been to all of these locations a few times at least, and may add more new ones depending on what his research turns up. The complication with photography in Death Valley is that locations are at their best at sunrise or sunset, and you can't do two locations for a given sunrise or sunset so that typically leaves you with two locations total per day. Dispersed camping locations TBD but may included near Racetrack Playa, Echo Canyon Road and Cottonwood Road
In terms of the number of rigs the trip is limited to 8 rigs as beyond that a trip like this becomes tough to manage. Duration will depend on the number of locations. The general plan is to enter the park via surface roads, though others would have the option to depart via Mengel Pass for example - that would be the discretion of the group members up and not part of the trip per se.
HIKING - a word on this for anyone who is wondering. Most locations are on flat ground and you get to decide how far you want to hike to get a location. Exceptions are Mesquite Dunes, where I usually find you need to hike a mile or so out into the dunes to get the best locations - and that's a lot of up and down over and through sand dunes - and Marble Canyon where the middle narrows is about 1.5 miles beyond where we'll park (again, mostly flat ground).
NOTE - I'm in the midst of planning the trip right now, so please feel free to let me know if there are specific locations you would like to visit and I'll see if they can be added to the itinerary. Death Valley is a big national park, and locations tend to be quite far apart, which makes planning critical.
PapaDave
Local Expert Northern ID and North East WA- Coeur d'Alene, ID, USA
- @PapaDave
- 08/01/17
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Overlandenthusiast
Member# 24577Aparajit Bajpai | San Francisco, California, United States Member since 08 May 2020
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Bungy_teckel
Member#
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socal66
Member# 24109
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matttrent
Member#
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OutbackInTheWild
Member# 25591
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bennybasics
Member# 25429Matt Comer | Los Angeles, California 90018, United States Member since 29 Jul 2020
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Sylvester
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Chris Mayer
Member# 22286- Start Point: Death Valley, CA, USA GPS Coordinates: 36.53226, -116.93254 Notes:
- WayPoint 1: Badwater Basin, Death Valley, CA, USA GPS Coordinates: 36.23015, -116.76739 Notes: Badwater Basin is a sunrise location. Walk about a mile or so onto the salt flats from the parking lot to get to the hexagonal salt structures.
- WayPoint 2: Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, DEATH VALLEY, CA, USA GPS Coordinates: 36.61512, -117.11314 Notes: These dunes work for photography at either sunrise or sunset. Sunrise is usually better as there are fewer people, and footprints will often have been cleared by the wind overnight. Gaiters are a good idea, and a head torch is a very good idea. if you can avoid changing lenses that\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s also a good idea as the sand can wreak havoc with camera internals.
- WayPoint 3: Zabriskie Point, California 190, California, USA GPS Coordinates: 36.42007, -116.81223 Notes: Again a sunrise location. Can get quite busy - don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t forget to look around for shots other than Manly Beacon - especially during the pre-dawn light.
- WayPoint 4: Racetrack Playa, California, USA GPS Coordinates: 36.6813, -117.5627 Notes: Works at any time of day, but you will be better able to pick out the rock tracks on the playa when the sun is low. We\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'ll plan to be here for a sunset and sunrise - camping nearby at Homestead overnight.
- WayPoint 5: Inyo Mine, Death Valley, CA, USA GPS Coordinates: 36.49356, -116.7033 Notes: Interesting abandoned mine site. Dispersed camping opportunities along Echo Pass on the way to the mine site.
- WayPoint 6: Marble Canyon, Death Valley, California, USA GPS Coordinates: 36.64494, -117.27646 Notes: My favorite slot canyon in Death Valley, and quieter than others such as Sidewinder Canyon because it\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s tougher to get to. Cottonwood Canyon Road is a mixture of dirt and sand - the road can be rough to the trailhead for Marble Canyon, but no specific need for high clearance.
- WayPoint 7: Dante\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s View, California, USA GPS Coordinates: 36.22107, -116.72559 Notes: Likely a sunset location for us on this trip, to make it work with the schedule.
- WayPoint 8: Hunter Mountain, Death Valley, California, USA GPS Coordinates: 36.54133, -117.51007 Notes: Waypoint on the way to Racetrack Playa via Hunter Mountain Road.
- WayPoint 9: Ubehebe Crater, Death Valley, CA, USA GPS Coordinates: 37.01075, -117.45474 Notes: We can stop here on the way back into the valley from Racetrack Playa. The parking lot provides a convenient spot to air up after leaving Racetrack Road.
- WayPoint 10: Panamint Dunes, California, USA GPS Coordinates: 36.46175, -117.45576 Notes: OPTIONAL Dunes and mountains with foreground interest (exposed rocks etc.). I may add this to the plan depending on what my research turns up. I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'m undecided on this one as its a 3 mile hike to the dunes from the trail, over rough ground.
- WayPoint 11: Rhyolite Ghost Town, Beatty, NV, USA GPS Coordinates: 36.90116, -116.82891 Notes: Optional side trip if we happen to be in the area - though this one is outside the park near Beatty, NV.
- WayPoint 12: Chloride City, CA, USA GPS Coordinates: 36.70234, -116.88219 Notes: A possibility if we\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'re in the area. Requires 4-Low and clearance though for some of the rock steps.
- WayPoint 13: Golden Canyon Trailhead, Badwater Road, Furnace Creek, CA, USA GPS Coordinates: 36.4207, -116.84677 Notes: Departure Point on December 10, 2020
- End Point: Kohl's, Camino Arroyo, Gilroy, CA, USA GPS Coordinates: 37.00045, -121.55074 Notes:
This Rally Point location and route can be downloaded if the buttons are active. The “Launch Google Earth" option will allow you to review the location in 3D. Please keep in mind, actual terrain may vary greatly. This should be used for reference only.
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