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Photo: Mojoworker, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A 15-foot waterfall that is particularly interesting in Spring. Traveling west of Panamint Springs on CA 190, turn left onto a dirt road that goes up a wash just before CA 190 starts climbing uphill. After about half a mile (0.8 km) of dirt, gravel and rocks, there is a small parking lot. From the parking lot, hike about half a mile to a mile (0.8 to 1.6 km) further into the canyon. Since this is the drinking water supply for Panamint Springs, please do not jump in, no matter how tempting it is.
Darwin Falls is a waterfall located on the western edge of Death Valley National Park near the settlement of Panamint Springs, California. Although there exists a similarly named Darwin Falls Wilderness adjacent to the falls, the falls themselves are located in and administered by Death Valley National Park and the National Park Service. There are several falls, but they are mainly divided into the upper and lower, with a small grotto in between. At a combined 80 feet (24 m), it is the highest waterfall in the park. The canyon is walled by dramatic plutonic rock.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
As with many points of interest within the park, this one is not easily accessible. The main route consists of 27 mi of dirt road, beginning at the Ubehebe Crater in the northern part of the park. However, the effort is well-rewarded with a site of twilight-zone proportions. The Plestiocene-era lake bed, nearly 3 mi long and 1 mi wide, is so flat that it once used as a landing strip for drug smugglers. But the Racetrack is most famous for its "moving rocks": boulders whose erratic tracks remain visible for years. Though their movement has been tracked with GPS, no adequate explanation for it has been found. In the spring months, brine shrimp - which hibernate when the water dries up, only to emerge months or even years later - are sometimes visible in the muddy puddles here.
Remnants of Death Valley's mining past, these kilns are remarkably well-preserved.
A popular hiking destination. While accessible only by a long, sandy road followed by a technical rock crawl through a wash, this hike is worth the headache (or fun) of getting to the base of the trail. Before you go, consult rangers about the location of various petroglyphs along the canyon walls. Though a fair few have been vandalized, many are in pristine condition.
Highest point in the park at 11,049 feet. The trailhead to the summit starts at the Mahagony Flats campground and is 12.5 mi round-trip with 3200 ft of elevation gain.