Mesquite Flat Dunes

I have to admit I was surprised to see so many footsteps in the sand at the Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park.  One usually thinks of waves of sand arranged only by the wind and small critters that emerge after sundown when the surface is cooler.  But the Mesquite Flat Dunes are right there by Stovepipe Wells, and irresistible to travelers motoring through the park. A short walk from the parking lot and you can be in the middle of an iconic feature of any desert - sand dunes.

Mesquite Flat Dunes at sunset, Death Valley National Park.

I traveled through the park with my friend Jimmy, and caught a glimpse of the dunes at sunset, with the beautiful hues of purple, brown and red of the sky and sand all seeming to blend together.  As we pulled up, headlights were streaming out of the parking lot as folks left for their camping spot or lodge before it got too dark.

The next morning we hiked into the dunes for sunrise.  What a beloved landscape -- with the steps of its admirers from the day before still evident, you could see a dozen or so people climbing to their own special spots among the dunes to soak up what was going to be another concert by Mother Nature - sunrise.

That speck on top of the dune in the distance is another person admiring the sunrise at Mesquite Flat Dunes, hours after the sunset picture further above was taken the night before.

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