Death Valley National Park - Badwater Road

The paved portion of Badwater Road follows the eastern edge of Death Valley south for 45 miles from California 190 at Furnace Creek to California 178 at Ashford Well. We drove it during our February 2015 visit to Death Valley National Park. I've already posted about locations from Furnace Creek to Badwater. You can find a list of those and other posts about Death Valley National Park in the National Park and Forest Posts.

Most tourists don't venture beyond Badwater, so you are likely to have the road almost to yourself. Our first stop was nearly 10 miles south of Badwater or about 26 ½ miles south of the California 190 intersection in Furnace Creek.

Copper Canyon alluvial fan and the colorful Black Mountains

A 4690' peak in the Black Mountains

Continuing just a bit further south, we stopped at a small pulloff near mile marker 28. Here, you can walk directly out onto a salt-covered dry lakebed that isn't the lowest point in Death Valley, but is still over 250 feet below sea level. This location is south of the Copper Canyon alluvial fan and north of Mormon Point.

Salt flat and the north side of Smith Mountain

View across the valley of the Panamint Range

Telescope Peak beneath the clouds

Mormon Point at the foot of Smith Mountain

Although there are numerous signs prohibiting off-road driving, some visitors ignore them

The snow from a week ago has mostly melted on the Panamint Range

Salt Flat and Owlshead Mountains (4666' 27 miles)

A small unnamed canyon above our vehicle

Desert Gold (Geraea canescens)

A closeup of Desert Gold

Continuing down Badwater Road, our next stop was at a pullout at a Point of Interest 42.3 miles south of California 190. A descriptive sign provides information about the prehistoric Lake Manly that covered Death Valley to a depth of several hundred feet. Evidence of the receding shoreline of the lake is preserved on Shore Line Butte.

Shore Line Butte

Sugarloaf Peak (4820' 13.6 miles) 

The dark area is Split Cinder Cone (-75') with Porter Peak (9101') and
Sentinel Peak (9634') of the Panamint Range in the background

Desert Gold

Ashford Peak (3547') in the Black Mountains

Desert Sand-verbena (Abronia villosa)

Creosote bush in bloom (Larrea tridentata)

An entrance fee of $20 admits all the passengers of a single vehicle for seven days. Other options include an annual Death Valley National Park Pass for $40, an Interagency Annual Pass providing access to most national park, national forest and BLM fee areas for $80 and a lifetime Interagency Senior Pass for those age 62 and older for $10.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm.