Saline Valley (SV)

One needs to be in a particular mood to visit the Saline Valley. The access is long, often rough, sometimes washed out by flash floods and the best route in from the north is often blocked by winter snow. Summer temperatures on the valley floor can be nearly as brutal as Death Valley itself. The road in from the north is usually the easiest. Waucoba Spring lies about 16 miles south of the paved Eureka Valley Road and Warm Spring is an additional 24 miles south and over slightly worse gravel. If coming from the south, Warm Spring is about 36 miles north of the Hunter Mountain road and the route is often severely washboarded. Waucoba Spring lies an additional 24 miles north of Warm Spring. One can also access the valley via Steele Pass from Eureka Valley or down a road from the Racetrack Valley. Both of these latter routes require a narrow wheel base, short vehicle and low range four-wheel-drive. But after all the work, these spots are definitely worth a visit.

SV1. Waucoba Springs

This is the type locality of the Waucoban or lower Cambrian for North America. The photo was taken about ...

SV2. Warm Spring

That there is a warm spring here is not surprising as you can see the obvious Neogene and Pleistocene basalt outcrops both just north and ...

SV3. Turtleback & Folding

There is an obvious turtleback detachment surface on the left which shows down-to-the-northwest movement (which is typical in the Death Valley region) and an incredible ...