W6/ND-144 Dante Benchmark

After exploring Joshua Tree National Park, we got up early and drove over to Death Valley. This huge park is a few hours drive through the desert. Our first stop was Dante's View, on the east side of the valley. Just above the parking lot is a SOTA summit, and that was our destination.

Operating from the summit.

There is a short trail that leaves from the far side of the parking lot. Watch out for cars while walking over. We were soon at the top, where we found a spot out of the wind to set up. I was worried there wouldn't be any cell service, and KN6REU wouldn't be able to get any contacts. It turns out there was decent service (Verizon) at the peak, and spotting was no problem. Naina got more contacts on 10m than she wanted, then headed back to the car. I stayed up to work a big pileup on 20m before heading back down.

Mosaic Canyon

From the viewpoint we drove down to the Furnace Creek visitor center to get a map and see if there were any souvenirs we needed, then continued around to Stovepipe Wells and Mosaic Canyon. This was a fun hike, up the canyon. We turned around before there were any difficult parts, but it is a hike we'd recommend.

Lowest people in the Western Hemisphere.

Next we made a brief stop at the Mesquite Sand Dunes on our way to Badwater Basin. This is the lowest point in the western hemisphere at -282 feet. A sign high up on the cliff above the road really drives home how low you are. A short distance back up the road we stopped again, this time at Devil's Golf Course. 

Only the devil could play golf here.

I think this is one of the neatest areas, with rough salt formations in the middle of the valley. Worth a stop if you're in the area. Finally, on our way out of the park we stopped at Zabrisky point for a quick sunset. The dunes and rocks in this area are excellent, and I can see why it is featured on postcards.

Sunset at Zabrisky Point.

This is one of the largest national parks in the USA, and I wish we had more time to explore. We only hit the highlights, and it feels like we barely scratched the surface. 

Trailhead: Dante's View.

Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Follow the trail up to the summit. 
Red Tape: None. Just the standard national park rules. 
Video: ham_bitious YouTube