Death Valley Geology Explorations with MJC - 2026 Edition

Complete Photo Album

2026 Version of Garry Hayes' famous geologic exploration of the largest National Park in the Lower 48. This trip stood out for its exceptional (perfect!) weather, superbloom of flowers, amazing students and a chaotic drive home through heavy desert and valley rains. Laura and Zephyr also got to witness a scorpion catch and sting a moth under blacklights near our campground. The biggest surprise of the trip happened when the newly repaired Salt Creek Boardwalk reopened two days before our arrival after having been closed for more than two years due to a flash flood. The new boardwalk offered amazing views of THOUSANDS of Salt Creek pupfish -the most resilient extremophile fish- swimming in the slipstreams like lines of ants. It was a magical year!

Group photo of students standing atop Dantes View with Lake Manly in background.

Laura and Horacio walk through a landscape of yellow Desert Golds and pink Desert Verbena with Kingston Peak FMT in the background.

Phacelia, Desert Gold and Desert Five-Spot flowers carpet the Kingston Peak Formation.

Our orange tent lit from inside amongst the very starry sky at Stovepipe Wells Camp.

Red Rock Canyon Monkey Flowers carpet alluvium in front of stratified cliffs of Red Rock Canyon State Park.