Mesquite Sand Dunes Sunset

By Jon Cornforth

Updated May 5, 2016

During my recent visit to Death Valley National Park, I created this image of the Mesquite Sand Dunes at Sunset. Because they are close to the road, the dunes get a lot of foot traffic and are usually covered in un-photogenic tracks. However, several days of strong wind had blow away any footprints and created razor sharp edges on the dunes. When I began my hike, the wind was still howling. I stood for over an hour in the maelstrom being sand blasted, but the winds ceased 20 minutes before sunset. The conditions serendipitously came together to create this beautiful image.

You can watch my iPhone video from this shoot here.

Originally Published May 14, 2010

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