![]() ![]() ![]() There is also pickleweed that grows around the pool. These snails are endemic to the region and live only in the few springs at the edges of Death Valley’s salt flats. This pool is the natural habitat for Death Valley’s rare, native Badwater snail. The source of the pool’s water is an ancient aquifer that flows up through the faultline at the base of the mountain. Despite its name, the pool is not ‘bad’ as in poisonous, it is merely salty. That said, there boardwalk near the parking lot that allows visitors to check out Badwater Pool. There are not many plants that grow among the flats, and other than the hikers taking photos among the flats, there were not many other visible life forms. The flats appear to be unfavorable for life. Today, the glistening snow-white salt flat attracts many of Death Valley’s visitors who want to get low in the national park. Over 11000 feet of accumulated sediment exists underneath the surface of Badwater Basin. When Lake Manly evaporated, salts and sediment were left behind, the layers of which have grown over the years. Like other salt lakes, this lake had no outlet, so the salinity of the lake increased over time. ![]() There was once a Lake Manly, a large inland lake, which evaporated away thousands of years ago. The expansive salt flats are evidence of a much different time. After hiking Golden Canyon, we continued south about 12 miles south on Badwater Road to Badwater Basin.īadwater Basin is truly a fascinating place. Badwater Basin, at 282 feet below sea level, is the lowest point in North America, and one of the lowest in the world. The temperatures can be extreme, the dryness is extreme, and the difference between the highest point in the park and the lowest point is over 11300 feet. As mentioned in the Death Valley introductory post, Death Valley is a land of superlatives. ![]()
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