The American Deserts: A Slow Road Trip From Joshua Tree to Death Valley
Who knew that deserts were so varied? I lost count of the different desert landscapes we passed through during our America road trip; most of them gazed at out of the window of the van, not even documented in a photograph. Filled with towering saguaros, empty and vast, dominated by rust red cliffs - the endless deserts never became boring. Our long, long drives were punctuated by gasps every time the landscape changed, and I only hope I can return one day to witness even more desert landscapes with my own eyes.
We began our road trip in the desert, entering Joshua Tree in the pitch black, driving down a two-mile dirt track into the desert, feeling like we were entering our very own horror film. After a nervy first night, we awoke to find ourselves in an alien landscape, the sun rising pink above beige-hued mountains. Those first few days, driving into Joshua Tree National Park, making the long journey into Arizona and hiking among dramatic red landscapes in Sedona, desert was all we saw. I even started dressing like the desert, in loose linen tones of beige and cream.
The colour palette of the deserts soothed me with its beige, pink, ochre and nude tones, dashed with bursts of invigorating rust in Sedona and the Valley of Fire. I’d never seen these colours dominate a landscape before this trip, and was surprised to find that I found them just as attractive as my usual preference for greens. You’ve never really experienced golden hour until you’ve seen the sun set over a golden landscape.
I didn’t document every single desert we passed through, as some days were dominated by long drives, but these were the deserts that stand out to me when I look back over our trip. It’s crazy to think that I was wandering through these landscapes less than a month ago.
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK
We spent 24 sunny and windy hours in Joshua Tree National Park, settling into our life on the road. This was where I fell in love with desert golden hours and watched the colours change as the sun set over distant hills. We entered the park in the morning and drove around trying to find a campsite, before settling on Belle. This wasn’t my first choice of campground, but I loved how peaceful it felt. I had grand plans for several official hikes, but in the end we just wanted to wander around the surrounding area, admiring the vast landscapes and curious Joshua trees. We climbed onto boulders and perched, watching jack rabbits hop through the undergrowth and keeping our eyes peeled for snakes. I stood on a path, amazed, as a ring-tailed cat darted into the shrubs in front of me. Hours passed like this, watching wildlife, taking photos and scrambling around. Before we knew it, night had fallen and our jet lagged bodies craved sleep. Wide awake at 3am, I poked my head outside to admire thousands of brightly twinkling stars overhead.
SEDONA
I felt like a little kid the whole time we were in Sedona, constantly exclaiming how incredible the landscape was. Sedona itself is like Disneyland, looking like a kitsch parody of the American West with its saloons and crystal shops, but I wish we’d spent more time in the area. We had time for just one hike, and opted for Devil’s Bridge which I’d thoroughly recommend. It’s relatively easy hike but the sun is constantly blazing down on you, so you want to take plenty of water with you and wear a hat. The hike is much easier if you walk to the bottom of the arch, but we decided to take the moderately difficult scramble up to the top to admire the views. At the top, there was a queue of people waiting to walk (or jump, to my horror) on the bridge but we were content to sit and admire the view.
ON THE ROAD, NEVADA
After Sedona, we left the desert for a complete contrast in scenery around Flagstaff and then camping in the woods in the Grand Canyon. We then drove into Nevada, bypassing Vegas to admire the natural landscapes that surround this metropolis. Driving around Vegas felt surreal - the city appearing in the desert like a mirage with the skyscrapers in its centre. Under the blazing sun, we pulled up on the side of the road to the Valley of Fire for a little siesta. The colours here were magical, the landscapes looking more like paintings than reality.
VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK
The Valley of Fire was another jaw-dropping moment when we arrived and began to drive along its winding roads between towering ochre cliffs. I wanted to hike to the Fire Wave, so we drove through the park, watching the landscapes change to yellow then pink rocks. This was the hardest walk of the entire trip, but also one of the most rewarding for the view at the end. The hike itself is less than half an hour each way and is pretty much a flat gradient, but the unrelenting sun overhead made it seem much harder. I carried a huge bottle of water but stupidly didn’t wear a hat, and looked like a tomato when I returned to our van. The Fire Wave is definitely worth seeing - it wasn’t something that was on my radar before we decided to visit the Valley of Fire but it completely blew my mind. The pink rock looks like it’s been painted with white stripes, arranged in a wave pattern that just seems too magical to be real.
MOAPA VALLEY
That night we wild camped in the Moapa Valley, just outside the State Park on the outskirts of Vegas. I loved the spot for how peaceful it was, surrounded by miles and miles of desert in each direction, mountains towering in the distance. We sat outside our van building a fire, watching the sky turn pink and delighting in the landscape. One of the best parts of the trip was just this, sitting outdoors at night around the fire, reading my book or writing in my journal with a head torch. Bliss.
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
The final desert of our trip was also one of my favourites: Death Valley. Many people had told me how incredible Death Valley is, but nothing prepares you for the landscapes that surround you here. We spent the day admiring a handful of the key sights - Zabriskie Point, Badwater Basin, Artist’s Drive - but everything here is just amazing. I didn’t realise just how many shades of sandy/beige tones there are before spending 24 hours in Death Valley. My personal highlight was standing at Zabriskie Point, admiring the view and thinking of how much the landscape reminded me of Iceland. I also just loved driving down the desert roads, winding up into the mountains before plummeting back down again with insane views. I found Artist’s Palette to be a bit disappointing (some serious Photoshopping goes on with photos you’ve seen of this landmark) but the one-way track that diverts off the main road (Artist’s Road) is nothing short of incredible. It felt like riding a roller-coaster with all the twists and turns, dips and narrowness between the rocks. We camped in Stovepipe Wells, the sunset drive down the desert road to get there one of my favourite drives of the trip.
Writing this has made me realise just how much I miss driving down those desert roads. If you’ve made it this far through this mammoth post, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the desert landscapes I visited, and if you recommend visiting any other American deserts in the future. New Mexico is currently near the top of my list!
