Take a Trip to Devilish Death Valley

“Would you enjoy a trip to hell? You Might Enjoy a Trip to Death Valley, Now! It has all the advantages of hell without the inconveniences.”

--Advertisement in Death Valley Chuckwalla magazine
April 1, 1907

Choppy Shores of Badwater Spring (CA) [1]

If you’re in for a unique adventure, try exploring the uncanny terrain of Death Valley. Drive Death Valley Scenic Byway through the heart of this eerily inspiring land, and you’ll find hellish heat at least five months out of the year, sinister landscapes, foreboding mountain crests, and some rather unusual sights.

Begin your adventure on the eastern side of the byway where CA-190 enters Death Valley National Park, stopping at the visitor center in Furnace Creek for general information about the park, including road conditions. Stock up on water and fill up on gas, then head south on the byway again and take a right onto CA-178. Ever thought you’d see a golf course in the middle of the desert? Look off to the right, and you’ll see the Devil’s Golf Course, an ancient evaporated lake. But don’t bring your golf clubs along—this severe landscape, with peculiar jagged peaks and crevices comprised almost entirely of sodium chloride, is not exactly suitable terrain for a golf course! The name actually comes from a 1934 travel guidebook of the region, which stated, “only the devil could play golf on such a surface.” One look at this parched, craggy lakebed, and you’ll agree.

The Salt Flats of Death Valley (CA) [2]

Just past Devil’s Golf Course, you’ll reach Badwater, literally named for the bitter, salty ponds and springs you’ll find there. Badwater is famous for being the lowest elevation point in North America. Get out of your car and gaze at the uninterrupted space of ghostly white dried salt crystals that create erratic geometric patterns on the valley floor. Surrounded by these saltpans, you’ll know you’re not in Kansas anymore!

Artist's Drive in Death Valley (CA) [3]

On your way back to the byway at Furnace Creek via CA-178, take a right onto the Artist’s Drive loop for an up-close look at Death Valley’s version of an art gallery. Marvel as limestone, hematite, and other chemically altered volcanic ash appear in hues of pink, lavender, blue, red, green, and gold on this hastily painted landscape of color and shape.

Once you reach CA-190, turn left and go through Furnace Creek again. Follow the byway on CA-190. Soon after the byway curves to the southwest, look to your left and notice an unusual arrangement of arrowweed, a bushy shrub resembling corn shocks that thrives in windy conditions. If you view it at the right angle, the plants almost seem to be arranged in rows. What you see is aptly named the Devil’s Cornfield.

Visitor to Racetrack Playa (CA) [4]

As you drive the rest of the byway through Death Valley National Park, turn off onto a side canyon for an adventure of your own. You’ll come across distinctive rock formations and colors, dust-covered evidence of the valley’s mining boom, and delicate ecosystems unique to the area. For an otherworldly experience, consider visiting the enormous Ubehebe Crater, a 600-foot-deep volcanic chasm. For the crowning experience of your unique adventure, visit the sliding rocks of Racetrack Playa. Upon arriving at the playa (dry lakebed), you’ll notice scattered rocks with trails behind them—one of Death Valley’s greatest mysteries. Scientists have dedicated their lives to figuring out why the rocks are moving across the relatively flat playa. An unknown force of nature is moving these rocks, some of them weighing up to 700 pounds!

Before you take a side canyon or visit Ubehebe Crater or Racetrack Playa, be sure to consult with a ranger at the visitor center in Furnace Creek about directions, road conditions, four-wheel-drive requirements, and other special considerations. Be sure to carry plenty of water with you, and extra gasoline if you try one of these side adventures.

Exploring Death Valley’s landscapes of parched salt flats, colored volcanic deposits, playas of sliding rocks, and expansive vistas of wind-and-rain-marked rock crevices may not be your initial idea of a California vacation. But, give “hell” a chance and see for yourself as you take an unconventional trip through mysterious, eerie landscapes on the Death Valley Scenic Byway.