Death Valley Sights and Attractions

Death Valley and Furnace Creek

Artist Drive

The rocks within this section of the park have been stained a myriad of colors by minerals within, creating a view that resembles an artist's palette. Sediments of iron salts, mica, and manganese, shimmer on the rugged hillside, with blues, greys, pinks, reds and yellows. The colors are most spectacular in the late afternoon when the sun is low and its light is warm.

^ Back to Top ^

Badwater

At 282 feet below sea level, it's the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. A boardwalk and signs provide info on the local environment, and a trail leads out onto the salt flats. Once there see the results of oppressive heat and arid conditions, witnessed in the micro chasms that break the salt flats into angular blocks, as they gasp for relief.

The valley floor didn't get so low just by chance. It is the result of fault-block geology, in which the floor is sinking at a rate of about 6 inches per century, and the surrounding mountains are on the rise.

^ Back to Top ^

Dante's View

Spectacular view from an overlook just a mile or two away from Badwater, but 4000 feet taller. The best view of Death Valley with the least amount of effort. You can literally see from top (Telescope Peak at 11,049 ft.) to bottom (Badwater at 282 ft. below sea level) of Death Valley National Park. Notice how the mountain ranges trap what little rain or runoff enter the valley. The result is a bulid-up of minerals and salts that appear as white patches on the valley floor.

The road to Dante's View is a bit long, but the view is worth it. If you are towing a trailer, a parking lot is provided for you to leave your trailer behind before ascending the most difficult part of the road to Dante's View.

^ Back to Top ^

Devil's Golf Course

A bizarre landscape consisting of a vast field of salt crystals that form as the valley's mineral dense water evaporates. The salt gives the area a frosty appearance that couldn't be more deceiving. Since temperatures here regularly surpass 110, that's not a rare winter snow, that's salt.

^ Back to Top ^

Mustard Canyon

A popular hike located just south of Furnace Creek through a brilliantly colored canyon. The best view is from the very end of the trail, which requires traversing through some narrow canyon walls and over ladders. Star Wars fans may recognize this place as Jawa hideouts from Episode 3.

^ Back to Top ^

Mushroom Rock

This oddly shaped rock is located on the road south of Furnace Creek.

^ Back to Top ^

Natural Bridge

Travel south from Furnace Creek. Natural Bridge is just east of the main road via a dirt road. This natural bridge in a narrow canyon was created when erosion managed to undercut a section of the stream bed and eventually create a bridge well above the bottom of the canyon.

^ Back to Top ^

Salt Creek

Travel south from Furnace Creek. Salt Creek is about two miles west of the main road via an easy dirt road. This place is great. Long ago Death Valley was a lake with fish in it; as the lake dried up and salinity increased, the desert pupfish evolved to cope. Now this unique species is restricted to a short, salty creek which springs up out of the desert, flows for a few hundred yards, and then disappears back into the sand.

^ Back to Top ^

Visitor Center And Museum

At Furnace Creek. When visiting Death Valley, start here to learn more about this fascinating land like no other. You may discover, among all this diverse history and formations, a whole new area of interest! Or just figure out which of these many places you should really visit.

^ Back to Top ^

Zabriskie Point

Famous viewpoint loved by photographers, located just east of Furnace Creek. View overlooks a cluster painted desert canyons carved by wind and rain from the colorful sedimentary rock. The rocky canyons, made of mud, sand, and volcanic ash, compressed and baked for millions of years, then cracked and rearranged by siesmic activity. The spectacular view is only a two minute hike / walk from the parking lot!

Zabriskie Point is considered badlands due to its difficult-to-traverse topography. The area is composed of sediment from Furnace Creek Lake, which dried-up 5 million years ago — long before Death Valley existed. The landscape is in danger of being eroded away due to a nearby diversion of a water channel. It is named after Christian Brevoort Zabriskie of Wyoming Territory, the vice-president and general manager of the Pacific Coast Borax Company in early twentieth century

^ Back to Top ^

Stovepipe Wells Area

Darwin Falls. A 15-foot waterfall that is particularly interesting in Spring. Traveling west of Panamint Springs on SR 190, turn left onto a dirt road that goes up a wash just before SR 190 starts climbing uphill. After about half a mile of dirt, gravel and rocks, there is a small parking lot. From the parking lot, hike about half a mile to a mile further into the canyon. Since this is the drinking water supply for Panamint Springs, please do not jump in, no matter how tempting it is.

^ Back to Top ^

Marble Canyon

A popular hiking destination. While accessible only by a long, sandy road followed by a techincal rock crawl through a wash, this hike is worth the headache (or fun) of getting to the base of the trail. Before you go, consult rangers about the location of various petrogylphs along the canyon walls. Though some have been vandalized recently, many are in pristine condition.

