Lone Pine to Death Valley Junction

by Mark Loftin | Feb 1, 2022 | Western U.S. | 0 comments

Quick Stats

Distance: 200 miles. You could drive from Lone Pine to Death Valley Junction in under 3 hours, but you’d blow by all the good stuff. To see all the recommendations below, plan on a full day.

Recommended time: 1 day

Highlights: Zabriskie Point, Artist’s Drive, Badwater Basin, Badwater Basin, Lone Pine, ghost towns

Main Highway: CA-395, CA-136, CA-190 (turnoffs at Darwin Rd and Panamint Valley Rd)

Lone Pine

Lone Pine is a great starting point for Death Valley, and located a short drive from the west entrance to the park. It has plenty of motels, some great restaurants (like Alabama Hills and Seasons) and the Museum of Western Film History. It is among a string of historic lost-in-time towns on Highway 395, and also a popular lodging stop for those attempting to hike nearby Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental US.

Row of single story businesses and shops on both sides of street disappearing straight into the horizon, under a cloudy sky at sundown. Bright red neon sign at upper left, saying "Merry Go."

Highway 395, Lone Pine

Darwin

About 40 minutes east of Lone Pine is the old silver mining town of Darwin, which was the subject of a documentary film in 2011. To get here you must turn south off CA-190 onto Darwin Road. If you like exploring lost desert towns, it is worth an hour to check out the abandoned storefronts, rusty cars from fifties and other random stuff.

Darwin Road to Darwin

Old rusty 1930's red car with faded paint in foreground among some old wooden houses and yellow desert brush in foreground. Cloudy sky in background.

Darwin

Uneven wet paved road disappearing into a grey, cloudy horizon on right side, and a couple of abandoned old wooden storefronts on left side.

Darwin

Ballarat

About an hour east of Darwin is the mining supply town of Ballarat. Similar to Darwin, you have to turn off CA-190 to get here (Panamint Valley Road). Though a ghost town, Ballarat does have a tourist shop and one (!) full-time resident. A scene from the 1969 movie Easy Rider was filmed here.

Old two lane highway with yellow stripes in middle gradually disappearing straight into desert mountains, blanketed with dark rain clouds.

CA-190 en route to Ballarat

Abandoned old rusty truck with faded white hood and faded green cab on left side foreground. Yellow desert brush on right side. Blue sky with white cloud streaks in background.

Ballarat

Remnants of old adobe brick building on left side foreground, with desert hills on right side and blue sky with puffy white clouds in background.

Ballarat

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

An hour east from Ballarat is the way-station of Stovepipe Wells (named after a stovepipe that was used to mark a water source), which has a gas station, hotel, saloon and general store. Worth exploring are the nearby Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, which offer exercise and Instagram photo opps.

Sand and a few green desert weeds in foreground, a thin range of dark brown desert hills in the middle, and blue sky in background.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

Badwater Basin

About an hour from the dunes is Badwater Basin. At -282 feet below sea level, it is the lowest point in North America. The flats have an other-worldly feel, like you are on another planet, or at least the moon! On the cliff above the basin is a sign marking “sea level” so you can see how far below you are.

White salt desert ground with a few people far off in the distance in middle of photo. Thin range of dark brown mountains in middle, and blue sky with no clouds in background.

Badwater Basin

Dark brown mud pond in foreground, surrounded with some white salt. Thin range of dark brown mountains in middle. Blue sky with no clouds in background.

Badwater Basin

Artist’s Drive

On the way back to CA-190 from Badwater Basin (heading north), make sure to turn off at Artist’s Drive. This was one of great surprises of the trip, as I had not heard of it before. The drive is a narrow one-way through some spectacular rock erosion colors (caused by oxidation of various metals in the rocks). There are vista points for photos. Do not miss this turn!

Thin, paved, single-lane road goes straight then turns right and disappears into thin brush covered desert sand hills. Blue sky with no clouds in background.

Artist’s Drive

tacked jagged desert ridges of dark brown, light beige, bright white and green colored oxidized sand, with background of blue sky in top portion.

Artist’s Palette

Zabriskie Point

Less than a half hour from Artist’s Drive (back on CA-190) is another masterwork of geology: Zabriskie Point. The Mars-like scenery has been featured in films such as Zabriskie Point and Spartacus and on the cover U2’s classic album The Joshua Tree. It’s a very short walk to the lookout point, and there are also hiking trails to explore.

SSprawling light brown sand-colored ridges spread like veins in bottom portion. Thin layer of dark brown mountains in background topped with blue sky with no clouds.

Zabriskie Point

Death Valley Junction

The last stop in Death Valley is Death Valley Junction, which features some decaying buildings and The Amargosa Opera House and Hotel. The hotel and cafe are still operating, but the last opera show was in 2012.

White-colored single-story building with arches extends in left side into the horizon, with blue bench in foreground and light brown leaved tree at far right. Blue sky fills in upper right portion.

Amagorsa Opera House, Death Valley Junction

Remnants of two old gas pumps side by side at right in a white colored corridor. In distance in middle right is a blue painted door, with the sun beaming through an opening at the top.

Death Valley Junction

After driving through one of the most desolate stretches in the US, it’s hard to believe that Las Vegas is a mere 90 minutes away!

Youtube Video of Trip

Youtube video of sections of Death Valley

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