This is not exactly my typical Death Valley National Park photograph, but for better or for worse, low fly-overs (and high altitude maneuvers) by military aircraft are part of the experience there. The park is virtually surrounded by military reserves and bases, and the atomic test site is not far to the east — in other words, there’s a heavy military presence in the area. My understanding is that part of the agreement that led to the establishment of the national park was a concession to allow overflights of the park.
Most of the time these activities are a sort of background — often not that disruptive, but occasionally quite loud. On a recent visit lanes flew loudly above popular areas of the park for a half hour or longer. I’ll admit that at first it was quite interesting, but it soon became somewhat annoying as morning silence was disrupted. That aside, there is one location along highway 190 that is famous for low flight above and through some impressive terrain. (I’ll do my part by not naming it here.) We stopped there on our way out of the park in February, on the off chance that we night see a low-level flyover. We were about to give up when we spotted this jet making a low approach.
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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email
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