Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Landscape Photography Locations => Topic started by: blueaerodynamique on May 05, 2011, 10:15:22 am
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I am hoping that someone can help me. I'm going to Death Valley again in September and I'd like to visit the Dunes near Stovepipe Wells. I've seen a few shots where there is an area of dried cracked mud in the foreground and I was wondering how far into the dunes these areas are? Could anyone give me an idea of how to find them?
Due to my husband being a wheelchair user, I can't go wandering off for long, so I am hoping that I'll be able to reach them fairly easily.
Many thanks
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Do you mean racetrack? Looks like this: http://www.danecreekphotography.com/dvalley.html?id=9.
Neil
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I am hoping that someone can help me. I'm going to Death Valley again in September and I'd like to visit the Dunes near Stovepipe Wells. I've seen a few shots where there is an area of dried cracked mud in the foreground and I was wondering how far into the dunes these areas are? Could anyone give me an idea of how to find them?
Due to my husband being a wheelchair user, I can't go wandering off for long, so I am hoping that I'll be able to reach them fairly easily.
Many thanks
The dried mud patches are not that far into the Mesquite dunes. IIRC, I can't give you a distance but you should find the first ones around 800m (1/2 mi) from the road - maybe less.
That being said, I wouldn't let anybody sit in the car, even in September. The Stovepipe Wells village is nearby. It's a better place to wait.
Edit: looking at my old photos, it looks like it took me about 10 minutes to reach the first interesting ones. The time is takes depends on sand condition, heat, wind and of course your fitness level.
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It isn't the racetrack ( though I would love to go there!)
It is on the dunes next to Stovepipe Wells. I hope I haven't done the wrong thing in linking to someone elses website. I have seen these areas of cracked mud forming the foreground of photos and there were some spectacular black/white ones in our room when we stayed at Furnace Creek Ranch.
http://www.davevalvo.com/Landscapes/SouthWest-USA/Death-Valley/6546187_XBmgw#432788709_tby3U
Thanks
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Thank you Francois. We have a room booked at SPW so I'll go early morning and leave him in bed :-) It still doesn't give me long though. Half a mile sounds ok.
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The place is wonderful but watch your clock and take water! It's easy to spend a lot of time in there without noticing.
Have a good trip.
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The Racetrack is a long way from Stovepipe Wells.
If you enter the SW Dunes right where the sign is, you have to slog across a large number of linear dunes, which is very tiring and time-consuming. If I recall correctly, that sign is maybe about a half mile east of Stovepipe Wells Village, where the hotel and gas station are. A better entrance point to the dunes is from much nearer the village, I think about a quarter of a mile east of it. Here you cross a fairly level area with a lot of the dried mud patches, called "Playa", before you get to the dunes.
Do go early in the morning before there are too many footprints.
Yes, this is the Mesquite Dunes. Here is a snap of the cracked mud.
Eric
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If you enter the SW Dunes right where the sign is, you have to slog across a large number of linear dunes, which is very tiring and time-consuming. If I recall correctly, that sign is maybe about a half mile east of Stovepipe Wells Village, where the hotel and gas station are. A better entrance point to the dunes is from much nearer the village, I think about a quarter of a mile east of it. Here you cross a fairly level area with a lot of the dried mud patches, called "Playa", before you get to the dunes.
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Google Earth might be helpful to find the best way to enter the dunes area but I've heard that they built a new parking lot lately.
As far as I remember, Eric, your description is about correct.
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I've just returned from Death Valley. All of the above information and advice is accurate. The new parking lot provides the easiest access for a first-time visit to the dunes and it's about a mile or so east of Stovepipe Wells.
If you arrive at the parking lot just before sunrise, you'll maximize your valuable time at this challenging, target-rich location.
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Thank you Eric, this is most helpful. That's exactly what I am looking for. I plan to have a little scout around the day before then go for sunrise. Francois you are correct, it will be easy to forget time and stay longer than planned.
