Death Valley’s golden badlands look like another planet, and the walk up takes minutes

Death Valley’s most-photographed overlook

Zabriskie Point sits on the east side of Death Valley National Park, and the view hits you fast. Gold and brown hills roll out in every direction like wrinkled fabric, carved deep by wind and occasional rain.

Beyond those hills, white salt flats stretch across the valley floor. The Panamint Mountains rise in the distance.

You can get here on a short paved walk from the parking lot, and what’s waiting at the top changes by the minute depending on where the sun is.

A sea of gold carved by wind and ancient rain

The badlands at Zabriskie Point didn’t form overnight.

They started as mud and sediment at the bottom of a lake that dried up about five million years ago. Over time, layers of mud, gravel and volcanic ash hardened into rock.

A cap of old lava helped shape the tallest peaks.

Hot spring waters and minerals worked their way through the layers, and that’s where the colors come from: gold, yellow, brown, and streaks of red that shift depending on the hour and the angle of the light.

Manly Beacon is the peak everyone photographs

That sharp, jutting spike rising to 823 feet is Manly Beacon, and it’s the first thing your eye goes to from the overlook.

The peak is named for William L. Manly, a gold-rush pioneer who helped rescue a group of stranded travelers during the brutal winter of 1849 to 1850.

Without him, that party likely doesn’t make it out of the valley alive.

The beacon carries his name now, and at sunrise, it catches the first light before anything else in the valley does.

The walk up is short and the view is not

You don’t need to be a hiker to get here. A paved path climbs about a quarter mile from the parking lot to the main overlook.

Most people make it to the top in under 10 minutes, even at a slow pace. The path is steep in places, so rest stops are built into the route.

Benches wait at the top.

From there, Manly Beacon rises directly in front of you, the salt flats spread wide below, and the Panamint Mountains line the far horizon like a wall.

Get there at sunrise if you can

First light catches Manly Beacon and turns it a deep, warm orange before the surrounding hills even wake up. Then the glow spreads downward, slowly pulling the valley floor out of shadow.

The distant peaks go red. The colors shift almost minute by minute as the sun climbs, and then, within an hour, the morning show is over and the hills settle into their daytime gold.

Photographers start arriving well before dawn to claim a good spot on the overlook, and on busy weekends, the parking lot fills early.

Sunset gives you a second chance at the colors

Evening light works the hills differently than morning does.

The gold softens, the shadows deepen into the grooves and folds of the rock, and the Red Cathedral cliffs off to one side catch the last warm orange of the day.

The crowds at sunset tend to be smaller than at sunrise, so you’ll have more room on the overlook and more quiet.

It’s a different kind of show, slower and less dramatic, but worth staying for if you’re already in the park.

More trails start right from the parking lot

Zabriskie Point is also the starting point for longer adventures.

The Badlands Loop winds through the heart of the hills and passes old borax mine tunnels along the way.

Paths from there connect down into Golden Canyon, and longer routes push all the way to Gower Gulch and the valley floor. You can pick a short loop or a half-day hike from the same trailhead.

Just know that once you drop off the paved overlook path and into the dirt trails, the terrain changes fast.

Golden Canyon hides a cathedral made of red rock

Head down from the overlook into Golden Canyon and the scale shifts.

The walls close in around you in bright yellow-gold, and side paths branch off in several directions.

Follow one spur trail and you’ll reach the Red Cathedral, a set of towering cliffs that catch the afternoon light and hold it.

The walls seem to change color as you move through, going from pale yellow near the entrance to deeper gold and rust farther in. Most people who do this trail say it’s longer than it looks on the map.

The overlook puts four different worlds in one frame

Stand at the railing and count what you can see: Manly Beacon rising behind rolling waves of yellow badlands, the Red Cathedral off to your right, the salt flats flat and white below, and the Panamint Mountains lined up across the far horizon.

On clear mornings, the range stands out sharp and close even though it’s miles away. The small hills near the overlook itself also have their own views if you walk along the edges.

No single angle shows you everything, so walk the length of the overlook before you leave.

Drive Twenty Mule Team Canyon without leaving your car

A few minutes from Zabriskie Point, a one-way dirt road cuts through the same golden hills.

Twenty Mule Team Canyon runs about 2.5 miles, takes under an hour to drive, and most regular cars can handle it when the road is dry. Pull-offs along the way let you stop and walk up the ridges for a look.

Old borax mine tunnels and platforms dot the hillsides, and the road puts you right inside the hills rather than above them. It’s worth adding to the visit if you have the time.

The name comes from a man who ran the borax trade

Zabriskie Point is named for Christian Brevoort Zabriskie, who ran the Pacific Coast Borax Company.

The operation hauled borax out of Death Valley using teams of mules pulling heavy wagons across the desert, a job that became one of the defining images of the region.

The mining history is still written into the land around the point: tunnels, old platforms, and the canyon roads that once served the trade. The name on the overlook sign connects back to all of it.

A few things worth knowing before you go

There is almost no shade at Zabriskie Point, at any time of year. Bring water and sun protection regardless of the season.

Cell service is spotty or gone entirely in this part of the park, so download your maps before you leave the Furnace Creek area. Sturdy shoes matter if you plan to leave the paved path and explore the trails.

Pets and bikes aren’t allowed on the trails, and the park asks that you stay on marked paths since the badlands are fragile and recover slowly from foot traffic off-trail.

Visit Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park, California

To get there, head east from the Furnace Creek Visitor Center on Highway 190 for about four miles. The parking lot is on the left, and the overlook is a short walk up from there.

Death Valley charges a per-vehicle entrance fee, so bring cash or a credit card.

Fall through spring is the window to aim for, since summer temperatures in the valley regularly hit dangerous levels. Check the park’s official website for current hours, fees and road conditions before you leave.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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