Dante’s View in Death Valley National Park offers a level of drama and starkness that nowhere else in California can match.
Where is Dante’s View?
Dante’s View is one of the highlights of Death Valley National Park in eastern California. This Death Valley lookout is a 143 mile drive from Las Vegas, and is doable as a day trip that takes in several other sites in the national park.
How high is Dante’s View?
Part of what makes Dante’s View special is its elevation. This overlook is on the side of Coffin Peak, along the crest of the Black Mountains range. It’s 1,699 metres above sea level, which is nowhere near as high as the nearby Sierra Nevada, but still substantially lofty.
It’s not about the height of Coffin Peak, however – it’s the height of what’s below it. Death Valley strikes across the landscape beneath, and includes Badwater Basin.
At 86 metres below sea level, Badwater Basin is the lowest point of elevation in the United States. It’s the lowest point in the whole of North America, in fact.
This difference in elevation between Dante’s View and Badwater Basin is startling. But it is not the only thing remarkable about the view.
What Dante’s View looks like
Death Valley is a particularly thirsty part of the Mojave Desert. It is also, officially, the hottest place on earth. The highest ambient air temperature ever recorded was 56.7 °C at Furnace Creek in 1913. That’s not just a freak result, either. Temperatures in Death Valley regularly top 50 °C in the summer months.
This furious heat leaves Death Valley stark and scorched. Bare mountainsides of the Panamint Range to the west give way to a blazing white streak through the centre of the valley. The fierce rays of sun reflect off, creating an intense dazzle effect.
There are beautiful views along Big Sur, in the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite National Park. But nowhere in California is the view so startlingly raw.
Wheelchair accessibility at Dante’s View
The other great thing about Dante’s View in Death Valley National Park is that it’s surprisingly accessible. You can drive right up to the top, and it is wheelchair accessible once there.
How to get to Dante’s View
Dante’s View is a 43 minute drive from Death Valley Junction and a 36 minute drive from Furnace Creek. If coming from Las Vegas, branch off the CA-190 W and head south down Furnace Creek Wash Road. After about 7.5 miles, this merges into Dante’s View Road, and you’re 5.5 miles from the lookout.
If you don’t want to drive yourself, there are several Death Valley day tours from Las Vegas to choose from.
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