Death Valley: Mild weather and blooming wildflowers

Looking for a great travel destination? Want to escape the rain and snow? Head to Death Valley National Park for what promises to be a spectacular spring wildflower bloom. The valley is cloaked in green plants which are already exploding into color. Lower elevations will bloom February to March, and the higher elevations April to May. Now is the best time to go, before the temperature climbs into the higher digits. By April, temperatures are already in the 90s, so go early and enjoy cooler weather in the 70s. The last big bloom was more than a decade ago, and this year promises to be even bigger. This January, there was greenery everywhere – a promise that the park will be awash with color this spring. And with the recent rains, the chances are good for a "super bloom." Of course, there are many other exciting things to see in the park. Start at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center to pick up fee maps and trail guides. Many of the most amazing sights are within a few miles of Furnace Creek. Golden Canyon is a spectacular walk through a maze of colorful canyons, just two miles south of Furnace Creek on Badwater Road. You can drive right up to the mouth of the canyon, park your car, and walk in. You can hike a short distance, go all the way to Red Cathedral ridge or hike up into the adjacent Gower Gulch for a breathtakingly beautiful 6.4-mile loop hike. Go early in the day and bring food and water. Zabriskie Point is a short distance from Furnace Creek. Head east on Highway 190 toward a parking area on your right, marked Zabriskie Point. Park and walk uphill to the top of the path for a panoramic view of colorful badlands. These hills, along with the even more colorful hills to the south along the stunning Artist's Drive loop road, are comprised of ancient lake bed deposits from millions of years ago, before Death Valley was born. You can hike from here into Gower Gulch, or all the way down into Golden Canyon below. The walk through these badlands is breathtaking. Death Valley was formed 3.5 million years ago when a huge block of the earth's crust sank, creating the steep, 10,000 foot deep valley we see today. The valley is still sinking today. The park geology is spectacular, with wonders at every turn. Artist's Drive is eight miles south of Furnace Creek on Badwater Road, and you can drive it all on an eight-mile loop road through brightly colored hills. Be sure to pull into Artist's Palette, the most colorful part of the formation. There are several places where you can park your car and get out to hike around. It is well worth the effort. Continuing south on Badwater Road will lead you to the Devil's Golf Course, a strange an eerie scene where the valley floor is pocked with undulations. Hence the name, as only a demon would play golf on such an uneven and hostile surface. Get up close and look at the salt crystals in the ground. Badwater Road will lead you to Badwater Basin at almost 300 feet below sea level. In fact, it is one of the lowest places on the planet. The sediment here is more than 10,000 feet deep! Above, Dante's Peak soars to more than 5,000 feet on the east side, and Telescope Peak on the west stretches up to more than 11,000 feet, creating a very dramatic contrast. Badwater is a remnant of an ancient lake that once filled this valley during the last ice age. Today, salt deposits on the valley floor will make you feel like you are in an alien landscape. It only rains a few inches a year here, although some winter storms can sometimes fill the Badwater basin with several feet of water. This year, there is a shallow lake there. A prehistoric lake once filled the entire valley to a depth of 600 feet. You can still see the high-water mark today. Another great spot is Twenty Mule Team Canyon. Head east on Highway 190 from Furnace Creek and watch for a sign on your right. This short gravel drive takes you up, down and around through amazing badlands. You'll believe you are in a Star Wars movie. You'd be right, because several Star Wars scenes were filmed here. Who knows, maybe you'll spot some lost droids. Then head back to Furnace Creek for a drive through Mustard Canyon and a stop at the Harmony Borax Works, an old processing plant from the late 19th century. Borax is "white gold" with hundreds of uses – in laundry detergent, food preservatives, ceramics, toothpaste, makeup, clothing, computers, electronics and so much more. The old "20 Mule Team Borax" wagons (which were actually 18 mules and two horses) departed from here to transport the borax 165 miles across the open desert to Mojave, a grueling drive through harsh wind and scorching heat. Two men, a muleskinner (driver) and a swamper (brakeman and cook) drove the wagons. It took them two weeks to travel in each direction. Don't miss seeing the Keane Wonder Mine, a stunning hydrothermal area where a huge gold strike was made in the early 1900s by a miner named Jack Keane. Tucked away on the east side of the park off the Beatty Cutoff Road, look for a 2.4-mile gravel road leading to a parking lot at the base of the hills. The structures, still standing today, are the remnants of a huge gold mining operation with a fascinating aerial tramway. This tramway was the precursor to today's modern ski lifts and was an engineering marvel for its time. The mill ruins lie at the bottom, and you can walk a steep, two-mile trail to the tramway terminus at the top, with stunning views of the valley below. It's amazing to see this, like stepping back more than 100 years in time. The Mesquite Sand Dunes are near Stovepipe Wells on Highway 190. This beautiful dune field is stunning, especially in the early morning and evening hours. It's also great fun to go out there after dark to watch the nocturnal desert wildlife spring into action. You'll be amazed at all the activity. Remember to always carry water with you. And please don't drive off designated roads anywhere in the park. Mosaic Canyon: This stunning marble wonder is reached by taking a 2.3-mile gravel road out from the Stovepipe Wells campground area. It's best to go there early in the day before too many people arrive, as this is an extremely popular site. You can walk back into this canyon for several miles, but the first half mile is the most spectacular, with canyon narrows of smooth, travertine marble. After the first segment, the canyon widens into a magnificent valley with colorful hills all around. These rocks are some of the oldest in the park at 900 million years. Be watchful of the weather and never go into any canyon if there is a threat of rain. These are just a sampling of the many wonders you can see in this amazing desert park. For more information, visit the park website at www.nps.gov/deva. Also, be sure to watch the new television series: On the Road with Ranger Rose. The most recent episode is all about Death Valley, with a new episode about Death Valley backroads coming out in mid-March. You can see this program by searching for the title on YouTube. Filmed at the Auburn Community Television studio, the series is great fun to follow, showcasing travel throughout California and Nevada. You can learn more about the author and the books she has written by visiting her website at www.triptalesbook.com, on Instagram at AskRangerRose or emailing RangerRose123@gmail.com. Happy Trails!