Thank you everyone for your help. We don't have long in DV and I don't want to waste it scouting for the areas I want. I'd love to see the Racetrack but it is too far for the time we have. Another time maybe.
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coming into this a bit late, but I offer this:
I've shot at DV the past 5 years, and work the dunes a lot.
Location wise: My (car) GPS has N 36.60482 x W 117.13067 as a spot along the road which is close to what I think is the easiest/best access to the dunes - as others have stated, this is not the parking lot / typical tourist entry point to the dunes, but rather a spot off the road in between stovepipe wells village and said parking lot - it's a LOT easier to head into the dunes from this approach than it is from the lot. It's still a 20+ minute walk to the dunes though.
That being said, every time I go, I choose a slightly different entry point and approach angle as the compositions are quite varied.
Good luck, great place to shoot.
-m
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Many thanks to all who have replied, I am most grateful. Nashville Mike, thank you for the coordinates, I will use them to fine tune my approach to the dunes. A 20 minute walk (40 minute return trip) is doable for me if I leave hubby in bed. I am getting so excited about the trip now. I'll report back afterwards and let you know how I got on.
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Location wise: My (car) GPS has N 36.60482 x W 117.13067 as a spot along the road which is close to what I think is the easiest/best access to the dunes - as others have stated, this is not the parking lot / typical tourist entry point to the dunes, but rather a spot off the road in between stovepipe wells village and said parking lot - it's a LOT easier to head into the dunes from this approach than it is from the lot. It's still a 20+ minute walk to the dunes though.
That's also roughly where I enter the dunes - between Stovepipe Wells and the Mesquite Dunes parking lot.
Here's pic of the cracked mud:
http://www.pbase.com/pauls/image/133408378
Paul
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This is exactly the kind of image that has inspired me to go there! Thank you for sharing. Just one more question though, will I be ok leaving the car at the side of, but off the road? I don't want to pick up a parking ticket!
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So far (knock on wood) I've had no problem parking on the side of the road. The location I gave you has a very wide shoulder, so to speak, and you shouldn't have any problems finding a place to pull well off the side of the road.
BTW, I don't remember if you mentioned when you were heading out there, but from mid May on through summer, stating the obvious here of course, it has the potential to be *insanely* hot out on the dunes. Getting to the dunes 20 minutes prior to sunrise helps a lot as it's (relatively) cooler then, but if you choose to do late afternoon, pre-sunset shooting, get ready for some heat. Do not skimp on water, no matter when you go. Those dunes reflect a lot of energy back up at you, so sunscreen of course is a must.
As for sunrise vs set, I've had good results both ways. Far less footprints if you shoot sunrise, and you want to be there before the sun crests the mountain range and hits the dunes to set up your shots. The light for those first 20 minutes (or so) after the sun peeks up and starts hitting the dunes is magical, and it changes quickly.
-m
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Thanks Mike. We will be there on the morning of Sept 23rd and need to be back in Vegas lunchtime on Sunday 25th for our flight back to the U.K.
I will probably do sunrise as I can leave hubby sleeping:-) I've two of each to plan (sunrises and sunsets). Sunrise on the Sunday will be Dantes view as we head out of the Park. I'm thinking one sunset on the salt flats at Badwater (did sunrise there last time). The dunes may be sunrise Sat. My husband fancies Zabriski Point at sunrise again though I'd like to do somewhere I haven't done before.
Thanks for the tips about the heat. We were there in June 2010 and got a taste of it then. Loads of sunscreen and a hat, though I am fortunate in being able to tolerate it quite well. I was quite surprised at how much water I got through.
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Sunrise on the Sunday will be Dantes view as we head out of the Park. I'm thinking one sunset on the salt flats at Badwater (did sunrise there last time). The dunes may be sunrise Sat. My husband fancies Zabriski Point at sunrise again though I'd like to do somewhere I haven't done before.
Dantes View is an incredible place to be, let alone photograph. Sunrise there is spectacular. Cooler up there, too. : )
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5640597303_423f31e009_b.jpg)
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Lovely photograph Peter, we will certainly be visiting there. I'd imagine there will be hoardes of photographers there at dawn.
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I'd imagine there will be hoardes of photographers there at dawn.
Actually, at dawn at Dantes View, I was alone. The first visitors arrived hours later.
Thanks for the kudos. That's a self portrait. ;D
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Right. At dawn all the photographers are lining up down at Zabriskie Point, although even there I managed one morning with only a couple of other photographers, in January. Dante's View is indeed spectacular.
Eric
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Right. At dawn all the photographers are lining up down at Zabriskie Point, although even there I managed one morning with only a couple of other photographers, in January. Dante's View is indeed spectacular.
Eric
Dante's definitely seems to be more popular as a sunset destination, at at least the times I've been there. You do have to be prepared for the high winds that can blow up there even though the valley floor is still.
Zabriskie is a zoo on the weekends, it can be less crowded mid-week.
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coming into this a bit late, but I offer this:
I've shot at DV the past 5 years, and work the dunes a lot.
Location wise: My (car) GPS has N 36.60482 x W 117.13067 as a spot along the road which is close to what I think is the easiest/best access to the dunes - as others have stated, this is not the parking lot / typical tourist entry point to the dunes, but rather a spot off the road in between stovepipe wells village and said parking lot - it's a LOT easier to head into the dunes from this approach than it is from the lot. It's still a 20+ minute walk to the dunes though.
That being said, every time I go, I choose a slightly different entry point and approach angle as the compositions are quite varied.
Good luck, great place to shoot.
-m
Just a quick reply to thank you for this info. I was there this morning at 6.45am, about 25 mins before the celestial sunrise (the sun comes up 5 mins or so later behind the mountains). The hike is indeed about 20 mins. I was alone, but there were probably a dozen or so photographers at the park-designated trails that originate from the parking spot. (Thought that was a huge number for a weekday in October.) The light is definitely magical, and absolutely worth the early start of the day.
Here is an initial image. D7K, new 50mm 1.8, HDR in Photomatix.
(http://www.markhout.com/dunes.jpg)
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Glad this worked out for you.
I do have a question - I've been to DV several times, but never in October.
How is the haze/particulate matter in the air? That's the one thing that bugs me a bit when I usually head out there in the May timeframe is that it's hard to get a really clear sky. I've heard from the rangers that October is one of the best times to go, hence my question...
-m
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How is the haze/particulate matter in the air? That's the one thing that bugs me a bit when I usually head out there in the May timeframe is that it's hard to get a really clear sky. I've heard from the rangers that October is one of the best times to go, hence my question...
Thanks - I thought that it was quite hazy, both at sunrise and sunset. Blue haze. Sorry, but I understand what you are saying - I was disappointed in exactly that. I find myself lowering saturation in the shadows of my DV images to combat the blue shift.
Mark
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Actually, at dawn at Dantes View, I was alone. The first visitors arrived hours later.
Thanks for the kudos. That's a self portrait. ;D
The one time I did Dantes View at sunrise, the wind was howling all morning :-(
Didn't see another tripod for the entire visit at Dantes View.
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I am hoping that someone can help me. I'm going to Death Valley again in September and I'd like to visit the Dunes near Stovepipe Wells. I've seen a few shots where there is an area of dried cracked mud in the foreground and I was wondering how far into the dunes these areas are? Could anyone give me an idea of how to find them?
Due to my husband being a wheelchair user, I can't go wandering off for long, so I am hoping that I'll be able to reach them fairly easily.
If you park in the parking lot for the dunes and walk out through the sand to the dunes, you will have to try really really hard to not see or walk through the "cracked mud."
However finding a composition that you like that features the cracked mud is equally as difficult as it presents itself in many different ways. You could easily spend as long walking around all of the valleys with cracked mud as you do getting there and back combined.
Between the dunes themselves and the parking lot is "scrub", small dunes and shallow valleys. In each valley you'll find the cracked mud.
The kicker is that you make much better progress walking on it (the cracked mud) than the sand.