The hottest place on earth is an anthology of desert set-pieces in one national park: the rippled Mesquite Flat dunes at dawn, Badwater Basin's salt polygons 86 metres below sea level, Zabriskie Point's golden badlands, plus craters, slot canyons and ghost towns between. Base yourself at Furnace Creek and treat summer as closed — November to March is the sane window, and even then carry more water in the car than seems reasonable. The night skies are certified dark and astonishing.
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