Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America, is a 45-minute drive from our lodging in Death Valley. The scenery along the way can take your breath away. It is very overcast with the possibility of rain but that won’t slow us down. Two miles from our lodging at Stovepipe Wells Village, with the sun peaking through between the mountain tops and the clouds, we see the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes. This is only the beginning, so come on along!
Death Valley National Monument was created in 1933 in order to protect the land, but it was not until 1994 that Congress designated Death Valley a national park. Did you know it is the largest national park in the lower 48? It covers over 3.4 million acres! We’ll only be visiting a very small part, but oh the views!
Driving east, Tucki Mountain fills our view to the right. We hiked Mosaic Canyon there, but today we have very different weather. Do you see the gray area mid picture with the whitish areas fanning out? We will see them all along the Panamint Range which includes Tucki Mountain and the other mountains surrounding the valley. They are called alluvial fans. As water rushes down the mountains, through history even rivers, it carries sediment called alluvium. Reaching wider open areas the alluvium fans out creating triangle-shaped areas called alluvial fans. Watch for them as we travel south.
Continuing along the Panamint Range we begin to see the salt flats in the valley. About 185,000–128,000 years ago Lake Manly filled this entire basin, drying up entirely about 10,000 years ago. Little before our time, but the result is salt flats covering about 200 square miles (518 square km). This dry lake bed is called a playa.
At times of severe rain fall, like last August, pools or small lakes are again in the basin reforming the salt into new geometric shapes. The salt we see is mostly sodium chloride (table salt), along with calcite, gypsum, and borax.
The highest peak in the Panamints is Telescope Peak at 11,049 ft (3, 368 m). This day will not allow us to see the peak, but join geology professor Shawn Willsey for great views and an interesting, short, understandable talk of the region’s geology. He is at Dantes View, a wonderful overlook at 5,575 ft (1,699 m) above Badwater Basin. It is a beautiful location, but we will not be going there. The road to and the entire area is closed due to snow. Mid-March through April is spring in Death Valley with temps mid-60s to low-70s. During our visit so far it has not gotten warmer than 48 degrees. Sigh . . .
Arriving at Furnace Creek, we make a right onto Badwater Road. The Black Mountains are on our left (east) and the Panamint Range on the far side of the valley (west). What colors! Remember, although most of the color originates from forms of iron, we have our color-range minerals:
RED / ORANGE = Hematite
YELLOW = Limonite
GREEN / BLUE = Chlorite, Nontronite
PURPLE = Hematite
Now here is something interesting about today’s photos, and I only noticed it after getting home. With the overcast skies, generally dark day, and some haze, many pictures look more like paintings than photos. What do you think?
Here we are! The lowest point in North America, 282 feet below sea level. Well, the actual lowest spot is about a mile into the valley, but close enough. Even a hint of sun on the Panamints.
So why is it called Badwater Basin? Walking down from the parking area is Badwater Pool. The Park Service tells us:
Stories suggest that Badwater Basin earned its name when a mule belonging to an early surveyor refused to drink from the spring-fed pool near the present-day boardwalk. However, the water here is not truly “bad,” just very salty. Despite this high salinity, many organisms not only survive, but thrive here. The pool is home to an endemic snail naturally found only at this location, and its rim is dotted with salt tolerant plants, including pickleweed.
An ancient aquifer fills this pool with water year round.
Badwater Basin salt flats, and a bit of blue sky.
Walking out a ways then turning around there is something on the hillside . . .
Ahh . . . perspective.
What amazing formations along the Black Mountains. Driving north back toward Stovepipe Wells, we see different formations we missed earlier when heading south.
Badwater Road ends at CA-190 in Furnace Creek. Furnace Creek Ranch is the tourist lodging that opened in 1927, but today there is additional lodging, restaurants, a gas station, campgrounds, all privately owned. The Park’s Visitor Center is also at Furnace Creek. Today the area is known as the Oasis at Death Valley, as there are three springs that supply thousands of gallons of water a day to the area.
As we drive into Furnace Creek suddenly a surprise! Two Desert Sunflower (Geraea canescens) plants in bloom right along the road. The flower is only about three inches across, but the only flowers we’ve seen anywhere in the park. Winter is not giving up easily this year.
From the junction with Badwater Road, it is about 19 miles along CA-190 to a U-turn heading west then about 7 miles to Stovepipe Wells. Stovepipe Wells was the first hotel open to visitors in Death Valley. In 1926 Herman William “Bob” Eichbaum made a longtime dream come true as he welcomed visitors to his resort. In 1979 the National Park Service purchased the property and facilities. Through competitive bidding for a 10-year concession contract, an outside company becomes the concessioner for the Village. Facilities include a general store, gas station, campground, restaurants, and lodging.
We have a few things to see along this last seven miles, but looking east toward the Grapevine Mountains the clouds are getting serious. Doesn’t it look like the mountains mid picture are floating? It isn’t a low cloud but the gray gravel/sand they stand upon.
So how did Death Valley get its name? Once again I defer to the Park Service:
Death Valley was given its forbidding name by a group of pioneers lost here in the winter of 1849-1850.
Even though, as far as we know, only one of the group died here, they all assumed that this valley would be their grave.
They were rescued by two of their young men, William Lewis Manly and John Rogers, who had learned to be scouts.
As the party climbed out of the valley over the Panamint Mountains, one of the men turned, looked back, and
said “goodbye, Death Valley.” This name, and the story of The Lost ’49ers have become part of our western history.
Early promoters of the area, after mines failed to produce hoped-for riches, saw an opportunity to promote the area as a tourist attraction. They built lodging for visitors at Furnace Creek opening in February 1927. Capitalizing on the mystique of Death Valley’s name, they named strange and interesting features after the devil and Dante’s Inferno.
Let’s stop and see the Devils Cornfield.
Why cornfield? It was thought the plants resemble bundled corn left to dry in rows at harvest time. Well, its a catchy name anyway 😉 . These plants are actually Arrowweed (Pluchea sericea). The arrowweed root system binds the soil around the plant and over time the wind scours the sand away making the root/soil bundles visible.
Arrowweed is an evergreen shrub that tolerates slightly salty soil and is an indicator of a shallow water table.
This bush is a Creosote (Larrea tridentata), and it is flowering.
Here we are, back at the sand dunes and two miles from “home”. The storms are all around the valley, but we’ve seen no rain today.
Wow, what landscapes. Fascinating and very different from our usual walks in mountain forests and red rock formations. If you get a chance to visit Death Valley, be sure to go! Not such a good idea in the summer when temperatures can soar to 130 degrees. Well, it is part of the Mojave Desert after all, shown as darker tan across four states with green highlighting two national parks, National Mojave Preserve, and Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
Until next time my friend . . .
