Exploring Sidewinder Canyon in Death Valley National Park
Sunlight in Sidewinder Canyon, Death Valley
Chasing Light in Hidden Slots Off the Beaten Path in Death Valley
In January 2020, fresh into camper van ownership and eager to test out van life on the open road, my son and I set out on a multi-week desert road trip. Death Valley was already an annual pilgrimage for me, but on this run, we wanted to break away from the usual iconic stops. We pulled into the Furnace Creek Visitor Center and got talking with a park ranger, who handed us a handwritten, off-grid map—a key to the lesser-known trails omitted from the standard visitor brochure.
Two hikes instantly stood out: Desolation Canyon and Sidewinder Canyon. Sidewinder proved to be an absolute revelation. Tucked into the Black Mountains near Badwater Basin, Sidewinder isn't a single straightforward slot, but a maze of narrow gravel-choked canyons carved through ancient alluvial conglomerate rock. To truly see it, you have to scramble into hidden side slots where overhead light vanishes, leaving only tight natural arches and soaring gravel walls above.
In one of those deep, shadowy recesses, the sun caught the canyon rim at just the right angle, casting a brilliant beam of light down onto the floor. I had my son stand right in the middle of that natural spotlight, looking up at the massive stone alcove soaring overhead. Framing this shot required balancing the dynamic range between the intensely dark, textured canyon walls and the bright cool spotlight illuminating the gravel bed below.
Little did we know as I snapped this shot that our extended road trip was heading straight into something quite different than we expected. By the time March rolled around and we made our way toward Monument Valley, COVID-19 began closing down the country, and the Navajo Nation had sadly, but rightfully, shut off its access. Looking back at this image now, it captures a perfect, suspended moment of calm discovery right before the rest of the world changed.
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