The lowest point in the US is called Badwater. It is 282 feet below sea level. For miles around Badwater, there are salt flats, which mostly aren’t really flat and in some places are the most uneven and treacherous terrain I have ever tried to walk on! Since there is no outlet to Death Valley, all the rainfall for thousands of years has washed minerals to the bottom where it evaporates. The salt flats get hot in summer—ground temperatures of 180 degrees are common and it is not recommended to hike there in the hottest months.
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| The red arrow points to a "Sea Level" sign up on the cliff |
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| Walking on the salt flats at Badwater |
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| It really is salt...I tasted it |
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| In the foreground you can see where people have trampled the salt crystals, beyond is the un-trampled salt flats that go on for miles |
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| The salt forms intricate crystals |
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| In this area, the salt forms a jagged surface that is almost impossible to walk on, colorfully called The Devil's Golfcourse for the tourists ;-) |
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