Death Valley National Park - Salt Creek Interpretive Trail

The turnoff to the Salt Creek Interpretive Trail is located on CA 190 13.1 miles north of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center or 11.3 miles east of the Stovepipe Wells General Store. A well-maintained 1.2 mile gravel road heads southwest to a large gravel parking area. Picnic tables, trash and recycling receptacles and a vault toilet are located near the parking area. A boardwalk heads upstream following the meandering path of Salt Creek. After a quarter mile, the boardwalk branches to form a one-third mile loop before returning to the parking area for a total walk of about 5/6 of a mile.

Alluvial fans from the Panamint Mountains to the west and the Funeral Mountains to the west have created a narrow valley of badlands 200 feet below sea level where Salt Creek flows on the surface year-round. The creek flows from brackish springs a mile upstream and evaporates into Cottonball basin to the southeast. The creek is host to a number of rather unique plant and animal species. Among these are pickleweed and the less than inch-long Salt Creek pupfish (Cyprinodon salinus salinus). Pickleweed stores salt in special cells in its stems. When too much salt builds up, it grows a new stem. Pupfish are able to survive temperatures from near freezing to over 100° F and salinity levels much higher than seawater. According to one of the interpretive signs, they were named by Dr. Carl Hubbs:

I like to call these specimens "pupfish" because they play like puppies.

There is no shade along the route. Wear protective clothing or sunscreen and drink plenty of water even on this short walk. It is almost unbelievable how quickly people can become dehydrated in this arid environment.

Parking area

The Funeral Mountains from the end of the parking area

Salt Creek from the parking area

The picnic area provide views of the Panamint Mountains

Badlands line the creek

The beginning of the interpretive trail boardwalk

Boardwalk and badlands

Interpretive signs and a viewing bench

More of the badlands

Pupfish line up as if in formation

Salt Creek nourishes life for over a mile along its course

Pickleweed lines the banks of the creek

Looking downstream across the pickleweed at the Funeral Mountains

Badlands and salt flats

A short walk leads to two more benches

A bridge spans the main channel of the creek

View from the bridge

Another interpretive sign and viewing bench

One braid of the creek flows along the base of the badlands

Salt covers the mudflats

Cap rocks slow the erosion of the badlands

The boardwalk tends to meander along and across various braids of the creek

Salt Creek and the Panamint Mountains

More pupfish and pickleweek

Another view of Salt Creek

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.