Death Valley: Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

I backcountry hiked from Stovepipe Wells to Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes during a cloudy and occasionally rainy late December day in Death Valley. I spent countless hours photographing the intricate patterns formed in the sands and clays and dunes and vegetation of the desert. The grand vistas were undoubtedly impressive, but I came to a greater appreciation when examining the finer details of my surroundings. After the dunes, I drove east on highway 374 and viewed the sunset from a vantage point of 3000-5000 feet above the Valley.

Intricate sand and clay formations at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley, CA.

Sand/clay formations at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley, CA.

Sand/clay formations at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley, CA.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley, CA.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley, CA.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley, CA.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley, CA.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley, CA.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley, CA.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley, CA.

View from Daylight Pass Road and Beatty Road, Death Valley, CA.