Artist’s Drive and Artist’s Palette
Artist’s Drive is a scenic 9 mile one way loop which is a must and is open to vehicles less than 25 ft in length. While you could just drive the loop, the two vista stops along the way are worth it and as in my case even in the rain. I made a quick change in clothes and bundled up in my rain coat. At least I came prepared.
The light rain actually brought out the vibrant colors of the mountain side. Colors of red, pink, yellow, green and purple show evidence of one of the areas most violently explosive volcanic periods. Over time hydrothermal alterations and chemical weathering caused the oxidation of the different metals and materials.
If it wasn’t raining it would have been great to capture the colors up close and walk into Artist’s Palette. Several scenes from Star Wars IV: A New Hope were filmed here. Being in Death Valley I feel like I am on another planet so I can see why. To the right of the first vista parking lot on the drive was the location of the Sandcrawler Station. The second parking lot stop (found up a small hill) showcases a canyon to the left of the mountain side. Here R2D2 once traveled through the narrow desert canyon :) I have pictures above of both views. If you are interested in more here is a link to Steve Hall’s site, he has already organized the shooting locations for you.
Panoramic View from Artist’s Palette, Death Valley with the storm clouds in Winter.
Photo By: Nichole McDaniel