Unique Things In Death Valley National Park

An Overview of Death Valley National Park

Known as the hottest and driest spot in North America with temperature highs reaching upwards of 130 degrees Fahrenheit, Death Valley is a harsh land filled with beauty. The valley shifts between extreme heat in the summer and dangerous chills in the winter, along with the potential for rapid flooding when storms strike nearby mountains. Despite this, there are many unique things in Death Valley National Park, including dramatic desert landscapes, old ruins, high dunes, ATV routes and sailing rocks.

Unique Things In Death Valley National Park

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

These are a series of sand dunes and a popular location for sand-boarding.

Dante’s View

This is viewpoint on the north side of Coffin Peak which overlooks vast swaths of Death Valley.

Wildrose Charcoal Kilns

These are beehive-shaped kilns once used to create charcoal for local mining operations in the 19th-centrury. The kilns are remarkably intact and considered some of the most distinct historical-architecture found in Death Valley National Park.

Zabriskie Point

Located within the Amargosa Range, this alien, erosional landscape is made from piled sediments from the long-vanished Furnace Creek Lake.

Mosaic Canyon Trail

This is a four-mile out-and-back hiking trail which passes through unique canyons and interesting rock formations in the desert.

Darwin Falls

This is a single waterfall known as one of the only year-round sources of moving water in the National Park. The fall tumbles down a low cliff before splitting in two upon a shaped stone at the base. Visitors are not allowed to swim in the pool at the base of the falls, as this water is the drinking source for Panamint Springs Resort.

Ubehebe Crater

This is a large volcanic crater found amongst the volcanic crater field in the northern portion of Death Valley.

Golden Canyon

This is an interpretive trail following the motions of a nearby, scenic canyon. The canyon is an especially popular site for Star Wars fans, as it’s where R2-D2 was filmed being captured by Jawas during the events of A New Hope.

Twenty Mule Team Canyon

This is a popular dirt road driving route through badlands in the region.

Titus Canyon Road

This is a deep and narrow gorge route with limestone formations, Native American petroglyphs and pockets of thriving native plants.

Badwater Basin

This endorheic basin exists atop a expansive salt flat, devoid of life. The salt flat is known for a tiny, spring-fed pool of unpotable water due to the accumulated salt deposits nearby. The pool continuously feeds the flats, which creates a repeated freeze–thaw and evaporation cycle, eventually creating entirely natural hexagonal shapes.

Rainbow Canyon

This canyon was a popular training site for the United States Air Force and Navy to practice using fighter jets.

Goldwell Open Air Museum

This is an open-air sculpture park found near the ghost town of Rhyolite. The area includes the Red Bar Art Center, the ruins of an old holding jail, the historic mining village of Bullfrog and several other interesting artworks. One of the most interesting sculpture found here is inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” where sculptor Albert Szukalski draped live models in burlap-soaked plaster until the hardened plaster allowed the figures to stand independently.

Devils Golf Course

Though not a true golf course, this rugged, inhospitable terrain showcases a salt pan where Lake Manly once existed. The remaining salt formations are knobby, low and rough, giving this region its name.

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

This is a bright desert oasis known for its galleries of ash trees and exceptionally vivid waters.

Teakettle Junction

This junction road found in Death Valley is known for being a communal public art installation. Visitors often leave tea kettles to the sign, creating entire pillars decorated in dusty kettles.

Natural Bridge Trail

This is a  1.4-mile out-and-back trail leading through canyon scenery to an amazing natural stone bridge with an expansive opening at the top.

Harmony Borax Works

This long-abandoned borax mine in Death Valley is filled with old artifacts and lodging remains, rusting and decaying in the desert.

Cerro Gordo Ghost Town

A privately owned mining town, this ghost town is known for its long histroy and well-preserved mining structures.

Artists Palette

This is a rugged series of mountains and canyons known for its various vivid geological colors, largely caused by metal oxidization in the soil.

Barker Ranch

Originally used as a mining and recreational property, this ranch is infamous for its association with Charles Manson and his “Manson Family” cult, who used the location as a primary headquarters.

Devils Hole

This is a unique geological formation which creates a water-filled cavern over 500 feet deep. The waters below, which have never been mapped, are a protected site for the endangered Devils Hole pupfish.

Racetrack Playa

Also known as “The Racetrack” this scenic dry lake is famous for its “sailing stones” which leave long, linear “racetrack” imprints along the soil’s surface. The rocks, which initially fall onto the plain due to forces of erosion, move horizontally without the aid of humans or animals. Instead, their motion is the result of thin, floating ice panels and winds nudging the rocks into motion. The rocks are capable of moving at speeds up to 16-feet-per-minute under perfect conditions.

Warm Springs Camp

This was a small town and historic stopping point for stagecoaches passing through the region. The town’s population dwindled over the years until the site was entirely abandoned. Now, there are several empty buildings in various state sitting over the hot springs which gave the town its name.

Inyo Mine

This is an old mine and ghost town found in Echo Canyon.

Corkscrew Canyon

This is an impressive geological formation and slot canyon known for its bright red stone and wavy, twisting walls.

Manzanar National Historic Site

This historical landmark was the site of one of the ten camps where the US government incarcerated Japanese immigrants during WWII.

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