Spring Break 2026: A Quick Sunset & Sunrise
The first 12 of 24 hours in Death Valley National Park.
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We left Barstow with medicine in the van, drove to Death Valley National Park, then saw the temperature at the visitor’s center.
In MARCH?! Woof 🥵
At the time, Adam was miserable and hated everything, so the temperature did not help his mood. We got to our campsite, made a quick dinner, then sat in our camping chairs to watch the light fade and the shadows fill the grooves of the Amargosa Range. But really, we were just trying to cool off before bed.
After sunset, we got back in the van, changed into our PJs, and set the alarm for 5 am. We hoped to get some sleep so we could catch sunrise the next morning at Badwater Basin.
For the first time, since we’ve had the van, we slept with all of the doors and windows open. The air temperature wasn’t terrible, but the van soaked up the heat from the sun and wouldn’t cool off. We had a fan blowing on our faces, but it didn’t help either. The moment one of us would feel the pull of sleep, Adam started coughing, waking both of us up. We tossed and turned until we both fell asleep sometime after 11 pm.
But then, around 12:30 am, our campsite neighbor pulled into his site in a loud, lifted truck. He turned on his floodlights (conveniently shining into the back of our open van), turned up his music, unpacked, stoked a fire, and cooked some food… laughably one of the loudest people I’ve ever met in a silent campground after midnight. I was absolutely infuriated.
He finally figured out that everyone else was asleep sometime after 2 am, and Adam and I fell asleep again. But then we were awake again, not long after. That 5 am alarm? It was unnecessary. Adam said, “Do you want to get up and go?” I responded, “Why not. It’s not like we’re falling back asleep.” So we gathered the few fucks either of us had left and headed to Badwater Basin on maybe three hours of sleep.
If you’ve never been to Death Valley or heard of Badwater Basin, it’s the lowest point in North America. It was created roughly 3 million years ago when the Earth’s crust was pulled apart, and part of the land sank to form a sunken valley floor. During the last Ice Age, the sunken valley was submerged beneath a lake, and when the water eventually evaporated, it left behind minerals that formed a salt crust still present in the basin.
That’s the first thing I noticed - I wasn’t walking on sand, I was walking on salt. I admired the Panamint Range to the west as the sky shifted through a series of pastel blues, oranges, and pinks, and listened to my feet crunch the salt beneath them. As we walked farther out into the basin, the salt transitioned into a shallow pool, reflecting the mountains and the sky. It all felt surreal to be walking on water, especially after only three hours of sleep.
As the sun rose, we watched the mountains burn purple, a perfect reflection mirrored in the water below.
We later found out that there isn’t always this much water in the basin. We saw water in March 2026 because of a record-breaking, historic wet autumn in 2025. From September to November, strong storms brought 2.41 inches of rain to the area. Since Death Valley’s ground is hard and dry, the rainwater ran down into Badwater Basin, creating a shallow version of the ancient Lake Manly.
To add to the weirdness of the morning, we were obviously not alone. It was not as chaotic as jockeying for a spot for sunrise at Mesa Arch, nor was it as busy as sunrise at Delicate Arch. However, it was weird, y’all.
A fire dancer? Sure.
Half-naked models? Of course.
People milling about, also walking on water? Yep.
This dude, who walked out further than anyone else and “blocked” everyone’s shot by being in the center? You betcha.
At least I captured a beautiful shot of him.
Adam and I had a good laugh about it. All of these other people made for a more interesting sunrise experience. Or maybe we were just delirious.
When we walked back to the car, we looked up at the rock face above us. In the distance, we could see a white bar, but we had no idea what it was. From far away, it looked like a small building in the rock. It wasn’t until I edited the photo that I realized the sign marked sea level, giving us an interesting perspective on how far below sea level we were.
It was a beautifully weird morning.
We could feel tiredness creeping in, especially as the morning’s adrenaline wore off, so we took a beat in the van to make a plan for the next 12 hours of our time in Death Valley National Park. At least we had a great view while we were in the parking lot.
Cheers.
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Wow what an amazing salt basin, I'd never heard of it. Even on 3 hours sleep you managed to get some beautiful images Rachel such gorgeous light and the fire dancer images just adds to the uniqueness of that morning.
Rachel, your photos are gorgeous! (as usual, I shouldn't be surprised). We spent a day in Death Valley a few years ago, in winter though, so it was a bit better... sorry you had to deal with the loud and obviously inconsiderate camping neighbor... we get annoyed when they come in late in loud trucks, but they usually try to be quiet if it's past midnight.