^ Back to Top ^

Mosaic Canyon

This popular hike in the center of the park winds through a narrow, marbled canyon. Some climbing and scaling of slick marbled rock is required.

^ Back to Top ^

Sand Dunes

Near Stovepipe Wells. Most people think sand dunes are common in the desert. They aren't. There are two interesting areas of sand dunes in Death Valley. The largest is Eureka Dunes, accessible only to adventurous backcountry folks. This smaller set of dunes near Stovepipe Wells is still quite impressive. You'll learn the meaning of two steps forward, one step back, if you decide to hike the dunes!

^ Back to Top ^

Scotty's Castle and Vicinity

Scotty's Castle (Death Valley Ranch)

A strange story about the creation of elaborate mansion in the valley involving sickness, fraud, and tall tales. Read more about Scotty's Castle here >>

^ Back to Top ^

Titus Canyon.

An unimproved road into Death Valley that begins just west of Beatty (the road to Titus canyon heads north from the normal paved route from Beatty into Death Valley). Titus canyon is narrow, deep and spectacular. Due to narrowness, parts of this road are one-way, so you really need to start from the east end of the road. You don't need an off-road vehicle for this, normal cars should do fine, but don't bring the RV.

^ Back to Top ^

Ubehebe Crater

Located in the northern part of the park near Scotty's Castle, this giant crater was formed by volcanic activity. Walking trails lead into and around the crater, but be warned - going down into the crater is a difficult undertaking, and it may be best to enjoy the view from the top.

^ Back to Top ^

Backcountry Sights

Barker Ranch

Charles Manson's one-time hideaway.

^ Back to Top ^

Desolation Canyon

Because it is not marked from the road, and not well marked on the map, a hike through this canyon offers solitude even beyond that of what is a very quiet park to begin with. The canyon isn't much to look at for the first 1/2 mile of the hike from the parking area, but beyond that, there is much to explore.

^ Back to Top ^

Eureka Sand Dunes

Tucked away in the north part of the park, accessible only by tens of miles of dirt road, these are the second tallest dunes in the United States. Don't let their out-of-the-way location deter you from visiting, however. The solitude only adds to the otherworldliness of the wind-swept sands, the highly rare Eureka Grass blades grasping for life in the dry mounds, and the panoramic view of the colorful Last Chance and Saline Ranges which flank the dunes on either side.

Accessed via a gravel road in Eureka Valley, the dunes became part of the Death Valley as part of its 1994 expansion. Foot travel in the dunes is permitted, but vehicle access is prohibited. A primitive campground is located at the north end of the dune field.

The Eureka Dunes are the home of several unique (and protected) plant species. The Eureka Dune Grass, the Eureka Evening Primrose, and the Shining Locoweed are only found in this area. Visitors to the dunes may also experience other unique aspects of these dunes. In dry weather, slipping of the sand can produce a 'booming' sound. Conversely, in wet weather, patterns can be seen in the sand that reveals its diverse sources, and the complex aeolian process by which these dunes are formed (and re-formed).

There is another, smaller sand dune formation in Death Valley near Stovepipe Wells.

^ Back to Top ^

Ibex Dunes

Well off the beaten path in the Southern end of the park, these are some of the most remote sand dunes in the American West. Mountains flank the dunes to the west and east, making sunrise and sunset both an event.

^ Back to Top ^

Pleasant Canyon and South Park Canyon

4WD Loop. The South Park Canyon portion near the Panamint Valley should be attempted only by experienced drivers with high clearance vehicles.

^ Back to Top ^

Racetrack Playa

As with many points of interest within the park, this one is not easily accessible. The main route consists of 27 miles of dirt road, beginning at the Ubehebe Crater in the northern part of the park. However, the effort is well-rewarded with a panorama tht seems more like a set from an episode of The Twilight Zone. A flat, parched mud field contains basketball-sized rocks with tracks that show the movement they have made over the years. In the spring months, brine shrimp - which hibernate when the water dries up, only to emerge months or even years later - are often visible in the muddy puddles here.

See more about Racetrack Playa, and watch an interesting video >>

^ Back to Top ^

Tea Kettle Junction

Located in the backcountry near the Racetrack Playa, this signpost is decorated with numerous tea kettles and makes for a rather odd sight in the vast desert.

^ Back to Top ^

Telescope Peak

In the Panamint Range is the highest point within Death Valley National Park. From atop this desert mountain one can see for many hundreds of miles, west across Panamint Valley to Mount Whitney and the Sierra Nevada in California, east across the Badwater Basin in Death Valley (the lowest point in North America) to Charleston Peak in the Spring Mountains of Nevada. Hiking trails from the base to the summit total 7 miles. The summit was named because of the incredible distance you can see from the top.

A variety of trees can be found on the mountain, including pinyon pine, limber pine, and, at the highest elevations, ancient bristlecone pine.