I like to joke and say I’ve been visiting this National Park for over 40 years, despite only being 45 years old as I type this, but my first trip was indeed when I was five. While I don’t remember much about that trip, other than the car overheating, The past decade of exploring this desert landscape paradise has left a lasting impression on me. Each trip reveals something new and the landscape is ever changing. There exists a sense of solitude and quiet in the desert unlike anywhere else. Having been SCUBA diving around the world, Badwater basin is still the furthest below sea level I have ever been. Being one of the largest National Parks, I try to visit a new location or two each time I visit. With so much of the park being only accessible by 4×4, I have years more to go before I even see half the park. Highlights over the years include an amazing sunrise on my first morning ever in the park, seeing Badwater flooded on my second trip, getting to the Racetrack on New Year’s Eve and having the sky explode with color. Over time, the smaller details come out as you adjust to the slower pace of the desert. Colorful rocks, various salt crystal patterns, the way the light strikes the dune ridges and sparkles or the softness of light before dawn and after sunset. These are a few of my favorite things to experience here. The salt flats, sand dunes, badlands of Zabriskie Point, and playas always reveal something new each time. Be sure to check out my Death Valley Photography Workshop as well as the “Hottest Place on Earth” book by Roger Naylor and Rio Nuevo Publishers. I have a few images in there!