Next on your trip southward toward Badwater is what must be one of the most unusual scenes in Death Valley. Devil’s Golf Course is a nearly-dry lakebed, where salty, jagged formations seem to grow up from the white flats.
In some places the solid salt formations look like tiny icebergs floating on top of the water. It’s not the kind of site you’d expect to see in one of the hottest places on earth.
You’re free to walk around through the Devil’s Golf Course, but balancing can be a bit tricky. Miss a step and you’ll find yourself with a shoe full of saltwater. Even worse, you could end up with a nasty cut if you fell, since the salt is jagged and sharp.
During my visit in April, 2005, an unusually wet winter had filled much of the devil’s golf course with water. The lake you see above wasn’t very deep, but provided a nice reflection of the Amargosa Mountains to the east.
Note: This trip was first published in 2005. I spent much more time in Death Valley during the Superbloom of 2016.