Dante’s View
Panoramic view of Death Valley National Park, CA from Dante’s View
Chasing the sunrise. I decided to drive in the middle of the night and arrived in Death Valley a few hours before sunrise. Two things were happening, it was a new moon and a storm was coming. I was hoping I would get a few star pictures in the pitch black of the night or rolling storm clouds over the desert. Neither were happening this day.
While cuddling my dog Reagan under a couple blankets in the car we woke up to a cloudy morning and it was sleeting on top of Dante’s View. Not having been to Death Valley before, I got out of the car to explore the 360 degree views from the look out. It was a great way to start the day having an over look over the unique and endless landscape below.
Dante’s View is over 5,000 ft above Death Valley and is accessible by car. It is a winding road up the mountain but overall an easy drive. If it was a clear day from this vantage point, you might see Badwater Basin, the lowest point and Mount Whitney, the highest point on the contiguous United States. Dante's View was discovered in the 1920’s and was promoted to try to bring tourists to the desert.
Sunrise in Death Valley from Dante’s View
It was freezing so I left Reagan to enjoy the warmth of the car while I went to explore the tops of the nearby mountains. I bundled up with two jackets, so I was extra cute at this point, lol. The views are amazing and I can’t wait to go back on a clear day. The clouds did part for maybe a minute to capture the sunrise to the east. Feeling like the clouds opened up just for me, I had a feeling today would be special.