For some of the best vantage points in Death Valley National Park, head to Dante’s View. See Death Valley unfold before you from atop the popular viewpoint, which is located on the northeastern side of Coffin Peak along the crest of the Black Mountains.
Dante's View offers a panoramic perspective of the southern Death Valley basin. To the west and northwest, see what looks like a sparkling ocean on the horizon. This is the Devil’s Golf Course, which is actually covered in a thick crust of pinnacles of halite salt. Look directly below into the Badwater Basin. Beyond that, see the Panamint Range stretch out before you. Trail Canyon, Death Valley Canyon and Hanaupah Canyon are also visible. Check out the Owlshead Mountains to the south.
On a clear day, you can see some of the highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States. Mount Whitney, which is 14,494 feet (4,418 metres) high contrasts with Badwater, which is 282 feet (86 metres) below sea level.
From the parking lot for Dante's View, choose one of several pathways leading to different, but all remarkable, vistas. One short trail approaching the very edge of the cliff has the most dramatic views. Follow another east to a rest area, where you can enjoy a picnic backed by stunning scenery.
For the most spectacular experience, visit Dante’s View in the morning hours, when the weather is a bit cooler and the sun is rising in the east. At night, bring binoculars or a telescope for stargazing.
You may recognise Dante’s View from the popular Star Wars: Episode IV movie. In the 1977 film, Luke Skywalker and his cohorts stand at the fictional spaceport of Mos Eisley and look out across an expansive vista. Unlike the movie series, that view is distinctly earthly it is none other than Dante’s View.
