Dante's View

One of the most spectacular viewpoints in Death Valley National Park is Dante's View. It is a mountain-top overlook positioned on the north side of Coffin Peak. At a height of 5,475 feet above sea level, this summit is more than a full vertical mile above Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America.

The access road leading to Dante's View is paved and open to vehicles less than 25 feet long. As a spur, it is well marked and begins just east of Furnace Creek off Highway 190. The road rises, sharply at times, for 13 miles to the crest of the Black Mountains, which form the eastern border of the park. En route, a sprawling mining complex can be seen, disturbingly out of joint with the scenery.

At the top, there is a parking and observation area. The temperatures here average about 20ºF cooler than those on the pure white salt flats of Badwater Basin far below. Other sights to be seen from this vantage point include sand dunes to the north and south and 11,049-foot Telescope Peak in the Panamint Range. Although heat haze often obscures the view, on clear days the Sierra Nevada's 14,495-foot Mount Whitney appears, making it possible to see both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States from a since observation point Dante's View.