California Photo Scout

View from Aguereberry Point

Aguereberry Point is located high above Death Valley in the Panamint Mountains. It is the western cousin of Dante’s view, which is located in the Black Mountains on the opposite side of Death Valley. Agueberry Point thus is the best place to photograph the valley in the late afternoon with the sun in your back. Despite its unrivaled views of Death Valley to the east, Aguereberry Point does not see much tourist traffic.

On a visit in early January 2010, we were completely alone and could enjoy the peacefulness this remote location offers. The only sound came from my camera shutter, as I captured the fleeting light.

Your mind takes a while to grasp the vastness of this place and the distance you can see. The spectacular scenery of Aguereberry Point should put this location on your short list of places to see in Death Valley.

How to get there

A sign clearly marks the turnoff from Highway 178 (Emigrant Canyon Road), one of the roads leading into Death Valley. The dirt road leading to Aguereberry Point from here is 6 miles long. You will find the Eureka Mine turnoff after about 2 miles. Keep to the left and follow the road all the way to Aguereberry Point.

The road is passable with a 2WD passenger car. The first half to one mile has nasty washboarding that will rattle your car. I found that it is much easier on you and your car if you keep the speed above 35 mph. If you are bold enough to push your car faster, the ride will actually become smoother.

Further down the canyon, this is more difficult, since you cannot see around the curves and have to expect oncoming traffic. Slow down towards the end of the road, after about 5.5 miles, at N36° 21.238’’ W117° 02.890’. As you climb the hill, you will drive straight towards a cliff. At the top of the hill, the road turns sharply to the left to climb the final 0.3 miles to Aguereberry Point.

Get out of your car and walk around the cliff to the northeast for another 600 feet to get a good view toward Stovepipe Wells, Zabriskie Point and Furnace Creek.

GPS position

Aguereberry Point:

• 36°21’31.02″N 117° 2’49.96″W

Highway 178 turnoff:

• 36°21’18.59″N 117° 8’3.43″W

How to photograph from Aguereberry Point

Two things really work well at Aguereberry Point, telephoto compositions and grand scenic landscapes with foreground elements. When you arrive 90 minutes to 60 minutes before sunset, some of the brush in the foreground will still be sunlit. This is a good time to set up a couple of near-far compositions.

The picture at the top of the article is an example. The shadow at the bottom is not my oversized head, but the shadow of the ridge behind me, in this case unavoidable. Indeed, I had to reposition myself a few times to find pleasing compositions that kept my shadow out. Smart people will use Photoshop to remove their shadows and even smarter people save themselves a lot of time by taking a few seconds in the field to reposition properly.

Death Valley Wavy Hill

Obviously, the second best thing to do is hunting for telephoto landscape shots. I was able to obtain a few very good photographs this way. The landscape is in a state of flux, as the shadow of the Panamint Range slowly creeps over the valley floor. The lighting conditions on the dunes and the surrounding mountains change within minutes.

I simply took a telephoto lens and framed the interplay of light and shadow. The wavy hill picture above is an example of this. The picture captivates with its simplicity and elegance.

The sun will light up the rock spire to your right until it finally becomes just a glowing top on the ridge and the dunes at the valley floor will cast fantastic shadows. You need to use a tripod, yet stay flexible and look all around, including behind you, to hunt for light.

Zabriskie Point seen from Aguereberry Point

Use a telephoto lens and isolate some of the most prominent features. In the picture above you can see Zabriskie Point at the far right corner of the picture, just below the darker brown streak.

Aguereberry point offers more choices than Dantes View for captivating overviews of Death Valley and better light for sunset photography.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

You should arrive 90 minutes prior to sunset, when the sun can still reach the valley and bathe it in warm light. All seasons are good, but I prefer winter and spring. The unpaved road may become impassable for 2WD cars after a hard rain.

Time required

You can find the best light at Aguereberry Point from 90 minutes prior to sunset to 30 minutes after sunset. Add to that the driving time (15 minutes each way on the dirt road and an appropriate time to get to the turnoff). In Death Valley I consistently underestimate the driving times. It is huge. The driving time from Furnace Creek to the turnoff is about 80 minutes!

Equipment

• Telephoto lens
• normal lens
• circular polarizing filter
• tripod for sunset shots
• water
• sun cream

Fees

The entrance fee to Death Valley is $20 per passenger vehicle. You can find the nearest pay station at Stovepipe Wells. You can show your national parks pass at the visitor center. Place it visibly on your dashboard when you go hiking and haven’t had time to go to the visitor center yet. Unlike most other national parks, there are no entrance booths.

Close Locations in Death Valley

• Harrisburg (Aguereberry Camp) Ghost Town
• Skidoo
• Charcoal Kilns
• Darwin Falls
• Father Crowley Viewpoint
• Mosaic Canyon
• Mesquite Flat Dunes (near Stovepipe Wells)

Close Locations outside Death Valley

• Darwin
• Trona Pinnacles
• Ballarat Ghost Town
• Randsburgh Ghost Town
• Red Rock Canyon State Recreation Area
• Alabama Hills

Useful Resources

• Pete Aguereberry Information
• Death Valley National Park Official Website
• My Death Valley Photographs

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