Page 44 - 2015 Travel Guide to California

CA.STATE & NATIONAL PARKS
Burning Sands & Delicate Wildflowers
Miles from the coast, California’s deserts
are lands of extremes. Vast Death Valley
National Park holds the record for the
hottest temperature, driest climate and
lowest elevation in North America. It is
also famous for its explosion of wild-
flowers after winter rains. For a bird’s-eye
panorama, stop at Dante’s View. On the
valley floor, walk the Badwater Salt Flats or
take an afternoon drive to Zabriskie Point
to snap the garishly colored badlands. At
Scotty’s Castle, take a living-history tour to
sample the life of one of the valley’s most
colorful settlers. Trips to Titus Canyon and
the Racetrack take you deeper into the
park’s unique landscape, but only for those
with proper vehicles and preparation. Fur-
nace Creek Campground, one of nine in
the park, with sites for RVs, groups and
tents, makes for a central location for
exploring the park. Because of favorable
weather and temperatures, fall to spring is
the park’s busiest time.
The Mojave National Preserve is famous
for its singing sand dunes and seven-mil-
lion-year-old volcanic cinder cones. Joshua
Tree National Park, a favorite with rock
climbers, mountain bikers and birders, is
home to the gangly tree that gives the park
its name. While both have spring wild-
flower displays, Anza-Borrego Desert State
Park is legendary. Its flowers are usually
the first to burst into color—catching the
park’s cactus bloom is the prize.
A HIKER assesses the
salt in Death Valley’s
Badwater Basin, above;
Castle Peaks sunrise in
Mojave National
Preserve, right.
To the Beach
A visit to California is incomplete without
spending time on the beach, but not all of
them are the iconic white sandy kind. You
will find black sand at Sinkyone Wilder-
ness State Park on the north coast. At the
Mendocino Headlands State Park, bundle
up and enjoy a beach walk with a view of
the Victorian village.
42 2015 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
MARIDAV/SHUTTERSTOCK; SIERRALARA/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: DAN SCHREIBER/SHUTTERSTOCK; LUCKY-PHOTOGRAPHER/SHUTTERSTOCK