The Top Five Spots of Southern Death Valley - caves, ruins, mountains and more!

While there is not a "bad" spot in Death Valley National Park (other than Badwater), the southern section of the park and its surrounding areas does not receive as much attention as some of the more mainstream areas. However, for the intrepid explorer - and the novice visitor, this is an area full of possibilities, and a great gateway zone for adventures. Starting slightly outside the park boundaries in Shoshone, California, the below are five amazing spots in southern Death Valley:

1) Dublin Gulch Cave Homes. Carved out of volcanic ash in the 1870's on, these unique structures are readily accessible off of CA-127 with a short walk. While well-preserved, these cave homes were occupied until the late 1960's and early 1970's, and allow one to feel like they have stepped back into the mining and prospecting days of the region. These historic sites were also occupied by some of Death Valley's famous miners, the Ashford Brothers and Shorty Harris.

2) The Circle Cave. From Shoshone, to enter Death Valley, one follows CA-127 North until it reaches CA-178 west. Along this route, one will experience wild, desolate views of the desert, and complete solitude. Twenty miles out of Shoshone is a rock outcropping with a unique cave with great views of the region.

3) Ashford Mill. While Death Valley had many claims, the Ashford Mill is the only accessible surviving set of gold mining ruins at the southern portion of the park. While only the foundation of the mill remains, the ruins of an outbuilding serve to demonstrate the harsh and difficult conditions miners faced. This location is eight miles to the west of the cave off of CA-178.

4) Badwater. Whereas the first three stops are more obscure, Badwater is well known as the lowest point in North America at -282 feet. While there are many ways to explore it, the best is to walk out onto the hardpan to experience the vast emptiness of Death Valley.

5) Dante's View. While there are many high points in Death Valley, there is only one that overlooks Badwater, the 5,575 foot Dante's View in the Black Mountains. To this end, Charles Brown said it best about the scenery there, with this quote “I don’t pay much attention to scenery, but I know one view that made me stop and look.” (Dante's View).

These are my favorite five spots in Southern Death Valley - what are yours? Leave a message in the comments below!

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