Death Valley National Park - Dante's View Sunrise

One early morning during our February 2015 visit to Death Valley National Park, we drove up to Dante's View to watch the sunrise. To reach Dante's View from the Furnace Creek area, drive east on California 190 about 10.7 miles from the intersection with Badwater Road. Turn right at the well-marked intersection onto the paved road variously named Furnace Creek Road and Dantes View Road on maps. This road is restricted to vehicles with a maximum 25' length. Buses, RVs and vehicle combinations are prohibited. The road ends in 13 miles at an elevation of 5475' on the terrace named Dante's View. This location on the north side of Coffin Peak in the Black Mountains overlooks Badwater Basin and the Panamint Range to the west. Even though temperatures were in the 60s in the valley, they were around freezing at Dante's View.

Looking east at the Greenwater Range

Early morning clouds

Sunrise over the Greenwater Range

Ranks of mountains to the east

Greenwater Range in the daylight

Looking west at Badwater Basin and the Panamint Range

Badwater Basin in the morning twilight

Telescope Peak in the morning twilight

Telescope Peak

Badwater Basin

Sunlight on the clouds, but not the mountains

Badwater Basin with Tucki Mountain in the distance

First rays of sunlight on Telescope Peak

More sunlight on the Panamint Range

Sunlight on the upper third of the Panamint Range

Badwater Basin with sunlight on part of the Panamint Range

Porter Peak (9101' 22 miles) is dome shaped from this perspective

Sunlight on the upper half of the Panamint Range

Tucki Mountain on the left and Grapevine Mountains on the right

Grapevine Mountains to the north-northwest

Southern end of Death Valley

Photographers line the trail at Dante's View

Telescope Peak (11048' 20.5 miles)

Shadows seem to deepen in the Badwater Basin compared to the well-lit mountains

Sunlight creeps down the slopes of the Panamint Range

The Black Mountains on the right and the Grapevine Mountains in the distance

Dante's View Road

Pyramid Peak (6703' 12.5 miles)

Colorful hills of the Greenwater Valley

An entrance fee of $20 admits all the passengers of a single vehicle for seven days. Other options include an annual Death Valley National Park Pass for $40, an Interagency Annual Pass providing access to most national park, national forest and BLM fee areas for $80 and a lifetime Interagency Senior Pass for those age 62 and older for $10.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm.