The Colorful Desert of California

If you think that desert is all brown and sandy, then you must haven’t see the wonder that is Death Valley National Park. This desert is anything but mundane and one of its coolest sights is the Artist Palette. This canyon of multi-color rocks surely stands out in this 3 million acres national park.

overview

• Located in Death Valley National park, Eastern California
• This hike is easy.  You can see the palette from the parking lot but you must do a short walk to get close and personal with this canyon
• To get to the palette, you will drive on the Badwater Road and turn off at Artist Drive. This is a short detour off the main road into the canyon (1 way road from south-north). Artist Palette has an obvious sign. You can’t miss it. It’s so obvious and colorful.
• GPS coordinates;  36.364974, -116.806483

Other Hikes in Death Valley:

• Mesquite Sand Dunes
• Ubehebe Crater

Other Desert Parks in California

• Joshua Tree National Park
• Anza Borrego State Park
• Mojave Desert Preserve

The multi-color rocks that is Artist Palette was formed by a violent volcano explosion in the area. When along the national park’s main road, you can’t help but see the bright and colorful formation that is the Artist Palette. This is an absolute must do when you visit Death Valley. It’s a short experience and won’t take too much of your time.

My friend and I had a great time here. We first thought that we had to park really far and the walk there, but there’s a much closer parking lot nearby. If you feel like it’s a long walk to the palette then you’re probably not there yet. The drive is a one way road, so you can’t get lost! Just make sure to not enter the wrong side. This is one of Death Valley’s must-do’s and popular attractions, so be to visit.