Tiny hikers atop Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, California. Near Stovepipe Wells lies a region of sand dunes, some of them hundreds of feet tall

Death Valley Sand Dunes, Stovepipe Wells

 Mesquite Dunes sunrise, dawn, clouds and morning sky, sand dunes, Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park, California

Mesquite Dunes Sunrise, Stovepipe Wells

 Rainbow and clearing storm clouds, sunrise light on Manly Beacon, Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California

Rainbow And Clearing Storm Clouds, Zabriskie Point
Racetrack sailing stone and star trails. A sliding rock of the Racetrack Playa. The sliding rocks, or sailing stones, move across the mud flats of the Racetrack Playa, leaving trails behind in the mud. The explanation for their movement is not known with certainty, but many believe wind pushes the rocks over wet and perhaps icy mud in winter, Death Valley National Park, California

Racetrack Sailing Stone And Star Trails, Racetrack Playa

 Sailing stone on the Racetrack Playa. The sliding rocks, or sailing stones, move across the mud flats of the Racetrack Playa, leaving trails behind in the mud. The explanation for their movement is not known with certainty, but many believe wind pushes the rocks over wet and perhaps icy mud in winter, Death Valley National Park, California

Sailing Stone On The Racetrack Playa

 Venus sets over Manley Beacon and the Panamint Mountains, viewed from Zabriskie Point, landscape lit by a full moon, evening, stars, Death Valley National Park, California

Venus Sets Over Manley Beacon And The Panamint Mountains, Zabriskie Point
Mesquite Dunes sunrise, dawn, clouds and morning sky, sand dunes, Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park, California

Mesquite Dunes Sunrise, Stovepipe Wells

 Eureka Valley Dune Evening Primrose. A federally endangered plant, Oenothera californica eurekensis is a perennial herb that produces white flowers from April to June. These flowers turn red as they age. The Eureka Dunes evening-primrose is found only in the southern portion of Eureka Valley Sand Dunes system in Indigo County, California, Oenothera californica eurekensis, Death Valley National Park

Eureka Valley Dune Evening Primrose, Eureka Dunes

 Sunset on the Last Chance Mountain Range, seen from Eureka Valley Sand Dunes, Eureka Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California

Sunset On The Last Chance Mountain Range, Eureka Dunes
Racetrack Playa, an ancient lake now dried and covered with dessicated mud, Death Valley National Park, California

Racetrack Playa

 Eureka Dunes. The Eureka Valley Sand Dunes are California's tallest sand dunes, and one of the tallest in the United States. Rising 680' above the floor of the Eureka Valley, the Eureka sand dunes are home to several endangered species, as well as "singing sand" that makes strange sounds when it shifts. Located in the remote northern portion of Death Valley National Park, the Eureka Dunes see very few visitors

Eureka Dunes

 Full moon over Zabriskie Point landscape, Death Valley National Park, California

Full Moon Over Zabriskie Point Landscape
Mesquite Dunes sunrise, dawn, clouds and morning sky, sand dunes, Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park, California

Mesquite Dunes Sunrise, Stovepipe Wells

 A sliding rock of the Racetrack Playa. The sliding rocks, or sailing stones, move across the mud flats of the Racetrack Playa, leaving trails behind in the mud. The explanation for their movement is not known with certainty, but many believe wind pushes the rocks over wet and perhaps icy mud in winter, Death Valley National Park, California

A Sliding Rock Of The Racetrack Playa

 Sunset on the Eureka Dunes. The Eureka Valley Sand Dunes are California's tallest sand dunes, and one of the tallest in the United States. Rising 680' above the floor of the Eureka Valley, the Eureka sand dunes are home to several endangered species, as well as "singing sand" that makes strange sounds when it shifts. Located in the remote northern portion of Death Valley National Park, the Eureka Dunes see very few visitors

