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Instead of sharing my favorite photographs of 2024 (side note: I have no idea what those are and never will!) I decided to change up the formula and just share photos from this year that haven’t been shared anywhere else yet.
Earlier this year I had three blog posts on Death Valley (Part I, Part II, Part III), and released portfolio ebooks of Iceland and Zion. The following photographs made no apperanace anywhere (most are from Death Valley and our fall trip to the Upper Midwest).
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This is the second in a three part series of photos from Death Valley taken this winter (see first post here). This post is about Lake Manly.
Lake Manly was a permanent feature in Death Valley until it evaporated about 10,000 years ago and now only forms during periods of heavy rainfall. During Hurricane Hilary in August 2023, heavy rains repopulated the ephemeral lake, and atmospheric river events in January actually raised the water level. During a few wind events in late February, the lake blew to the north before resettling back south and finally fully evaporating by May 2024. Watching the lake move was a surreal experience. Photographer Jerry Dodrill shared a video of the lake actually moving on his Instagram page and you can view it here.
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Sarah and I spent almost ten weeks in and around Death Valley this winter in our trailer. Our first trip was a quick (for us) week-long visit in December to see the ephemeral Lake Manly before it evaporated. We followed that up with a longer eight-week trip starting in late January, during which our “ephemeral” lake refilled with several atmospheric river events in California. The winter weather was wet, providing many opportunities (lakes, wildflowers, and even fog), but it also closed the roads to many of the park’s further reaches.
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The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in the late afternoon on a clear day.
To the uninitiated, it can seem strange to have a photographic obsession with a place called Death Valley National Park. Yet, after visiting for first time, most nature and landscape photographers quickly come to understand the appeal. The scenery is diverse, vast, surreal, and dynamic, all of which are qualities that make this landscape exciting for nature photography. For us, Death Valley holds the only permanent spot among our favorite places, with the other spots rotating based on recent trips we have enjoyed. It fully deserves this honor!
While visiting remote parts of the park is exciting, the more easily accessible landscape photography locations, like Badwater Basin, the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, and Zabriskie Point, are all equally incredible. This makes the park a great option for both short trips and extended explorations. Another benefit: when it is cold and snowy elsewhere, the weather in Death Valley is generally mild, at least at the lower elevations. With Las Vegas only a few hours away, this park is also easy to get to for anyone in North America.
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