Temporary Lake At Death Valley

Death Valley is dry and usually gets little precipitation. So normally Death Valley does not have lakes or ponds. However, heavy rains the past few months have created a temporary lake in the Badwater Basin. At one point the lake was deep enough for people to kayak. 

I stayed at The Inn, located inside Death Valley National Park. The hotel is built in a hill.

The Inn has a tunnel to go from the building to the parking lot.

There is a garden with springs outside the Inn. 

The Inn has a viewing terrace on the 4th floor with flowers and views of the mountains.

Sunset shining on the mountains.

At the viewing terrace at the Inn, you can see the garden and mountains.

Watching the sunset over Death Valley from the Inn terrace.

Purple-ish sky during sunset.

Dante's Peak viewpoint. Bird's eye view of the temporary lake in Badwater.

Getting close to the temporary lake in Devil's Golf Course and Badwater Basin.

Ubehebe crater - 600 ft/182 m deep and .5 miles/800 m across. The crater was formed by volcanic explosions 2100 years ago. I love the beautiful colors in the cinder fields and floor. 

Yellow wildflowers - desert golds - are starting to bloom in Death Valley.

Closer view of desert golds

Cool, rainy day at Death Valley

Artist Palette is a vista featuring colorful mountains. Minerals produce the colors.  Iron produces red and yellow shades. Mica produces green colors. Manganese produces lavender and purple.