For 2027 we’re timing our spring Death Valley workshop to coincide with early morning Milky Way photography. The Milky Way will be available on clear mornings from roughly 3-4:45am. We can stay up for 6am sunrise or return to our lodging for more sleep before breakfast.
Storms in August, September and October cause plants to germinate and there can be profuse blooming in the late February through April time frame. We won’t know until early 2027 how the wildflower bloom is likely to turn out. Death Valley is just down the Eastern Sierra from us, so we watch the passing rain showers in fall, and we usually find some patches of wildflowers. We’ve planned our time in Death Valley to expand lodging availability and avoid potential weekend crowds in the event of a “super bloom”. This five night, six-day itinerary focuses on the iconic landscapes accessible from lodging in Stovepipe Wells and Furnace Creek. We divide our stay between the two to reduce round trip driving to many locations by an hour or two, and to maximize sleep as well on the mornings when we pursue night photography.
We’ll explore Death Valley’s sand dunes, salt flats, eroded badlands, and spectacular vistas. It also has sites with a rich history of mining, and rustic cabins and head frames remain. We like early March timing to shoot the Park, before the worst of the oncoming heat starts to arrive.
Recently we’ve found great wildflower conditions in 2024 and 2026, but Death Valley’s exotic landscapes never disappoint. Spring weather can also be spectacular. We live not far from Death Valley, and we watch the weather throughout the season and as the workshop date approaches to anticipate where the best conditions will be in any given season.
