Death Valley Super Bloom

Last time we went to Death Valley, we were kayaking. This year we revisited the park to see evidence of all of this water. It was a once in a decade “super bloom”. Wow!!!

If you have been to Death Valley, you will know how desolate it can be. But this year, the desert floor was carpeted in flowers. Driving through Badwater Basin and along the highway near Furnace Creek, the horizon was yellow. It was like mustard field. 

Up close, there were more than just these “desert gold sunflowers”. There were purple flowers “Phacelia”, tiny white “Gravel Ghosts” and “Mohave Stars” – with 5 little dots inside each bloom to attract the pollinators.

It was interesting to drive up to one of our favorite places in the park – Ubehebe Crater. As we climbed higher in elevation, the landscape transitioned from yellow flowers to poppies and purple flowers along the road. This changed to fields of pink inside the crater.

The rocky scree slope was covered with a pink hue. We didn’t expect such a vibrant colorful landscape. We hadn’t planned to hike the 800 feet down (and back up) to go into the crater, but the flowers were so pretty, we just had to go.

Then, of course, we had to do our favorite trail – the Ubehebe Loop around the rim of the volcano. It was hard not to take hundreds of photos! 

We hated to leave, but we wanted to visit somewhere we hadn’t been before – Mosaic Canyon. It was not too far off the road from Ubehebe back to Furnace Creek, just a couple miles outside Stovepipe Wells. A two mile gravel washboard road takes you up to the trailhead where you can start a 4 mile out and back hike. Most of is moderate, with a bit of rock scrambling. Fun to walk through the canyon as it narrows and widens out, only to narrow again.

What made it really special were the flowers, tenuously clinging to the rock walls and peeking their way through the rocky floor. Mother nature never disappoints and neither do our National Parks.