TRIP REPORT PHOTOS
Saratoga Spring as seen from the lookout hill near the parking area:
Hidden near the beginning of the loop hike is this concrete basin used for research purposes:
Notice that the current water level of the Saratoga Spring ponds can be checked:
Nearby is also this clear pathway which has been cut through the reeds:
It leads to a very small pond which is filled with rare pupfish:
How many Pacific tree frogs can you count in this picture? Notice that they blend in very well with floating reeds:
A close-up of a Pacific tree frog resting on the water at Saratoga Spring:
The most obvious path around Saratoga Spring is on the east side along an old mining road which is now closed:
Caltha-leaf Phacelia was the first wildflower we spotted in full bloom:
Here are the rock foundation remains of an old mining building:
The main ponds of Saratoga Spring are a bit hard to fully see from the east side due to the lack of height on the trail:
Continuing to work my way around the northeastern side of the ponds:
On the right side of the road, the entire area became covered with wildflowers. The next two pictures show Gravel Ghost:
It had been a while since I had come across Scented Cryptantha in Death Valley:
Rock Daisy wildflowers were also on display:
And two pictures of my personal favorite -- the Desert Five-Spot:
As was the case at the Ibex Dunes, Desert Gold wildflowers were abundant at Saratoga Spring:
Desert Golds and Desert Five-Spots growing together:
A close-up of the brightly colored Desert Gold:
After spending some time walking through the wildflower fields, my attention turned to the shallow pools at the northern end of Saratoga Spring:
These shallow pools of water are not part of the main ponds:
But even so, they were absolutely loaded with pupfish swimming around:
Desert Gold was growing out of the rocky slopes of the hillside:
More Desert Gold growing out of the old road which passes around the northern shore of the ponds:
I ended up following the old road around the bend to see what was in the next small valley:
Upon turning the corner, I found the hillside and landscape to be covered by yellow, green, and purple:
Two pictures showcasing the beautiful blend of Desert Gold and Caltha-leaf Phacelia:
Two close-ups of Caltha-leaf Phacelia. These were literally everywhere in this area:
Upon heading back and crossing over toward the northern tip of the large ponds, these yellow flowers were covering the ground all over:
These wildflowers are Golden Evening Primrose:
Golden Evening Primrose seen with the colorful Ibex Hills in the background:
This was as close as I could get to the northern tip of the large ponds. The marsh and thick reeds prevent further human travel:
Two pictures zooming in on a pond with some ducks swimming as seen from this spot:
In the far distance, you can see the trail that wraps around the eastern side of the ponds:
As you can see, it would be impossible to attempt to get closer to the ponds from this spot:
I began circling around the ponds to the northwest to look for better views:
The smaller reddish pond in the foreground is shallow and likely contains abundant pupfish:
Upon reaching the western side, the embankment moves closer to the actual water of the ponds:
Panoramic showing spectacular reflections on the Saratoga Spring ponds (click to enlarge):
The colors are hard to fully discern due to using a powerful zoom, but this is likely a Black Scoter, which is a large sea duck:
Another picture revealing the beautiful reflection on the crystal clear water of the ponds:
Zooming in on a group of ducks which were all swimming together:
Two pictures of these ducks, which are Cinnamon Teal ducks. The males have a cinnamon red color and the females have brown bodies:
Landscape pictures don't get much more beautiful than this within Death Valley:
In the distance on the right side, you can see the small lookout hill located south of the ponds:
One more look at the reflective ponds and colorful Ibex Hills:
Continuing to walk around the top of the embankments while heading back toward the parking area:
