WITOLD SKRYPCZAK / GETTY IMAGES ©
CREDIT/LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©WHY THIS IS A
CLASSIC TRIP
SARA.BENSON,.
AUTHORMost people think of sunny beaches
when you mention Southern
California road trips. But some
of the most epic scenery I’ve
ever witnessed through my car’s
windshield has been in the Mojave
Desert. In every season, Death
Valley’s landscape looks startlingly
different. You’ll never forget your
first view of hillsides painted in
spring wildflower blooms or when
vanished prehistoric lakes suddenly
reappear in the salt flats after heavy
winter rains.Top: Mojave Desert
Left: Salt plates, Badwater
Right: Rhyolite