When you are at the bottom of Death Valley at Badwater Basin you are 282 feet below sea level. This spot has a spring-fed pool with high salinity. When an early survey crew happened upon this spot their mules refused to drink, hence the name Badwater Basin. From this pool, if you look east and up at an abrupt cliff face, you can see a white rectangular sign way up high. The sign reads "Sea Level".
A bit beyond the cliff is Dante's View, a mountaintop accessible via a 13-mile scenic drive so steep that large and/or long vehicles are prohibited. Dante's View is arguably the most spectacular view in Death Valley, at 5,575 feet above sea level, it is well worth the drive. The views in every direction are truly special. It can be scorching hot at the Badwater Basin but quite chilly just above at Dante's View.
Named for the poet who wrote the 14th-century epic poem The Divine Comedy, an allegory of the author's journey into the afterlife. Dante's journey takes him through the three realms: Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. Presumably early visitors riding mules through Death Valley on a sweltering day thought the view was hellish. However, on a perfect April day, the view was beautiful — the art of God.
Take a walk with Birkenstock.
