On our way up to Death Valley, we made a “quick” stop at Red Rock National Park, however, we made it up there quite unconventionally. Our GPS managed to direct us through what seemed like uncharted territory; it led us through roadless canyons, passed abandoned mines and up dirt roads whose sides were sheer cliffs about 150 feet high. Despite the u-turns and wrong turns, we managed to wind up…smack dab in the middle of the park. With not a soul to be found.
Red Rock
We stopped to take photos of the terrain, and even managed to snap some shots of the jeep that got us there safely.
Red Rock Canyon National Park Flowers
We made it back down to the highway and headed to our next stop. Just off the side of the 395 highway, we spotted a turquoise lake (Little Lake) for some photo ops and ended up finding a great hiking trail through what use to be a waterfall that carved holes into ancient lava. It was really amazing to see how the water had made caves and pools in the aged lava and I tried to imagine what it would have looked like when water was not a scarcity there.
Little Lake and Purple Hill volcano
Little Fall lava
The heat (and cramped car) was starting to get to us, so we made our way to check into the hotel at Furnace Creek in Death Valley. Here’s a shot of us making our way down into the valley. Spectacular views!
Death Valley
We arrived in Death Valley, with 3 Million acres to explore. Stay tuned for our Death Valley post!