Artist's Drive (CA)Artist Drive is one of the most fantastic drives through California- Artist Pallette. See for yourself why visitors and geologists alike are fascinated by this natural wonder. With limestone, hematite, and other chemically altered volcanic ash in hues of pink, lavender, blue, red and green, you'll be astounded by the close-up view of this "painted" desert. Artist Drive is the best way to get great photographs of Artist Palette. See how the colors blend together to look eerily natural in the normally neutral landscape. DirectionsArtist`s Drive is off the the Badwater Highway. Follow the signs along this one-way canyon. Badwater (CA)Become intrigued and awed over the expansive desolation of Badwater. Look up to the Black Mountains nearby; 250 feet above you is a simple white sign with the words "Sea Level." Death Valley is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, and Badwater is the lowest point in the Death Valley area. Take a walk along the trails through Badwater, literally named for the taste of its water, and try to imagine what it was like a century and a half ago when miners in search of gold trekked through the expansive desert in the scorching temperatures without roads, signs, maps, or a steady supply of water. DirectionsBadwater is located 17 miles south of the Furnace Creek Inn. Aptly named, from this viewpoint, you can see the very lowest point of Death Valley all the way up to the highest - a difference of 11,329 feet. DirectionsDante`s View is just south of Zabriskie Point along Highway 190 and then take the road from the parking lot up to the lookout. Darwin (CA)In the 1870s, Darwin was a thriving mining town. It served as a supply center for the many mines nearby. Then, a major mineral find in 1874 caused a sudden growth spurt in the town. The town reached its peak in 1877, hosting around 200 people. Later, as mining moved elsewhere, the town began to decline. Darwin is notable today as a nearly deserted mining town. The traveler can view old mines and old miner cabins. The town's old schoolhouse and other significant municipal buildings still stand. The Darwin cemetery is a fascinating sight. DirectionsOff of Highway 190 Darwin Falls (CA)Darwin Falls is a welcome site in the Death Valley region.Generally dry and desolate, the Falls consists to two 30-foot waterfalls that flow year round. The area around them is unusually lush and green at all times of year, and surrounded by species of birds who welcome a cool drink in the Death Valley heat. DirectionsThe entrance to the gravel road leading to the trailhead to Darwin Falls is approximately 16 miles west of Towne Pass. Stop by Furnace Creek, the main visitor's service area in the park and home to the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, for great information about nearby visitor services and about the remainder of the park. DirectionsHighway 190 The visitor center in Furnace Creek marks the beginning of the Death Valley Scenic Byway. Start here to get the story and context of the amazing sites you are about to encounter on this unique drive through the Death Valley Area. Discuss your travels with a ranger, tour the museum of geology and history, and plan your itinerary. Check out the visitor center bookstore to pick up some books about the history of the area or perhaps a map to plan your drive. DirectionsThe Death Valley Museum and Visitor Center is located just north of Furnace Creek Ranch on Highway 190. Death Valley National Park comprises more than 3.3 million acres of spectacular desert scenery, rare desert wildlife, complex geology, undisturbed wilderness and sites of historical interest. Death Valley is unique because it contains the lowest, hottest, driest location in North America. Nearly 550 square miles of its area lie below sea level. Ecologically, its plants and animals are representative of the Mojave Desert. Death Valley is one of the hottest places on earth, attaining the second-highest temperature ever recorded, 134 degrees F. in 1913. It contains the lowest point in the western hemisphere -- 282 feet below sea level near Badwater -- as well as numerous high-rising mountain peaks, including Telescope Peak at over 11,000 feet. Death Valley was named by gold-seekers, some of whom died crossing the valley during the 1849 California gold rush. DirectionsDeath Valley National Park is located in the desert of eastern California. The byway is within the Park. Devil's Cornfield (CA) Right along the Byway, see these unusual plants called arroweed that thrive on very salty water. DirectionsThe turnoff at Devil`s Cornfield is right on the byway near the sand dunes, a sign marks where to park. Devil's Golf Course (CA)Of the erratic shapes, bumps and craters a guidebook once said of this region "only the devil could play golf on such a surface." See for yourself this landscape of pure dirt-stained sodium chloride made up of spiky terrain and calcite pits to get a true feel of the desolation and eerie emptiness of this dried-up lake region. DirectionsDevil`s Golf Course is on the Badwater Highway--follow the signs to the dirt road that takes you out to the golf course. |
