Desert gold flowers in Death Valley National Park
What involves mind if you hear the words “Death Valley”? Some type of desolate hellscape, I could imagine. To be fair, it’s certainly one of the most popular places on earth in summer. With temperatures over 120°C, you may think this can be a place devoid of life. The truth is more surprising. While rain sometimes falls even in extremely dry Death Valley, last 12 months was exceptionally wet. Between October 2023 and April 2024 alone there was rain for a complete 12 months.
These flowers are called desert gold, other wildflowers might be present in other areas of the park … [+]
So what might surprise you is how much Life There is a spot literally called “Death.” In some years there may be a phenomenon called “Superbloom“, which is precisely what it feels like. It is a particularly rare event with an abundance of flowers blooming, way over usual. Even though that level wasn’t officially reached this 12 months, there was still an epic sight to behold in certainly one of California’s best national parks.
Flowers and flowers and flowers.
I visited Death Valley twice in April (and a number of other times before that). The first, on the 2nd, made an appearance that was as unexpected because it was epic: snow. Not just a bit of snow, a much of snow. A whole lot of snow plowing the streets. The west entrance to the park, about half-hour from Lone Pine, is at 4,900 feet. So the rainstorm from the night before, combined with unseasonably low temperatures, dropped several inches across the upper portion of the park.
The snow-capped Panamint Range. When I took this photo it was about 80 degrees within the valley.
As we drove along State Route 190 through Panamint Springs, the subsequent wonder revealed itself: a sea of yellow. The flowers of the appropriately named Desert gold spreads across the Panamint Valley. During this visit on April 2, parts of the road were covered with rocks and dirt attributable to flash flooding attributable to recent rain. The only option to proceed was to crawl slower and watch out to avoid the larger rocks. The road crews stationed on the park did an incredible job and apparently fixed almost the entire natural and unintentional speed bumps by the top of the day.
I take this photo each time I visit the DVNP. California State Route 190 through Panamint Valley, … [+]
The unusual amount of water was the explanation why Lake Manly appeared to the east. There was already a small muddy lake here before the long climb over Towne Pass. Snow, flowers, water, the whole lot was a miracle on this hottest and driest place.
Panamint Valley due to the Insta360 X4. Cameo next to the RV I built.
How long will this all take?
If you desire to see the flowers, you have got to rush. As of this writing, the typical every day temperature within the park is already over 100 degrees. The valet awaits The “flowers on the valley floor will soon disappear.” Lake Manly, the temporary lake within the Badwater Basin, could last significantly longer, but within the late spring and summer heat it’s unlikely to last long.
A tiny planet of Panamint Valley via an Insta360 X4.
However, the park recently celebrated End of emergency repairs to over 1,300 miles of roads inside the park. After the storms of 2023, much of the park was closed. Even though the flowers and lake are gone, there remains to be quite a bit to see on this beautiful place.
If you are interested by more of my travel chatter, my book Budget Travel for Dummies is obtainable in all places, amongst others Amazon And Barnes & Noble.
My beloved motorhome enjoys the flowers.
For more information in regards to the RV I built, try my How to Build a Campervan Series here on Forbes.
