1 Baker
Death Valley is a land
of extremes – you’ll find
the lowest elevation in
North America here, not
far from Mt Whitney,
the highest peak in the
US outside Alaska. More
infamously, Death Valley
is the hottest place in the
nation. Just take a look
at the World’s Largest
Thermometer, off I-15
next to Bob’s Big Boy
diner. It stands 134ft
tall to commemorate
the record-breaking
temperature of 134°F
measured in Death Valley
on July 10, 1913. Often
broken these days, the
thermometer is still an
eye-catching tower of
roadside kitsch.
The Drive » From Baker,
follow Hwy 127 (Death Valley
Rd) north for almost 50 miles,
crossing railroad tracks and
zooming through a sere desert
landscape. Turn right onto Old
Spanish Trail Hwy and drive
4 miles east toward Tecopa,
turning left onto Tecopa Hot
Springs Rd for the hot-springs
resorts.2 Tecopa
Even when the desert
looks bone-dry, you
can still find oases in
the dusty outpost of
Tecopa. In the middle
of town at Tecopa Hot
Springs Resort (www.
tecopahotsprings.org; 860
Tecopa Hot Springs Rd; public
bathhouse entry $10; husually
7am-9pm Oct-May), you
can soak in the natural
mineral springs used by
Native Americans for
centuries. Sex-segregated
bathhouses let tribal
elders, snowbird RVers
and curious travelers
all soak together, or you
could rent a private pool.
Outside town, China
Ranch Date Farm (www.
chinaranch.com; h9am-5pm)
is a refreshingly green
refuge where you can go
hiking or bird-watching,
then stock up on fresh
dates or try their yummy
date shakes. To get to
the ranch, follow the Old
Spanish Trail Hwy east
of Tecopa Hot Springs
Rd, turn right onto
Furnace Creek Rd, then
right again onto China
Ranch Rd. The last
stretch is unpaved, steep
and winding, sometimes
requiring 4WD.4 p339
The Drive » Backtrack west
on the Old Spanish Trail Hwy to
Hwy 127. Turn right and drive
north to Shoshone (p339), your
last chance for gas, drinks and
snacks until Furnace Creek,
over 70 miles away. Turn left
onto Hwy 178 (Jubilee Pass Rd),
which wrenches right at Ashford
Junction, becoming Badwater
Rd and curving lazily north along
the valley floor.3 Badwater
Cresting Jubilee Pass
(1290ft), the highway at
last dips down into Death
Valley itself. Despite its
harsh name, the valley
is actually a thriving
wildlife habitat and has
supported human life for
millennia, from Shoshone
tribespeople to Old West
pioneers, gold seekers
and borax miners. It’s
the silence and solemnity
of the vast expanse that
inspires today. That
cracked, parched-looking
salt pan extending
across the valley floor,
which suddenly sears
your retinas with its
dazzling white light, is^
Badwater. At 282ft below
sea level, it’s the lowest
point in North America.
A boardwalk hovers
over the constantly
evaporating bed of salty,
mineralized water,
almost alien in its beauty.
Prehistoric Lake Manly,
which covered the entire
valley during the last ice
age, reappeared here in
2005 for the first time in
recorded human history.
Although the lakeTRIP HIGHLIGHTk
Eastern Sierra
Scenic BywayFrom Panamint Springs,
it’s 33 miles to Lone Pine,
gateway to lofty Sierra
Nevada peaks, via Hwys
190, 136 and 395.
u
Route 66
From Baker, drive
through the Mojave
National Preserve and
across I-40 to meet
California’s original road
trip.
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.LIFE IN DEATH VALLEY