Sunset On The Eureka Dunes
Eureka Dunes. The Eureka Valley Sand Dunes are California's tallest sand dunes, and one of the tallest in the United States. Rising 680' above the floor of the Eureka Valley, the Eureka sand dunes are home to several endangered species, as well as "singing sand" that makes strange sounds when it shifts. Located in the remote northern portion of Death Valley National Park, the Eureka Dunes see very few visitors

Eureka Dunes

 Sailing stone on the Racetrack Playa. The sliding rocks, or sailing stones, move across the mud flats of the Racetrack Playa, leaving trails behind in the mud. The explanation for their movement is not known with certainty, but many believe wind pushes the rocks over wet and perhaps icy mud in winter, Death Valley National Park, California

Sailing Stone On The Racetrack Playa

 Salt polygons. After winter flooding, the salt on the Badwater Basin playa dries into geometric polygonal shapes, Death Valley National Park, California

Salt Polygons, Badwater
Dried mud, arid land, Eureka Valley, Death Valley National Park, California

Dried Mud, Eureka Valley

 Spring wildflower blooms on the Eureka sand dunes, Eureka Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California

Spring Wildflower Blooms On The Eureka Sand Dunes, Eureka Dunes

 Eureka dune grass, and rare and federally endangered species of grass endemic to the Eureka Valley and Eureka Sand Dunes. The Last Chance mountains, lit by sunset, as visible in the distance. Swallenia alexandrae, a perennial grass, grows only in the southern portion of Eureka Valley Sand Dunes, in Inyo County, California, Swallenia alexandrae, Eureka Dunes, Death Valley National Park

Eureka Dune Grass, Eureka Dunes
International Space Station flys over Death Valley shortly after sunset, Earth Orbit, Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy, The Universe

The International Space Station flys over Death Valley shortly after sunset.

 Racetrack Playa, an ancient lake now dried and covered with dessicated mud, Death Valley National Park, California

Racetrack Playa

 Darwin Falls in Death Valley, near the settlement of Panamint Springs. The falls are fed by a perennial stream that flows through a narrow canyon of plutonic rock, and drop of total of 80' (24m) in two sections, Death Valley National Park, California

Darwin Falls In Death Valley
The Galactic Center of the Milky Way galaxy rises in the sky on a clear night

The Milky Way Galaxy, galactic center rising over Death Valley.

 Eureka Dunes. The Eureka Valley Sand Dunes are California's tallest sand dunes, and one of the tallest in the United States. Rising 680' above the floor of the Eureka Valley, the Eureka sand dunes are home to several endangered species, as well as "singing sand" that makes strange sounds when it shifts. Located in the remote northern portion of Death Valley National Park, the Eureka Dunes see very few visitors

Eureka Dunes

 Sunset over the Racetrack Playa. The Cottonwood Mountains rise above the flat, dry, ancient lake bed, Death Valley National Park, California

Sunset Over The Racetrack Playa.
Salt polygons. After winter flooding, the salt on the Badwater Basin playa dries into geometric polygonal shapes, Death Valley National Park, California

Salt Polygons, Badwater

 Racetrack sailing stone and Milky Way, at night. A sliding rock of the Racetrack Playa. The sliding rocks, or sailing stones, move across the mud flats of the Racetrack Playa, leaving trails behind in the mud. The explanation for their movement is not known with certainty, but many believe wind pushes the rocks over wet and perhaps icy mud in winter, Death Valley National Park, California

Racetrack Sailing Stone And Milky Way, Racetrack Playa

 Racetrack sailing stone and star trails. A sliding rock of the Racetrack Playa. The sliding rocks, or sailing stones, move across the mud flats of the Racetrack Playa, leaving trails behind in the mud. The explanation for their movement is not known with certainty, but many believe wind pushes the rocks over wet and perhaps icy mud in winter, Death Valley National Park, California

Racetrack Sailing Stone And Star Trails, Racetrack Playa
Hardened mud playa and sand dunes, dawn, Mesquite dunes, Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park, California

Hardened Mud Playa And Sand Dunes, Stovepipe Wells

 Star trails, rotating around the North Star (Polaris), seen from Death Valley

Star trails, rotating around the North Star (Polaris), seen from Death Valley.

