Badwater Basin - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Lake/ River/ Ponds

About Badwater Basin

An endorheic basin noted as the lowest point in North America, with a depth of 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. Consisists of a small spring-fed pool of "bad water" next to the road in a sink; the accumulated salts of the surrounding basin make it undrinkable, thus giving it the name. Significant rainstorms flood the valley bottom periodically, covering the salt pan with a thin sheet of standing water. When the basin is flooded, some of the salt is dissolved; it is redeposited as clean crystals w

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Attractions Near Badwater Basin

Dante’s View

Dante’s View

3.81km from Badwater Basin

Dante's View offers a dramatic panoramic view of Death Valley from a very brink of an edge. It is also an excellent venue for night time star viewing with telescopes.

Devils Golf Course

Devils Golf Course

13.71km from Badwater Basin

Devils Golf Course is a scenic viewpoint in Inyo County. It is a large salt pan on the floor of the Death Valley, located in the Mojave Desert, within the Death Valley National Park in eastern California. Although its exact boundaries are poorly defined, it extends from the vicinity of the Ashford Mill site to the Salt Creek Hills, covering a distance of about 40 miles.

Artists Drive

Artists Drive

17.81km from Badwater Basin

Artists Drive is a scenic viewpoint in Inyo County. It crosses a sloping mountainside composed of vibrant soil colored by rich metals. The drive passes an area dubbed the Artist’s Palette, which is among the unique landmarks in Death Valley National Park that must be seen to believe. Artist’s Drive is a one-way road traveling from south to north. For those coming from Badwater Basin, this is an ideal side trek en route to Furnace Creek.

Sidewinder Canyon

Sidewinder Canyon

18.52km from Badwater Basin

Sidewinder Canyon is located at the base of the Black Mountains on the east side of Death Valley National Park south of Badwater Basin. The canyon is fairly wide with a gravel bottom and forty-foot stone walls on both side. The trailhead is unmarked and the trail only has occasional cairns along the way for guidance, creating a remote trek in a Death Valley canyon. The mouth of the canyon is difficult to spot from the trailhead. Begin hiking south toward the gravel fan exiting the canyon.

Gower Gulch

Gower Gulch

21.15km from Badwater Basin

Gower Gulch is a small gulch on the eastern side of Death Valley in Inyo County, California. It is located in the Black Mountains. Gower Gulch is visible from Zabriskie Point and is about one and a half miles long.The gulch contained mines, camps, and roads during the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Zabriskie Point

Zabriskie Point

21.5km from Badwater Basin

Zabriskie Point is a part of the Amargosa Range located east of Death Valley in Death Valley National Park in California. It is composed of sediments from Furnace Creek Lake, which dried up 5 million years ago—long before Death Valley came into existence.

Discover More Attractions in Inyo County, Home of Badwater Basin

Inyo County

Inyo County

72 attractions

Almost one-half of Inyo Country is within Death Valley National Park. With a population density of 1.8 people per square mile, it also has the second-lowest population density in California, after Alpine County.

Location of Badwater Basin

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For more information about Badwater Basin, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badwater_Basin