See the Amazing Salt Flats in Death Valley National Park
Visiting the Salt Flats in Death Valley National Park is one of the most extraordinary experiences we’ve had at any national park!
The area is called Badwater Basin and it is home to the lowest elevation point in North America – 282 feet below sea level.
What’s even more interesting is the fact that the area is surrounded by mountains that are as tall as some of the highest points in Glacier National Park (a park known for being BIG)!
It’s located at the very center of the park – about 25 minutes from the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. And it’s about 1.5 hours away from any of the traditional entrances to the park (like Panamint Springs, CA or Parhump, NV)
Driest. Hottest. Lowest.
Each of these words describe why Badwater Basin is unique not only in the U.S, but around the world.
The Salt Flats in Death Valley are amazing and we hope this post inspires you to visit as soon as possible!
What are the Salt Flats in Death Valley?
Badwater Basin Salt Flats is one of the signature experiences at Death Valley. In fact, if you visit DV and don’t see the salt flats on your road trip – what are you thinking?!
Kidding of course. You can do whatever you want!
But here are some factoids about Badwater Basin and a few reasons to visit.
Lowest Elevation in North America
This is the fact most associated with Badwater Basin – the lowest point in North America and among the top 10 (or lowest 10?) elevations in the entire world.
Badwater Basin sits at 282 feet below sea level. Throughout the park, there are actually signs that point out various elevations (most parks have this, actually). But it’s more interesting because you know Badwater Basin is even lower.
Behind the parking lot, there is a famous sign nailed to the side of the cliff that indicates sea level. It was pretty amazing to picture standing at the beach (at literal sea level) and then diving 282 feet down.
If you visit Badwater Basin, you will be standing in one of the most unique places on earth. Incredible!
Driest Location in North America (except…)
Death Valley is infamous for being one of the driest places in North America. The simple explanation for this is that there are too many mountain ranges surrounding the park, making rain less likely.
Death Valley sees an average of 2 inches of rain each year. In fact, there have been entire years where zero rain has fallen (1929 and 1953), and stretches of time without significant rainfall (40 months between 1931-1934 with only 0.64in of rain).
And for Badwater Basin, it means visitors are typically able to walk far out into the salt flats and see the unique geometric shapes along the ground (insert typical pic)
But during our trip, we were treated to a sight not seen in over 20 years…
Lake at Badwater Basin
In August of 2022, Death Valley received the equivalent of a year’s worth of rain in one single day. This caused flash flooding, road damage, and actually closed the park for several months.
But it also created a temporary lake not seen in Badwater Basin in nearly 20 years (since 2005).
It was lovely to see a thin layer of turquoise water. I got a chance to dip my hand in the water and taste it – probably the saltiest thing I have ever tasted in my life.
And it was amazing to know that we were not only standing in a unique geographic location, but also getting to witness a rare event.
Since DV is one of the driest places on earth, this lake won’t last very long. In fact, the area has the fastest evaporation rate in the US. A 12 foot lake could evaporate in a single year – wow!
So it was a real treat to experience this truly rare lake at Death Valley. Maybe in another 20 years, we’ll go back and see the next one!
Planning a Visit to Badwater Basin Salt Flats
Seeing Badwater Basin is a relatively easy activity in Death Valley. It is located in the center of the park and you can drive right to it off Badwater Road.
During our one-day trip, we stopped there in the middle of the day. But depending on the time of year you are planning to visit Death Valley, you may want to alternate your plans (it gets hot in the summers!)
Best Time to See the Salt Flats in Death Valley
The National Park Service typically recommends visiting Badwater Basin in the early morning. In the summer months specifically, they do not advise hiking after 10am.
In general, the best time to visit Death Valley is in the winter months: November through February. This is when you will find cooler temperatures and a more pleasant climate.
We visited in November and were able to explore the basin during the middle of the day (1pm or so). It wasn’t bad at all.
If you’re feeling extreme – plan a trip between June and August. First off, there will be far less visitors in the park (those are the lowest visited months). But second of all, you may just get to experience the hottest temperature on the planet.
