After our hike at Monarch Canyon we drove to Stovepipe Wells for a cold drink and snack. Steve couldn't resist running a stretch of the famous Badwater Race and took off for a run while Norah and I paid a visit to Mesquite Sand Dunes. This is a very popular spot (with all the footprints to prove it) and rightfully so. It was fun wandering around the dunes and if you wander far enough, you can find some untouched sand and look for all the little critter tracks. Norah loved digging, piling, and playing in the sand and I enjoyed the mountain views and the soft colors of the late afternoon light and sunset.
Many first time visitors to Death Valley are surprised it is not covered with a sea of sand. Less than one percent of the desert is covered with dunes, yet the shadowed ripples and stark, graceful curves define "desert" in our imaginations.
For dunes to exist there must be a source of sand, prevailing winds to move the sand, and a place for the sand to collect. The eroded canyons and washes provide plenty of sand, the wind seems to always blow (especially in the springtime), but there are only a few areas in the park where the sand is "trapped" by geographic features such as mountains.
The Mesquite Flat Dunes are the best known and easiest to visit in the national park. Located in central Death Valley near Stovepipe Wells, access is from Hwy. 190 or from the unpaved Sand Dunes Road. Although the highest dune rises only about 100 feet, the dunes actually cover a vast area. This dune field includes three types of dunes: crescent, linear, and star shaped. Polygon-cracked clay of an ancient lakebed forms the floor. Mesquite trees have created large hummocks that provide stable habitats for wildlife.
