GARDNERVILLE GUIDED TOUR FIELD GUIDE
New Moon Over Silent Dunes: Six Days of Spring and Night Photography in Death Valley
A six-day guided workshop (March 1–5, 2026) through Death Valley’s dunes, salt flats and badlands timed to the new moon for pre-dawn Milky Way work and the chance to find spring wildflowers, led by expert guides.
New Moon Over Silent Dunes: Six Days of Spring and Night Photography in Death Valley.
This six-day, five-night workshop moves through Death Valley’s raw terrain—sand dunes, salt flats, and eroded badlands—timed to the cooler window before the worst of the heat and scheduled close to the new moon so participants can shoot pre-dawn Milky Way scenes and hunt for the season’s scattered wildflower patches.
Highlights
Outing Highlights
Local Knowledge, Better Light
Jeff and Lori know this park intimately and use every available tool to position the group at the best locations and times for optimal photography.
Scout, Time, Execute
The team’s familiarity with the park and its seasonal patterns is the backbone of the program: they scout and choose locations with photographic potential so participants arrive when conditions are most favorable.
Optimized Opportunities
Because the guides concentrate on place and timing, participants get repeated chances to refine compositions and shoot the landscape under both pre-dawn and nighttime skies.
What the day feels like
What the Six Days Feel Like
Over six days and five nights the workshop cycles between daytime reconnaissance and pre-dawn/night sessions—exploring dunes, salt flats, badlands and high vistas by day, then setting up for Milky Way and low-light landscape work during the new moon. Guides focus on composition and timing, and the group also looks for the occasional wildflower patches that appear during good spring seasons.
Suitability
Who it's for
Who this workshop suits—and the one hard rule.
Practical planner
Details to review before reserving
Prepare for night and low-light landscape photography; check the operator’s full gear list for camera, tripod, and clothing recommendations prior to departure.
Review cancellation policies before reserving.
Frequently asked questions
Planning Your Outing
Where is the meeting location?
The workshop meets in Death Valley National Park.
How long is the trip?
The workshop runs six days and five nights (March 1–5, 2026) and is listed with a duration of 105.
What will we photograph?
Participants will photograph sand dunes, salt flats, eroded badlands and vistas, and will have opportunities for pre-dawn Milky Way images and foraging for wildflower patches when present.
Why is this timing chosen?
The dates are timed before the region’s worst heat and close to the new moon to enable pre-dawn Milky Way photography; the timing also aims to coincide with potential spring wildflower displays.
Are there age restrictions?
Yes—participants must be ages 18 and older unless accompanied by an adult.