In both 2020 and 2021, the temperature hit a whopping 130ºF. I mean, can you even imagine?
The record high is 134ºF set in 1913.
Accessibility to Badwater Basin
One of our overall favorite aspects of Death Valley was how accessible most of the popular attractions of the park were! Badwater Basin is no different.
Besides finding parking, seeing the basin is relatively easy.
After parking in the small nearby lot, you can stroll right out onto a flat boardwalk. This will take you about half way out onto the basin. Once you get to the end of the boardwalk, you can turn back and head to your car!
Or you can continue onto the salt flats. Again, very flat and easy to explore. You might get some salt stuck to the bottom of your shoes but it’s easy to wipe off. We even saw several people barefoot (not advised)!
You could actually see most of Badwater Basin in under an hour if you wanted. But we recommend walking around admiring the unique place you find yourself standing.
Explore Death Valley Beyond Badwater Basin
If you’ve talked to us in real life or read any of our other posts, you’ll know that Death Valley is solidly in our top 5 national parks (as of Dec. 2023).
It feels like a severely underrated park. There is such a wide variety of things to explore there: mountains, valleys, sand dunes, salt flats, and more. It is the largest park (by square miles) in the lower 48 states. Only the Alaska National Parks are bigger.
Here are some quick hits on what else to do when visiting Death Valley and Badwater Basin:
- Dantes View – best view in the park of the valley
- Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes – beautiful sand dunes (visit at sunrise!)
- Zabriskie Point – like the badlands in South Dakota
- Artists Palette – weird, interesting, and colorful rocks
- Stargazing – some of the darkest skies in the US!
Death Valley was one of our favorite national parks to explore – ever! We can’t wait to go back. There’s so much more we didn’t get to do!
Experience the Sunrise at Badwater Basin
Although we did not experience sunrise in Badwater Basin, we can assure you that it would have been magical.
Seeing the salt flats glow blue, purple, and orange hues would have been absolutely lovely. The surrounding mountains would slowly light up. And it would be incredible to watch the stars slowly give way to sunlight.
Makes me wonder why we didn’t try to see Badwater in the morning… Ahh! Next Time!
Probably the biggest factor for us was the drive in. We stayed outside of DV in nearby Trona, CA (west side of the park). It would have taken us 2.5 hours to drive into Badwater. Meaning, we would have had to get up around 3am – even for enthusiasts like us that felt like a stretch!
The sun comes up between 5:30am – 7am (depending on the time of the year). If you want to plan your trip around this, be sure to go to bed EARLY!
| Month | Sunrise Time | Sunset Time | Day Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:00 AM | 4:44 PM | 9h 43m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 5:15 PM | 10h 26m |
| March | 6:17 AM | 5:43 PM | 11h 26m |
| April | 6:32 AM | 7:10 PM | 12h 38m |
| May | 5:53 AM | 7:36 PM | 13h 43m |
| June | 5:31 AM | 8:01 PM | 14h 30m |
| July | 5:34 AM | 8:10 PM | 14h 36m |
| August | 5:55 AM | 7:53 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 7:15 PM | 12h 55m |
| October | 6:44 AM | 6:31 PM | 11h 46m |
| November | 7:12 AM | 5:51 PM | 10h 38m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 4:32 PM | 9h 50m |
Visit Badwater Basin: One of the Natural Wonders of the US
The Salt Flats in Death Valley National Park are one of the most unique experiences we’ve had at anywhere.
Not only do you get to stand at the lowest elevation in North America, but you are simultaneously surrounded by mountains that are as tall as any you will find within even some of the grandest national parks.
We also loved Badwater Basin because it was so accessible. We saw people young and old marveling at the views and tasting the salty floor. It was incredibly fun to see.
We loved Badwater Basin because it’s one of one. Nowhere else in the US is quite like this place. Nowhere else is lower, drier, and hotter – all in one. AND to top it off, we saw a lake that hadn’t formed in nearly 20 years.
One of one.
Visit Badwater Basin and Death Valley as soon as you can – it’s one of the best slices of earth we’ve ever seen!
