Dante's View

Dante's View, Devil Golf Course, salt shoreline

Dante's View is a viewpoint terrace at 5,475 feet (1,669 meters) height, on the north side of Coffin Peak, along the crest of the Black Mountains, overlooking Death Valley. Dante's View is about 15 miles (25 kilometers) south of Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park.

Viewpoint

From the Dante's View parking lot, visitors can take several paths, one of which leads to the very brink of the edge, offering a dramatic panoramic view. Another path leads north 350 yards (320 m) to a rest area with picnic tables. The best time to visit Dante's View is in the cooler morning hours, when the sun is in the east. Dante's View is an excellent venue for night time star viewing with telescopes.

General

Dante's View provides a panoramic view of the southern Death Valley basin. To the south, the Owlshead Mountains, 19 miles (30 kilometers) away can be seen, and to the north, the Funeral Mountains 31 miles (50 kilometers) distant, are visible beyond Furnace Creek. To the West, across Badwater Basin, the Panamint Range rises dramatically to Telescope Peak. To the east is found the Greenwater Range. On very clear days, the highest and lowest points in the contiguous 48 states of the United States: Mount Whitney 14,505 feet (4,421 m) high and Badwater - 282 ft. (-86 m) can be seen.

Dante's View and Badwater from space Landsat

• A part of the Devil's Golf Course is to the west-northwest, where it appears like a great sparkling ocean - instead it is solid halite salt. The crust of salt is 1 to 2 yards (0,90 to 1,80 meters) thick and changes form after rain in the winter season dissolves the salt, to be recrystalized as the water evaporates.
• to the west-northwest, directly under Dante's View, is the Badwater Basin.

Dante's View, Salt rivers descends from the Panamint Range

• west across the Badwater Basin, lies the Panamint Range, with Trail Canyon, Death Valley Canyon and Hanaupah Canyon visible. At the crest of the Panamints, Telescope Peak 11,049 ft (3.367 m.) is 13 miles (20 kilometers) distant.

Dante's View to South

• to the south, the Owlshead Mountains.
• east is seen the Great Basin ranges of Nevada.

Etymology

Dante's View is named from Dante Alighieri, who wrote the Divina Commedia (Divine Comedy), in which there are described the nine circles of Hell, the seven terrace of Purgatory and the nine spheres of Paradise.

In April 1926, some businessmen of the Pacific Coast Borax Company informed of the touristic attractive of the Death Valley, were trying with the best seen position of the Death Valley. They had nearly chosen Chloride Cliff in the Funeral Mountains when the Deputy Sheriff of Greenwater, Charlie Brown carried them on this peak to little distance, on the Black Mountains. The group was immediately converted and promptly called this point Dante's View.

Dante's View to North

Geological

Main article: Geology of the Death Valley area

Dante's View is part of the Black Mountains, a part of Amargosa Range, that was geological Mesozoic volcanos. These mountains are created when the surface of the earth was under extensional, forming horst or a pulling force, forming graben. The crust responds to this force by rupture and consequent eruption of lava that deposit up the precedent sedimentary rock.

See also

• Places of interest in the Death Valley area
• Death Valley pupfish
• Racetrack Playa
• Richard Benyo
• Stan Jones (songwriter)
• Mark Calaway

Bibliography

• Dante's View by National Park Service (NPS)
• Dante's View by Geological Survey (USGS)

External links

• Death Valley, Dante's View travel guide from Wikitravel
• Dante's View 3D pictures
• Dante's View pictures
• Research on the geology of Death Valley
• Dante's View video Nov 2006

Coordinates: 36°13′14″N 116°43′35″W / 36.2206°N 116.7264°W / 36.2206; -116.7264