Death Valley National Park is so enormous that it in fact contains several large valleys and numerous canyons. One of these valleys is called the Saline, and was once home to a large salt producing industry called
Saline Valley Salt Works (Link). I really suggest following the previous link to an excellent resource for specific and general Owens Valley history. The Saline is a vast desert valley with many interesting features including a wetlands, sand dunes, a salt lake, old mine works, native art, etc... I managed to get to know quite a bit about the area in just 24 hours. I must add that getting around the the area requires 4x4, and a lot of it. Enjoy some photos with captions.
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| Remains of the Salt Works Tramway |
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| Saline Valley Salt Lake |
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| The wetlands under Hunter Canyon |
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| BRMs in the desert! |
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| An exposed vein of marble |
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| A minoan maze, kind of cool. |
Love DVNP. Did Swansea-Cerro Gordo Road a while back and the Mengel Pass Trail this past spring. (Both detailed in the BACKCOUNTRY ADVENTURES OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA off-roading guidebook - highly recommended if you don't have it.) The amount of history, natural beauty, open space, and isolation in that area is awesome. So is a cold beer and a few freshly made tostadas after a day of rock crawling and winching your way up some desolate canyon. Will be heading back soon!
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