Re: Death Valley 2016 Superbloom Reports

Being that I have noticed quite a bit of interest in Death Valley by various forum members here, I thought I would go ahead and share my new 2016 Death Valley Superbloom reports with you as they are released. I had a chance to visit Death Valley during the peak of the Superbloom back in February. In order to get the best photography and experience the most variety of wildflowers, I visited and documented five different hikes in the park. I have just finished up the report on the first of these hikes. And there will be much more to come in the following weeks. My trip started off with a visit to the Ibex Sand Dunes, which is linked to below.

Ibex Sand Dunes (2016 Superbloom) new report

Thank you for posting that. I have not been to Death Valley yet so it is great to see pictures.

You're very welcome, parklover. These first 2 of the 5 reports cover fairly well-known destinations, although they are in an isolated area of the park and don't receive heavy visitation. But these do both make for great destinations with minimal hiking. The final 3 reports will cover hiking destinations to mostly undocumented areas.

The second report from my trip to see the 2016 Superbloom covers a visit to Saratoga Spring, located not far from the Ibex Dunes. Coming up next will be a very special Superbloom hike to a previously undocumented area. I hope to have that next report out within a week or less.

Saratoga Spring (2016 Superbloom) new report

The third report features the hike which was the centerpiece of my trip to see the 2016 Superbloom in Death Valley. This was a place which we have been calling Tramway Canyon for the past couple of years, although this was the first time I actually hiked into it. This hike features a great variety of wildflowers (eight different types), mining ruins, and canyon narrows. After this, I will have two additional reports coming out from this same trip.

Tramway Canyon (2016 Superbloom hike)

The fourth of the five new reports covers an epic desert hike into a previously undocumented major canyon in the Funeral Mountains.

USMM 142 Canyon (Funeral Mountains)

Steve,
Do you have plans to write a book? I have seen your website many times and love
your passion for Death Valley. Your depth of knowledge is incredibly impressive.
I would think the rangers there have less experience than you (nothing against them).
Of course in today's age... a book may not get you much in return.
Not sure. But it seems so. Personally I question the longevity of media and
without a book it seems a shame to me. But what do I know?

Anywho. Just want to let you know my appreciation.

Regards,

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Quote
chick-on
Steve,
Do you have plans to write a book? I have seen your website many times and love
your passion for Death Valley. Your depth of knowledge is incredibly impressive.
I would think the rangers there have less experience than you (nothing against them).
Of course in today's age... a book may not get you much in return.
Not sure. But it seems so. Personally I question the longevity of media and
without a book it seems a shame to me. But what do I know?

Anywho. Just want to let you know my appreciation.

Regards,

I think a book would be a great idea. Books last for a long time while I am always concerned about being able to access things that are stored digitally since formats change all the time.

Hey chick-on, thanks for your kind words. I agree with you about the book idea and actually already have a small chunk of one written, I just paused it for a while due to the lack of time (real busy with family and secular work). I could certainly write an entire book highlighting places not covered anywhere else. Right now, though, I'm still focused on carrying out more exploration. Let's see what the next few years hold.

The fifth and final report from the Superbloom trip features a hike to the highest summit in the seldom-visited Owlshead Mountains, located at the southern end of Death Valley National Park. This was an excellent peak hike which really caught me by surprise and made me wonder why more people don't do it. (There are very few trip reports online for this hike.)

Owl BM summit hiking report