Zabriskie Point

View from Zabriskie Point
View from Zabriskie Point

Zabriskie Point is one of the must-see places in Death Valley and Tom and I stopped by last week.  We would have gone sooner, but it was closed from the time we got here in January until the first week in March.  Zabriskie Point needed renovations and wasn’t scheduled to re-open until the end of April.  But they finished it early and now it has a new parking lot and a trail with benches at the turns.

Every time we drive by Zabriskie Point it is packed.  People love to look at the mudstone hills of various colors.  It is especially popular at sunset because it is just off the main road in the park and is an easy climb to the lookout.

After we hiked Sidewinder Canyon, Tom and I drove around the southern end of Death Valley.  We wanted to see the wildflowers along Jubilee Pass (spectacular!) and we wanted to visit Shoshone, a small town at the southern entrance to the park.  Shoshone has about 30 residents and it set up entirely as a tourist stop for people heading into the park.  There is a small hotel next to a General Store next to an RV campground.  There is also a small museum and a nice little village park.

We stopped at Zabriskie Point on our way back into the park after visiting Shoshone.  It was good to get out of the car and stretch our legs before the last hour of our drive home.

Zabriskie Point is one of the few hikes that everyone in the park takes.  It is a short walk up to the overlook and it has a wonderful view of the mudstone hills.  Now that Tom and I have revisited it, we can cross it off our list.