Dante's View:
What can be more fitting than sitting at the top of a mountain, drinking a cup of dark roast from the 'Death Wish Coffee Company,' while watching the sunset over Death Valley? I'm sitting at Dante's View, a viewpoint terrace at 5,476 feet, on the north side of Coffin Peak, along the crest of the Black Mountains, part of the Amargosa Range, overlooking Death Valley. The viewpoint takes its name from Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet, writer, and philosopher who wrote the 'Divina Commedia' (Divine Comedy).
A sunset view of Death Valley from Dante's Peak, looking southeast across Badwater Basin, towards Bennett-Arcane Long Camp. The haze in the image is vehicle pollution blowing through the valley from Los Angeles.
The scenery from the top of the Black Mountains is considered one of Death Valley's best viewpoints. Below is Badwater Basin, the lowest point, at 282 feet below sea level, and across the valley, not visible in this composition, is Mt. Whitney, the highest point, at 14,496 feet. There are several trails from the parking lot, one leading to the very brink of the edge, offering a dramatic panoramic view. The Rangers informed me that the best time to visit was in the cooler evening hours when the sun is in the west, so I came at sunset, hoping to capture some images from the top.
With summer temperatures routinely hitting 120°F and landmarks with names like Funeral Mountains, Devil's Golf Course, and Coffin Peak, the area of Dante's View is one of the lesser-known viewpoints in the valley. But where else in the United States can you drive from 282 feet below sea level to an elevation of 5,476 in one hit? The vistas are simply incredible from the peak, overlooking the entire valley, salt flats, dunes, mountain ranges, and vastness; it's all genuinely epic! Unfortunately, not every sunset is epic, and the haze in the image is vehicle pollution blowing in from Los Angeles.