 Lonely road, Death Valley, Badwater, Death Valley National Park, California

Lonely Road, Badwater
Salt polygons. After winter flooding, the salt on the Badwater Basin playa dries into geometric polygonal shapes, Death Valley National Park, California

Salt Polygons, Badwater

 West Side Road cuts across the Badwater Basin, Death Valley National Park, California

West Side Road Cuts Across The Badwater Basin.

 Eureka Dunes. The Eureka Valley Sand Dunes are California's tallest sand dunes, and one of the tallest in the United States. Rising 680' above the floor of the Eureka Valley, the Eureka sand dunes are home to several endangered species, as well as "singing sand" that makes strange sounds when it shifts. Located in the remote northern portion of Death Valley National Park, the Eureka Dunes see very few visitors

Eureka Dunes
Zabriskie Point, sunrise. Manly Beacon rises in the center of an eroded, curiously banded area of sedimentary rock, with the Panamint Mountains visible in the distance, Death Valley National Park, California

Zabriskie Point Sunrise, Death Valley National Park

 Eroded hillsides near Zabriskie Point and Gower Wash, Death Valley National Park, California

Eroded Hillsides Near Zabriskie Point And Gower Wash.

 Eureka Dunes. The Eureka Valley Sand Dunes are California's tallest sand dunes, and one of the tallest in the United States. Rising 680' above the floor of the Eureka Valley, the Eureka sand dunes are home to several endangered species, as well as "singing sand" that makes strange sounds when it shifts. Located in the remote northern portion of Death Valley National Park, the Eureka Dunes see very few visitors

Eureka Dunes
Eureka Dunes. The Eureka Valley Sand Dunes are California's tallest sand dunes, and one of the tallest in the United States. Rising 680' above the floor of the Eureka Valley, the Eureka sand dunes are home to several endangered species, as well as "singing sand" that makes strange sounds when it shifts. Located in the remote northern portion of Death Valley National Park, the Eureka Dunes see very few visitors

Eureka Dunes

 Eureka Dunes. The Eureka Dunes are California's tallest sand dunes, and one of the tallest in the United States. Rising 680' above the floor of the Eureka Valley, the Eureka sand dunes are home to several endangered species, as well as "singing sand" that makes strange sounds when it shifts, Death Valley National Park

Eureka Dunes

 Arid and barren mud flats, dried mud, with the tall Eureka Dunes in the distance, Eureka Valley, Death Valley National Park, California

Arid And Barren Mud Flats, Eureka Valley
Sunrise at Zabriskie Point, Manly Beacon is lit by the morning sun while dark clouds lie on the horizon, Death Valley National Park, California

Sunrise At Zabriskie Point
A sliding rock of the Racetrack Playa. The sliding rocks, or sailing stones, move across the mud flats of the Racetrack Playa, leaving trails behind in the mud. The explanation for their movement is not known with certainty, but many believe wind pushes the rocks over wet and perhaps icy mud in winter, Death Valley National Park, California

A Sliding Rock Of The Racetrack Playa

 Racetrack sailing stone and star trails. A sliding rock of the Racetrack Playa. The sliding rocks, or sailing stones, move across the mud flats of the Racetrack Playa, leaving trails behind in the mud. The explanation for their movement is not known with certainty, but many believe wind pushes the rocks over wet and perhaps icy mud in winter, Death Valley National Park, California

Racetrack Sailing Stone And Star Trails, Racetrack Playa

 Dried tree and barren, arid mud flats, Eureka Valley, Death Valley National Park, California

Dried Tree And Barren Mud Flats, Eureka Valley
Volcanic debris, small lava rocks scattered about the Eureka Valley, Death Valley National Park, California

Volcanic Debris, Eureka Valley

 The Grandstand, standing above dried mud flats, on the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley, Death Valley National Park, California

The Grandstand, Racetrack Playa

 Eroded hillsides near Zabriskie Point and Gower Wash, Death Valley National Park, California

Eroded Hillsides Near Zabriskie Point And Gower Wash.
Eroded hillsides near Zabriskie Point and Gower Wash, Death Valley National Park, California

Eroded Hillsides Near Zabriskie Point And Gower Wash.

 Eroded hillsides near Zabriskie Point and Gower Wash, Death Valley National Park, California

Eroded Hillsides Near Zabriskie Point And Gower Wash.

 Dawn, Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California

Dawn, Zabriskie Point
Teakettle Junction, on the notorious road to the Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, California

Teakettle Junction

 Sunset on the Last Chance Mountain Range, seen from Eureka Valley Sand Dunes, Eureka Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California

Sunset On The Last Chance Mountain Range, Eureka Dunes

 Sign to Eureka Dunes and Eureka Valley, Death Valley National Park, California

Sign To Eureka Dunes And Eureka Valley.
Panorama of the Racetrack at Death Valley, Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, California

Panorama Of The Racetrack At Death Valley, Racetrack Playa
Zabriskie Point sunrise, clouds blurred by long time exposure, Death Valley National Park, California

Zabriskie Point Sunrise
Sunrise lights Telescope Peak as it rises over the salt flats of Badwater, Death Valley. At 11,049 feet, Telescope Peak is the highest peak in the Panamint Range as well as the highest point in Death Valley National Park. At 282 feet below sea level, Badwater is the lowest point in North America

Badwater, Death Valley

 Devils Golf Course, California. Evaporated salt has formed into gnarled, complex crystalline shapes in on the salt pan of Death Valley National Park, one of the largest salt pans in the world. The shapes are constantly evolving as occasional floods submerge the salt concretions before receding and depositing more salt

Devil's Golf Course, Death Valley National Park, Devils Golf Course

 Salt polygons. After winter flooding, the salt on the Badwater Basin playa dries into geometric polygonal shapes, Death Valley National Park, California

Salt Polygons, Badwater
Sunrise at Zabriskie Point, Manly Beacon is lit by the morning sun while clouds from a clearing storm pass by, Death Valley National Park, California

Sunrise At Zabriskie Point

 Sunrise at Zabriskie Point, Manly Beacon is lit by the morning sun while clouds from a clearing storm pass by, Death Valley National Park, California

Sunrise At Zabriskie Point

 Sand Dunes, California. Near Stovepipe Wells lies a region of sand dunes, some of them hundreds of feet tall, Death Valley National Park

Death Valley Sand Dunes, Stovepipe Wells
Ripples in sand dunes at sunset, California. Winds reshape the dunes each day. Early morning walks among the dunes can yield a look at sidewinder and kangaroo rats tracks the nocturnal desert animals leave behind, Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park

Death Valley Sand Dunes, Stovepipe Wells

 Devils Golf Course. Evaporated salt has formed into gnarled, complex crystalline shapes on the salt pan of Death Valley National Park, one of the largest salt pans in the world. The shapes are constantly evolving as occasional floods submerge the salt concretions before receding and depositing more salt

Devil's Golf Course, Death Valley National Park, Devils Golf Course

 Salt polygons. After winter flooding, the salt on the Badwater Basin playa dries into geometric polygonal shapes, Death Valley National Park, California

Salt Polygons, Badwater
Sand Dunes and the Grapevine Mountains, California. Near Stovepipe Wells lies a region of sand dunes, some of them hundreds of feet tall, Death Valley National Park

Death Valley Sand Dunes, Stovepipe Wells

 Badwater, Death Valley. A spring feeds this small pool year round. The water is four times more saline than ocean water. The small Badwater snail (Assiminea infima) is found only in Death Valley, in spring-fed pools such as these, and is threatened by habitat destruction. At 282 feet below sea level, Badwater is the lowest point in North America, Death Valley National Park, California

Badwater, Death Valley

 Crankshaft junction, Death Valley National Park, California

Crankshaft Junction.